Hello potential future Oatly employee. It’s us, the original oatmilk company that started in Sweden back 25 or so years ago and has since expanded to the U.S. where we’ve continued growing at a rate such that we need more brilliant minds to come work with us to keep the momentum going and the oatmilk flowing.
Sustainability, health, and transparency are the core values that guide everything we do. Basically, we exist to help people live a healthier life without recklessly taxing the planet’s resources in the process, and to change the food system for the better. We drive that change through the power of oats and through a significant reduction in cow’s milk consumption. If any of this resonates with you, then maybe you’d like to work for Oatly, too. Now onto the formal stuff.
We are looking for a Manager, Public Relations to join our North American team. Reporting to the Sr. Director, Public Relations, North America. This role will be responsible for supporting our media relations and thought leadership work related to business, market, and product growth. This role will sit within the Corporate Affairs function, partnering directly with public affairs, community management, internal communications, and sustainability and nutrition expert functions. The Manager PR will also work closely with the global PR team to coordinate all global corporate initiatives and executive placements. Above all, this person will embody the Oatly way by listening first, setting aside “best practices” for the most creative and effective practices for the brand, prioritizing partnership, and being both confident and humble. These qualities – often rarities in PR and business - are key to representing Oatly, a new kind of company.
Here are the things we want to hire you to do:
With the Sr. Director of PR, input into and execute Oatly’s North American Public Relations strategy, to promote our overall strategic priorities across business, consumer, and industry media, and to help Oatly manage its brand reputation both proactively and reactively with media, consumers, partners, and other external stakeholders
Build, maintain, and strengthen key reporter relationships, staying current on relevant news outlets, reporters, and their areas of focus across business, consumer, and trade media; directly engage with media and external partners on behalf of the brand; vet and screen relevant reactive opportunities with media, partners, and events
Assist in securing strategic press coverage across print, digital, and broadcast media, including features and product placement
Manage day-to-day relationships with PR agencies, influencer agencies, and other external support
Regularly collaborate and coordinate work with public relations colleagues globally
Regularly monitor and identify relevant entry points for the brand’s voice within the broader cultural narrative
Act as the go-to comms partner for North American nutrition and sustainability directors, leading Oatly’s mission-based storytelling in North America
Act as a regular external communications strategic partner for Oatly's cross-functional team members, including corporate affairs, creative, commercial, food and drink experience, product development, and others
Act as the go-to comms partner for Oatly commercial teams, providing PR support for new account launches, partnerships, or other announcements
Communicate with key internal stakeholders and third-party partners to ensure information is accurate and differentiated
Assist the Sr. Director PR and the VP Corporate Affairs in crisis comms scenarios
Help identify, prep, and staff strategic event and speaking engagement opportunities for global and North American spokespeople
Identify and oversee the creation/submission of applications for relevant industry recognitions and awards
Develop press materials such as press releases, bios, fact sheets, Q&As, and media interview backgrounders
Monitor industry trends, identify key insights on the category, and help create compelling pitch angles related to relevant industry topics
Develop thoughtful media reporting and oversee monitoring and coverage tracking, with routine distribution to cross-functional, internal teams
Help track the annual NA PR budget as related to own workstreams, with the Sr. Director PR
Here Are The Things We Think You Need
5+ years working in public relations, external brand communications, or journalism; ideally, familiarity with emerging consumer brands
A strong background in media relations best practices that enables comfort and confidence speaking with media, key stakeholders, and executives, supervised and unsupervised
Desire and ability to manage and foster external relationships with reporters, conference organizers, and brand partners built on trust and open communications
Strong written and interpersonal communication skills, inclusive of writing pitches, press releases, and headlines, with creativity and originality in mind
Background and/or interest in the fields of nutrition and sustainability, and a desire to lead strategy development and execution around nutrition and sustainability for the brand
Ability to think critically and make informed decisions that drive toward our strategic goals, yet flexibility and openness to change and new information
A connection to Oatly’s mission of encouraging health, sustainability, and transparency
And here’s another list of qualities we think make a good Oatly team member:
You feel connected to our mission of encouraging health, sustainability, and transparency
You are a self-starter who doesn’t need direct supervision to motivate you for success – we believe strongly in building a culture of individual accountability and ownership and need partners that can embrace that mentality
You are ready to make your mark in a smaller, growing brand, leveraging your experience to deliver amazing results and build an outstanding company
You have an entrepreneurial spirit in that you’re comfortable with ambiguity and are energized by the process of building something lasting from the ground up
You enjoy sharing your quirkiness and talents with your coworkers
Another bulleted list felt a bit too…bullet-y. So we wrote this long, awkward sentence to let you know all the ways we sweeten the deal when you work with us, like flexible vacation (take it when you need it), really great benefits (yes, pet insurance is in there), paid volunteer days off throughout the year (doing good is fun), free six packs of...(drumroll)…oatmilk, and you’ll also get genuinely great coworkers who are rooting for each other and the company to thrive. Oh, one more short but very important sentence: We are nimble and agile (not chaotic) in how we work, and we’re grounded in a long company history dating way back to the last century.
The salary for this role will be based on a variety of factors, including but not limited to geographic location, internal equity, experience, education, specialty, and training. Actual compensation is influenced by a wide array of factors, including but not limited to skill set, level of experience, and specific location. Compensation may also include a bonus, commission, or equity as applicable. Our good faith estimate for base salary is $105,000.
Our team is available to support you through the hiring process with reasonable accommodations to enable a barrier-free interview experience. We will maintain candidate privacy and confidentiality to enable an unbiased and equitable experience. If you need assistance applying for a role due to a disability or special need, please contact peopleconnect.NA@oatly.com.
Oatly is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability or veteran status.
