The VP of Developer Relations will lead DigitalOcean's Developer Relations team, reporting to the Chief Ecosystem and Growth Officer (CEGO). For over a decade, DigitalOcean has been the platform where millions of developers have launched their first projects, built their first startups, and learned to scale applications. Today, many of those developers are building increasingly sophisticated businesses on our platform, and we're looking for a hands-on leader to help write our next chapter. This role will drive the evolution of our developer community as we support their journey from side projects to production workloads, bridging the worlds of traditional cloud infrastructure and AI/ML. You'll help create opportunities for both experienced teams running business-critical applications and the next wave of builders who are just discovering the power of cloud computing.
Team
The role leads Developer Relations, which includes four teams: Developer Advocacy, Developer Community, Events, and Social Media. Operating within the broader CEGO organization, this team collaborates closely with Product Engineering, Marketing, Content, Sales, and Technical Partnerships to create a cohesive developer experience. The team serves as the primary bridge between DigitalOcean's developer community and product teams, ensuring developer feedback directly influences product direction and strategy.
Key Strengths Required
- Proven track record of personally driving strategic developer relations initiatives with measurable outcomes
- Strategic vision for developer relations in the age of AI, with ability to anticipate and adapt to emerging trends
- Experience building and scaling authentic developer communities across both traditional cloud and AI/ML domains
- Strong business acumen with ability to translate developer relations activities into business impact
- Experience presenting to and collaborating with board members and executive leadership
- Hands-on leader who can both set strategy and dive deep to unblock teams when needed
- Track record of building data-driven feedback loops between developer community and product teams
- Strong understanding of cloud computing, AI/ML, and developer tools landscape
- Natural ability to build genuine relationships with technical and business stakeholders at all levels
- Strong technical background with proven credibility in developer communities
Goals and Objectives
- Develop and execute a comprehensive developer relations strategy
- Create and implement a strategy to win developer mindshare in the AI/ML space
- Build strong presence in key developer communities, both online (YouTube, Discord) and offline (events, hackathons)
- Drive significant growth in social media engagement and technical content reach across platforms
- Establish DigitalOcean as a leading technical voice in developer conversations across social platforms
- Establish DigitalOcean as the trusted educational resource for developers learning to build and deploy production applications
- Create robust feedback loops between the developer community and product teams
- Drive developer adoption through strategic advocacy, education, and community engagement
- Establish clear metrics and KPIs for measuring developer relations impact
- Lead the evolution of developer relations in response to AI-driven changes in software development
Why You’ll Like Working for DigitalOcean
- We innovate with purpose. You’ll be a part of a cutting-edge technology company with an upward trajectory, who are proud to simplify cloud and AI so builders can spend more time creating software that changes the world. As a member of the team, you will be a Shark who thinks big, bold, and scrappy, like an owner with a bias for action and a powerful sense of responsibility for customers, products, employees, and decisions.
- We prioritize career development. At DO, you’ll do the best work of your career. You will work with some of the smartest and most interesting people in the industry. We are a high-performance organization that will always challenge you to think big. Our organizational development team will provide you with resources to ensure you keep growing. We provide employees with reimbursement for relevant conferences, training, and education. All employees have access to LinkedIn Learning's 10,000+ courses to support their continued growth and development.
- We care about your well-being. Regardless of your location, we will provide you with a competitive array of benefits to support you from our Employee Assistance Program to Local Employee Meetups to flexible time off policy, to name a few. While the philosophy around our benefits is the same worldwide, specific benefits may vary based on local regulations and preferences.
- We reward our employees. The salary range for this position is $310,000 - $330,000 based on market data, relevant years of experience, and skills. You may qualify for a bonus in addition to base salary; bonus amounts are determined based on company and individual performance. We also provide equity compensation to eligible employees, including equity grants upon hire and the option to participate in our Employee Stock Purchase Program.
- We value diversity and inclusion. We are an equal-opportunity employer, and recognize that diversity of thought and background builds stronger teams and products to serve our customers. We approach diversity and inclusion seriously and thoughtfully. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, ancestry, national origin, caste, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity or expression, age, disability, medical condition, pregnancy, genetic makeup, marital status, or military service.
*This is a remote role
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DigitalOcean Compensation & Benefits Highlights
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Healthcare Strength — Medical, dental, vision, and mental-health support are prominently offered alongside employer-paid life, AD&D, and disability coverage, supplemented by tools such as Headspace, Rightway, and Carrot. Coverage is positioned as market-leading and oriented toward comprehensive wellness.
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Leave & Time Off Breadth — Flexible or unlimited PTO is emphasized, and paid parental leave includes a structured part-time transition-back program. Time off programs are highlighted as a valued part of the overall package.
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Retirement Support — A 401(k) with employer match and immediate vesting is offered in the U.S., alongside tax-advantaged accounts like HSA/FSA. These elements underscore long-term savings support in addition to core insurance coverage.
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What We Do
DigitalOcean is the Inference Cloud — a full-stack, production-ready cloud platform built to run AI applications with predictable performance, sustainable economics, and radically simpler operations at scale. We are built for teams turning AI into real products — not just training models. Our advantage is not fewer features, but fewer failure modes when operating AI at scale — combining minimal operational overhead, predictable cost efficiency, and a full-stack cloud that works as a system. Hyperscalers are broad by design. Neoclouds are infrastructure-first. DigitalOcean is inference-first — with a real cloud underneath. It combines inference-optimized compute, managed inference software, and integrated cloud capabilities that reduce operational burden for teams running real workloads. Inference is the foundation—not the boundary. Everything else builds on top of it.
Why Work With Us
At DO, we do career-defining work. We innovate with AI and build cutting-edge tech. Our rewards to match that intensity - to motivate you, recognize your impact, and give you what you need to thrive. If you have a growth mindset, like to think big and bold, and are energized by the fast-paced environment, you'll find your place here.
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Remote Workspace
Employees work remotely.
We commit to both remote work and in-person collaboration. These ways of working are dependent on specific roles and are mutually agreed upon by employees. In the US, we are mainly remote. In our APAC locations, we have a hybrid in-office approach.
