Communications Lead (Maternity Cover)
Halter
Marketing & Communications
Auckland, New Zealand
Posted on Oct 10, 2024
About the role
An exciting fixed-term comms role has presented itself at Halter. We’re looking for a Communications Lead to provide maternity leave cover (9-10 months) and lead our communications and public relations strategy across New Zealand, Australia, the US, and emerging markets.
Halter is one of New Zealand’s fastest-growing companies, which means that managing communications is dynamic, fast-paced and always interesting.
Halter is pioneering a new way of farming that is more productive and sustainable. Our world-first technology enables farmers to guide cows remotely, virtually fence cows and monitor their cows’ health and well-being 24/7. With Halter, farmers are growing more grass, increasing milk production, saving significant time and improving the health of their cows.
Halter is in a category of its own. We are attracting attention globally and in New Zealand, with policymakers, leading industry bodies, farmers and media excited and curious about the Halter system and its potential for farming.
Our Communications Manager informs and educates about how the Halter system works and the value of Halter to farmers, animals, the environment and the industry. The role will involve collaborating cross-functionally with a range of exceptional internal talent - from mechanical and software engineers to animal behaviour specialists, environmentalists and market growth experts. The Communications Manager will also work closely with external stakeholders in the policy, agriculture, technology and start-up space.
This role will see you context-switching several times a day. You will thrive in this role if you’re able to naturally switch between zooming in on the details to zooming out and understanding the big-picture strategy. You’re comfortable with navigating ambiguity and complexity. You’re self-directed and able to break down a communications objective into specific tasks for yourself and the team to execute.
This is a fixed-term contract for 9 to 10 months starting around February 2025.
What your day could look like
External communications
- You will lead Halter’s communications and public relations strategy across New Zealand, Australia, the US and emerging markets, in partnership with our external partners. You will advise and support leadership on engagement with media and communications, including managing media enquiries, briefings, key messages and proactive communications. You’ll build and maintain relationships with rural and mainstream media.
- You will lead ongoing external education about Halter by using storytelling and compelling content about how the Halter system works and how it delivers value for farmers, animals and the environment. You’ll engage with a variety of high-priority external stakeholders to inform and educate about the Halter system such as with policymakers, politicians and industry leaders.
- You will run our issue management communications strategy to ensure effective action and resolution of issues, in partnership with external advisors and cross-functional issues response teams.
Internal communications
- You will work closely with a range of internal teams from Product & Engineering teams to our market-facing teams (Marketing, Business Development, Customer Success and Support), to the Executive team.
- You will create and deliver key messages and written content about our product, including communications to help launch company news and updates, and drive research and thought leadership activity.
Who are we looking for?
- Minimum 7+ years experience in communications and/or public relations roles
- Impeccable communication skills ranging from inspiring storytelling to informative content writing, from written comms to verbal presentation skills
- Ability to communicate complex, deep-tech solutions and concepts simply and clearly
- Knowledge of the media and public relations landscape
- Sound experience in issues and crisis management, with a good risk radar
- Strong forward-thinking and problem-solving capabilities. You will be cool and calm under pressure.
- Proven experience managing stakeholders across fast-paced high-tech environments
- Demonstrated experience in adapting, leading, and supporting others in a fast-paced environment
Bonus experience (not essential for you to apply)
- Experience working in public affairs/public sector/government relations
- Knowledge and understanding of the agricultural industry
- Experience working with disruptive technology and/or a scale-up company in rapid growth mode
- Farming / rural media experience (but definitely not essential)
Why our team loves working at Halter
- Dedicate yourself to solving real-world problems alongside an epic team in a culture designed around growth.
- A genuine and shared connection to our mission to make a difference in the world.
- The pride of joining an iconic New Zealand technology company. The excitement, risk, and reward of a high-growth technology scale-up on the global stage.
- Our ideas are truly valued, we are able to move fast, and our impact is real.
- State-of-the-art, dog-friendly office that’s been thoughtfully designed right in the heart of Auckland city. Did we mention dogs and cows?
- Healthy body, healthy mind. We’re partnered with Southern Cross Health Insurance to support your well-being.
- We offer an inclusive and attractive remuneration package.
- Delicious snacks and drinks are available for your daily flow.
About Halter
At Halter, we’re on a mission to enable farmers and graziers to run the most productive and sustainable operations. Our customers are using Halter to break free from the time-intensive constraints of conventional practices. Imagine watching 500 cattle stand up and walk calmly towards their next break? No quad bikes, no dogs, no fences. Just a group of cattle walking at their own pace. People say it looks like magic. Our customers are revolutionizing grazing with Halter. It's changing lives and transforming an industry. People join Halter to do meaningful work. By joining us you’ll be solving challenging problems within a talented team and a culture built for high performance. Our team out-think, out-work and out-care. We’re committed to delivering real change in the world - this isn’t easy, and in truth, we love that it’s hard. We’re backed to deliver on a mission that matters by Tier 1 investors including Bessemer Venture Partners, DCVC, Blackbird, Promus Ventures, Rocket Lab’s Peter Beck and Icehouse ventures.
Join our team
Halter is committed to promoting a diverse and inclusive workplace — a place where we can each be ourselves and do the best work of our lives. Research shows that while men apply to jobs when they meet an average of 60% of the requirements, women and under-represented groups of candidates tend to only apply when they meet every requirement. If you think you have what it takes but don’t necessarily tick every requirement on this job description, please still get in touch and apply to Halter. We’d love to chat to see if you’ll be an epic fit!
If this opportunity sounds like you, please apply below by sending through your cover letter explaining why you’re excited about this role and working at Halter, along with your CV, and we’ll be in touch!
Please also feel free to check out the careers and culture page for more information on working at Halter and don't forget to follow us on LinkedIn & Instagram.