DuckDuckGo | $87,000-$101,000
Steph's Notes:
I'm going to state up front that I think DuckDuckGo wrote a good job description, their Careers page is excellent, the benefits look great, the hiring process is transparent and progressive (paid projects!), and I think the position is probably fine.
However, I think they're asking this role to do a lot of things, and unless they're hiring more than one person through this listing, I'm worried about the long-term success and energy of whoever ends up in it.
Also, given they're asking for 5+ years of experience, I also think Community Support Specialist is too junior a title, and I'm on the fence about whether the compensation is adequate for a high-stress, actually more senior role like this.
These aren't concerns such that I would put this job in Tread Carefully, but I would bring them up if I were interviewing for it.
Original Job Description: Community Support Specialist
Hi, we’re DuckDuckGo, the Internet privacy company for everyone who wants to take back their privacy now. For over a decade, we've been building our all-in-one product, developing new privacy technology, and working with policymakers to make online privacy simple and accessible for all.
Our browsers and extensions have been downloaded over 250 million times with our built-in private search engine, which has delivered over 100 billion searches and is the 2nd largest search engine on mobile in the United States and 17 other countries, including the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, Germany, Poland, and Spain. Our private search engine is also 3rd in market share in the U.S. and over 20 major markets. Oh, and we've been profitable since 2014, with annual revenue exceeding $100 million!
The DuckDuckGo browser’s uniquely comprehensive privacy protections are used by tens of millions of people to protect their everyday online activities on Mac, Windows, iOS, and Android, from searching to browsing, emailing, and more. We also offer Privacy Pro, a three-in-one subscription service that includes a VPN, Personal Information Removal, and Identity Theft Restoration.
We’re looking for a Community Support Specialist to champion our consumers' experience, provide user support, and join our mission to show the world that protecting your privacy online can be simple.
The Opportunity
In this role, you will have a unique opportunity to deliver exceptional user support while helping shape, manage, and grow DuckDuckGo's online community. You will be responsible for engaging with our 5M+ followers on public-facing social media, executing our broader community management strategy, taking on customer service efforts for Privacy Pro subscribers, delivering timely information and answers to users, and more.
What You Will Bring to DuckDuckGo
- Ability to propose, contribute to, and lead projects with support from cross-functional advisors.
- Skills to wrangle vague problems, propose innovative solutions, and execute them with a strong focus on metrics.
- At least 5 years of experience executing stellar customer support and community management with sound judgement across multiple channels for a technical and/or software product.
- A customer-first mindset — you empathize with user and customer concerns, gather information from various internal teams, and turn that information into helpful interactions.
- Deep familiarity with social media platforms, community management features, and customer support tools and solutions.
- Proven ability to handle high-stress situations, manage time and workload around shifting priorities in a fast-paced environment, and maintain an unwavering attention to detail.
- Proven experience evolving customer support processes, analytics, and reporting.
- Exceptional writing skills.
- A passion and strong understanding of our industry and our business mission.
- The ability to understand and effectively communicate the features and benefits of DuckDuckGo to a broad range of consumers.
How We Will Support You
Our core values — build trust, question assumptions, and validate direction — underpin how we work day-to-day and the support we give our team members. We strive to empower our team members to be self-directed and self-motivated in their work.
- Remote First, Always: We've always been a fully distributed company with team members all over the world. We trust you to get your work done wherever, and whenever.
- Commitment to Personal Growth: Every team member has an annual budget of $1,250 USD to invest in their professional development. Every team member also has a dedicated Career Advisor, who serves as a guide to help you develop your strengths, identify your motivations, and understand your opportunities for growth.
- Leadership: We have many different types of leaders and possible combinations of leadership roles, so you can grow your career in a way that aligns best with your personal goals. You can seek additional leadership roles by being directly responsible for projects, taking ownership of areas of the company, developing and maintaining internal processes, or pursuing advisory roles.
- Work/Life Balance: Team members have the freedom and flexibility to organize their own work schedules. We want you to thrive both in and out of the office. We trust you to use good judgment and take the time off that you need to bring your best self to work.
We also offer paid parental leave, a co-working stipend, office setup reimbursement, and a wellness stipend. More support resources can be found in our Team Member Support Guide, which explains how we make your well-being a priority.
For more information on how we collaborate worldwide, from leadership in our relatively flat organization to start-to-finish ownership, check out DuckDuckGo Culture: How We Work.
Compensation
The annual compensation range for this role is $87,000-$101,000 USD plus stock options and will depend on professional level as assessed through the hiring process. Compensation is the same within a professional level, regardless of geographic location or functional area, and the compensation for each professional level is transparent across the organization.
Hiring Process
Hiring works best when it's a two-way street. Learn how we help you get to know DuckDuckGo and envision your future role here. Find out more about how we hire.
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
DuckDuckGo provides equal work opportunities to all team members and applicants, and it prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type on the basis of race, color, ethnicity, caste, religion, age, sex (including pregnancy), national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by our policies or federal, state, or local laws.
We want to ensure that our hiring process is accessible. If you need reasonable accommodation for any part of the application process because of a medical condition or disability, please send an email to careers@duckduckgo.com to let us know the nature of your request.
If you think you might thrive in this environment, we would love to hear from you.
Please note that:
- Sometimes we meet up! Expect to travel at least two times a year: once for our all-hands meetup and again for a team retreat (each around 4-5 days). While extenuating circumstances may impact attendance, everyone is strongly encouraged to attend.
- While we offer a flexible work arrangement with no core hours, expect an average full-time commitment of 40 hours per week.
- A successful candidate will be subject to a background check and must receive satisfactory results of the same, as a condition of joining the team.
- By applying for this role, you confirm that all information submitted is accurate and complete. You further acknowledge that providing false or fraudulent information during the application process is cause for denial of an offer, revocation of any existing offer, or other adverse action, up to and including termination after the start of your commencement of work.
Remote
$87,000 - $101,000 per year
Content & Communications
