Senior Director of Communications

Company: California Community Foundation
Location: Los Angeles, CA (Hybrid)

About California Community Foundation (CCF)

The California Community Foundation is one of the largest and most influential philanthropic institutions in the Greater Los Angeles region, managing nearly $2.3 billion in assets across approximately 1,900 funds. With 110 years of service to Los Angeles County, CCF connects donors, nonprofits, and community partners to advance a vision where all people in LA have access to a good life. Guided by its 2025–2035 Strategic Framework — anchored in five priorities spanning basic needs, economic opportunity, resilient communities, civic voice, and healing and renewal — CCF operates as Los Angeles' most trusted partner in transformational philanthropy. Learn more about CCF at www.calfund.org.

About the Role

The Senior Director of Communications is a senior leader within CCF’s Marketing, Communications & Storytelling team, responsible for helping shape and execute the Foundation’s communications strategy at a time when the function is growing in both visibility and importance. Reporting to the Vice President, Marketing and Communications, this leader will bring focus, consistency, and executional excellence to CCF’s internal and external communications, ensuring the Foundation communicates with clarity, discipline, and purpose across audiences.

Serving as an important bridge between CCF’s institutional narrative and its many stakeholders, including donors, community partners, media, policymakers, civic leaders, staff, and the broader public, the Senior Director will translate the Foundation’s mission, strategy, and priorities into compelling messages that reflect the breadth, urgency, and impact of CCF’s work across Los Angeles.

The Senior Director will lead CCF’s external communications function, including media relations, earned and owned media strategy, public affairs positioning, thought leadership, and rapid-response communications. This leader will also play a central role in strengthening the Foundation’s executive communications infrastructure, developing speeches, talking points, briefings, keynote remarks, op-eds, ghostwritten materials, internal messages, and messaging frameworks for the CEO and senior leadership.

This role requires a highly skilled, hands-on communications strategist and exceptional writer with deep experience in institutional communications, executive voice writing, media strategy, and cross-functional collaboration. The ideal candidate will have experience supporting senior executives in complex environments, such as a president’s office, elected office, university, agency, nonprofit, or mission-driven institution, and will bring the judgment, responsiveness, discretion, and message discipline required for high-stakes communications. This is an exciting opportunity for a communications practitioner who thrives close to the work, brings both polish and practicality to a fast-moving environment, and is energized by the chance to help build a more integrated communications function while elevating how CCF communicates its purpose, impact, and leadership across Los Angeles.

Responsibilities

External Communications & Media Relations

• Lead CCF's earned media strategy, building and maintaining relationships with journalists, editors, and producers across local, regional, and national outlets covering philanthropy, civic affairs, and Los Angeles.
• Serve as the primary media contact for the Foundation, coordinating interview requests, preparing spokespeople, and managing press inquiries with speed and strategic judgment.
• Draft and edit press releases, media advisories, op-eds, statements, and rapid response communications on behalf of CCF and its executive leadership.
• Monitor the media landscape for opportunities to amplify CCF's voice on issues relevant to the Foundation's mission and strategic framework priorities.
• Manage crisis communications in coordination with the VP, Marketing and Communications and Chief Philanthropy Officer, ensuring consistent messaging and stakeholder confidence during sensitive moments.

Executive Communications

• Develop and maintain CCF's executive communications infrastructure — including standing messaging frameworks, talking points, and institutional narrative documents — for use by the CEO and senior leaders across internal and external settings.
• Write and edit executive-level content including keynote remarks, Board presentations, op-eds, bylined articles, stakeholder letters, and public testimonies.
• Prepare the CEO and other senior leaders for media interviews, panel appearances, speaking engagements, and high-stakes donor or community conversations.
• Build a deep understanding of the CEO's voice, priorities, and communication style to serve as a trusted ghostwriter and strategic communications advisor.
• Collaborate with the Office of Philanthropy to develop donor-facing executive correspondence that reflects CCF's institutional voice and strengthens philanthropic relationships.

Donor & Stakeholder Communications

• Partner with the Office of Philanthropy to develop communications that support donor engagement, stewardship, and retention — including newsletters, impact updates, policy communications, and event materials.
• Translate complex programmatic, policy, or investment-related content into clear, accessible communications for donor audiences with varying levels of philanthropic sophistication.
• Support the development of communications around CCF's grantmaking portfolios, including crisis response, civic engagement, and community investment narratives.
• Collaborate on the development of the Annual Report, CCF website content, and other flagship publications.

Brand, Content & Storytelling

• Champion CCF's brand voice and storytelling standards across all communications channels — ensuring consistency, clarity, and mission alignment.
• Work in close partnership with the MCaS team to develop content strategies that integrate communications across earned, owned, and shared media platforms.
• Commission and edit long-form content, community stories, and donor impact narratives that bring CCF's work to life for diverse audiences.
• Ensure all communications reflect CCF's values of equity, inclusion, and community partnership — and are responsive to the lived realities of Los Angeles County residents.

Marketing Strategy & Oversight

• Provide strategic oversight and editorial direction for CCF's marketing function, ensuring all marketing activity is aligned with institutional priorities, brand standards, and audience needs across the donor, community, and public-facing landscape.
• Partner with the VP, MCaS to develop and execute integrated marketing strategies that advance CCF's visibility, donor engagement, and community awareness goals.
• Oversee the development of marketing materials across print, digital, and event channels — including campaign assets, collateral, advertising, and sponsorship materials — ensuring consistency of voice, message, and design standards.
• Lead campaign planning and execution for key institutional moments, including year-end giving, scholarship seasons, major convenings, and strategic framework milestones.
• Manage and optimize CCF's digital marketing presence in coordination with the MCaS team, including email marketing, website content strategy, and paid and organic digital channels.
• Track and report on marketing performance metrics, translating data into insights that inform future strategy and resource allocation.
• Ensure marketing content reflects CCF's equity values and is culturally responsive to the diverse communities and donor audiences CCF serves across Los Angeles County.

Team Leadership & Cross-Departmental Collaboration

• Supervise and develop communications team members as assigned, providing mentorship, editorial oversight, and professional growth opportunities.
• Serve as a senior communications resource and thought partner across CCF departments — including Impact, Finance, and Operations — for high-stakes internal and external communications needs.
• Contribute to departmental planning, goal-setting, and performance measurement within the MCaS team.
• Model CCF's culture of collaboration, excellence, and community accountability in all internal and external interactions.

Qualifications

The ideal candidate will be an accomplished communications leader, exceptional writer, and trusted strategic partner with the judgment, creativity, and presence to help elevate CCF’s voice across Los Angeles and beyond. This leader will bring 8–12 years of progressive communications experience, including significant time in a senior communications, public affairs, editorial, or related leadership role, and a demonstrated ability to translate complex organizational priorities into clear, compelling, and values-aligned communications. Experience in a philanthropic, nonprofit, civic, or mission-driven institutional context is strongly preferred, along with deep familiarity with the Los Angeles media, civic, and community landscape.

Leadership Competencies

• Exceptional Writing, Editing, and Editorial Judgment: The successful candidate will be an outstanding writer and editor with a portfolio that demonstrates versatility across formats, including executive speeches and remarks, op-eds, donor correspondence, media materials, internal communications, and institutional narratives. They will bring strong editorial instincts, sound judgment, and the ability to shape messaging that is clear, nuanced, timely, and aligned with CCF’s mission, values, and voice.
• Executive Communications and Trusted Leadership Support: This leader will have demonstrated experience writing in multiple executive voices and serving as a trusted ghostwriter and communications advisor for senior organizational leaders. They will be able to distill leadership priorities into compelling messages, prepare executives for high-visibility moments, and support communications that strengthen clarity, confidence, and alignment across internal and external audiences.
• Media Relations, Public Affairs, and Issues Management: The ideal candidate will bring meaningful experience in media relations, including proactive pitching, message development, spokesperson preparation, and crisis communications management. They will understand how to position an organization thoughtfully in the public sphere, anticipate reputational opportunities and risks, and help ensure that CCF’s communications are strategic, responsive, and grounded in sound judgment.
• Relationship Building and Stakeholder Engagement: The successful candidate will bring strong interpersonal skills and the ability to build trust with senior leaders, donors, community partners, civic leaders, media contacts, and internal colleagues. They will be a collaborative and emotionally intelligent leader who can listen well, navigate complexity, and work across relationships to advance shared priorities and strengthen CCF’s visibility and impact.
• Mission Alignment and Civic Leadership Orientation: The ideal candidate will bring a strong commitment to mission-driven work and an understanding of how communications can advance community impact, civic engagement, and institutional leadership. Experience with community foundations, donor-advised fund programs, philanthropic services organizations, or related models would be an asset.