Brand & Communications Manager at Serval in San Francisco, CA

WHO WE ARE Serval http://serval.com is an AI-native automation platform transforming how enterprises operate. We build intelligent agents that understand real-world workflows and execute them end-to-end — replacing manual processes and rigid legacy systems with adaptive, learning software. Founded in early 2024, Serval is already trusted by companies like Fox, Notion, Perplexity, Vercel, Mercor, LangChain, and Verkada to automate high-volume, high-friction operational work across their organizations. At the core of Serval is an agentic AI platform that turns natural language into production-grade workflows. Our agents don’t just respond to requests — they reason, take action across systems, and continuously improve with usage. What began with operational use cases has quickly evolved into a horizontal AI automation layer used across IT, HR, Finance, Security, Legal, and Engineering. Our mission is to eliminate repetitive, manual work across the enterprise and give teams leverage through intelligent automation. Long term, we’re building the universal AI operations layer — a system of agents that sits across business functions and runs the workflows that keep modern companies moving. We’re backed by leading investors including Sequoia Capital, Redpoint Ventures, Meritech, First Round, General Catalyst, Elad Gil, and others, and founded by product and engineering leaders from Verkada. ROLE OVERVIEW We’re hiring a Communications Manager to own how Serval shows up in the press, in the industry, and in the rooms where the AI agent category is being defined. This is a player-coach role: you’ll do the work yourself today — creating new content concepts like research or podcasts, pitching reporters, drafting executive op-eds, shaping launch narratives, running point in a crisis — and build the comms function as we scale. You know the reporters covering AI, enterprise software, and the future of work better than they know themselves; building real relationships with them; and turning Serval’s news, customers, and POVs into stories that move the category. You’ll partner with our founders on thought leadership — the kind that gets quoted, not just published — and run the announcement playbook for funding rounds, product launches, customer wins, and major hires. You’ll report to the SVP of Brand & Communications and work closely with our founders, who care deeply about how Serval is talked about. If you’ve been waiting for a comms role where the company actually has something to say, this is it. WHO YOU ARE - A reporter’s comms person. You think like a journalist first — what’s the story, what’s new, why now — and pitch like one. You’d rather land one great feature than five recycled mentions. - A builder. You’re excited that there’s no comms playbook to inherit, and you want to write the one that defines how AI infrastructure companies talk about themselves. - Sharp on the page. You can draft a press release, an op-ed, a CEO post, and a crisis statement before lunch — and each one sounds like a different voice on purpose. - Calm under fire. When a reporter calls at 8pm with a hard question, you know what to say, what not to say, and how to make sure the founder feels supported through it. - Genuinely interested in AI and enterprise software. You don’t need to be technical, but you should be able to read a product announcement, understand what’s actually new, and know which reporters will care and why. - A connector. You build real relationships — with reporters, analysts, customers, and inside the company — and you treat them like the long-term assets they are. WHAT YOU’LL DO - Media strategy and execution: build the target reporter list, develop relationships, and run proactive and reactive press across AI, enterprise tech, business, and trade outlets. - Pitch and place. You’ll be the one drafting the pitch or working with our agency partner to do so. You are hands-on and the agency is your force-multiplier. - Run announcement strategy end-to-end for funding rounds, product launches, customer stories, partnerships, and major hires. Build the narrative, brief the spokespeople, line up the exclusives, and measure what landed. - Build our founders’ thought leadership. Develop POVs with them, prep them for interviews and keynotes, and make sure their public voice matches what they actually believe. - Shape and protect Serval’s reputation. Anticipate issues before they’re issues, draft the response when something does come up, and serve as a steady advisor to leadership in moments that matter. - Develop the messaging that everything else flows from — the company narrative, product positioning at the highest level, customer story templates — in close partnership with product marketing. - Run analyst relations. Get Serval into the right conversations with Gartner, Forrester, IDC, and the new wave of independent AI analysts who actually shape buying decisions. - Build the playbooks, processes, and agency relationships that let comms scale beyond what one person can do, and help build the team when the time is right. - Use AI tools aggressively for research, drafting, and media monitoring — and bring a clear point of view on what they’re good at and where human judgment still wins. WHAT WE’RE LOOKING FOR - 7+ years in communications, with meaningful in-house experience at a B2B software, AI, or fintech company. Agency time is valuable, but we want someone who has owned the work from the company side. - A track record of placed stories. Tier-one features, op-eds in real outlets, launch coverage that moved the needle — we’ll want to read them. - Excellent writing across formats — press release, op-ed, executive post, internal memo, talking points, holding statement. Plain English, opinionated voice, no corporate fog. - Sound judgment in sensitive moments. You’ve been through a real launch, a real reorg, or a real crisis, and you’ve learned from it. - Comfort in ambiguity and a bias to ship. We don’t have a 50-page comms manual; we have a market that’s moving fast and a story that’s worth telling. - Fluency with modern comms, listening, and AI tools — and a clear point of view on which ones are worth the money. - San Francisco or New York City based. WHAT WE OFFER - Impact: Be a key player in shaping the success of our product and company. - Growth: Build a fundamentally new AI product offering with the support of our experienced team and investors. Grow rapidly with the company. - Culture: Join a culture that values innovation, ownership, accountability, and fun.