VP, Communications

The Opportunity

XPRIZE is at an extraordinary moment. For over 30 years we have been engineering breakthroughs that others thought impossible — transforming bold ideas into scalable solutions that reshape industries and shift entire systems for the benefit of humanity.

The world is grappling with its hardest problems, and XPRIZE exists to solve them. To continue doing that work and attracting the funders, partners, and innovators who make it possible — the world needs to know we exist.

Key Responsibilities

• Earned Media and External Narrative
• Own global media strategy and cultivate relationships with journalists, editors, and producers across science, technology, business, and philanthropy
• Position XPRIZE executives and domain leads as credible, authoritative voices through media, speaking, and editorial opportunities
• Build and maintain an always-on communications presence that keeps XPRIZE visible between prize milestones
• Manage the existing PR agency and establish the long-term agency partnership model
• Prize Lifecycle Communications
• Lead communications strategy across the full prize lifecycle — from pre-launch positioning through winner announcement and impact storytelling
• Ensure every major prize milestone has a coordinated earned media plan that integrates with owned content strategy
• Translate complex scientific and technical subject matter for two distinct audiences simultaneously: domain experts who already understand the science, and philanthropic donors and sponsors who need to feel the urgency and stakes
• Advancement and Donor-Facing Narrative
• Partner closely with Advancement leadership to align communications strategy with fundraising priorities and donor engagement goals
• Shape the narrative strategy that connects XPRIZE's scientific breakthroughs to philanthropic investment decisions
• Develop high-impact communications assets — impact reports, donor materials, executive messaging, and campaign narratives — that serve Advancement's outreach and deepen donor relationships
• Position communications as a strategic driver of institutional credibility and philanthropic growth
• Executive and Organizational Communications
• Serve as communications advisor to the CMO on messaging strategy, stakeholder engagement, and reputation
• Oversee executive communications, including speeches, keynote content, op-eds, and thought leadership
• Lead crisis communications and reputation management, establishing protocols and leading response in coordination with executive and legal leadership
• Owned-to-Earned Integration
• Work in close partnership with the VP, Content, to ensure owned content strategy and earned media strategy are integrated rather than siloed
• Provide the narrative foundation — messaging frameworks, story angles, briefing materials — that enables the owned content function to produce work that earns media attention
• Ensure major prize milestones are supported by a unified content and communications approach
• Team and Operational Leadership
• Build the communications function from the ground up — establishing systems, standards, and agency relationships that scale with the organization
• Manage external agency partnerships with clear accountability for performance and outcomes
• Oversee the communications budget with discipline and transparency

Required Qualifications

• 12+ years of communications leadership experience, including senior ownership of earned media strategy and executive communications
• Demonstrated success translating complex scientific, technical, or policy subject matter into compelling narratives for multiple distinct audiences simultaneously
• Established relationships with top-tier media across science, technology, business, and philanthropy
• Proven ability to build communications infrastructure from scratch — systems, processes, and partnerships — not just maintain inherited ones
• Experience developing donor-facing or philanthropic communications for sophisticated investor audiences
• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills, including executive messaging and spokesperson experience
• Comfort operating in a lean, fast-moving environment where strategic and executional demands coexist

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in science, health, climate, technology, or innovation communications
• Background in journalism, science communication, or editorial leadership
• Experience working alongside or within a content and creative marketing function
• Familiarity with prize models, incentive competitions, or philanthropic venture approaches
• Passion for XPRIZE's mission to solve humanity's greatest challenges through incentive competition
• Preference for Los Angeles-based applicants