Senior Communications Officer

We are looking for an expert communications professional with a passion for improving the health care system and making care more just to join the California Health Care Foundation (CHCF) as a senior communications officer. A key area of focus for this position will be strengthening California’s health workforce so that all Californians have access to care and the system meets the needs of California’s diverse population. While the position would be part of a team that is based in Oakland, candidates may work remotely from other regions in California.

About the California Health Care Foundation 

The California Health Care Foundation is an independent, nonprofit philanthropy that works to improve the health care system so that all Californians have the care they need. We focus especially on making sure the system works for Californians with low incomes and for communities who have traditionally faced the greatest barriers to care. We partner with leaders across the health care safety net to ensure they have the data and resources to make care more just and to drive improvement in a complex system.

CHCF is especially focused on driving improvement in four main areas:

• Get everyone covered. Right now, three million Californians lack basic health coverage. We need to make sure everyone, regardless of income or immigration status, has the access to health care that insurance provides. One important part of the solution is ensuring that all Californians eligible for Medi-Cal are enrolled in the program.
• Strengthen and diversify the health workforce. The COVID-19 pandemic provided a stark reminder of the vital importance of California’s health care workforce. It also underscored the imperative of solving ongoing shortages of critical health professionals and ensuring that our workforce has the cultural and language competencies needed to serve California’s diverse population.
• Deliver care better. California can take steps to increase access and improve the way care is delivered to people with complex health needs, like those experiencing homelessness or serious mental illness. Those steps include modernizing how care is paid for and delivered and providing a whole-person care approach.
• Make care just. There is an urgent need to remove the structural barriers that prevent people of color from getting the care they need. CHCF is working to document inequities in the health care system, hold system leaders accountable, and transform care to uphold each Californian’s dignity.

Communications & Engagement Team Overview

The Communications & Engagement Team deploys its collective expertise in communications and audience engagement, in partnership with Programs staff, to achieve CHCF’s goals. The team plays a lead role in promoting CHCF’s brand and assuring the brand evolves to reflect the organization and its goals.

Position Overview

The senior communications officer creates and implements communications strategies to further the programmatic goals of the foundation. One of the central functions of this role will be to lead CHCF’s communications aimed at strengthening and diversifying California’s health workforce, which is one of the foundation’s top priorities.

To accomplish this, the senior communications officer will work closely with internal colleagues and external partners to engage audiences who have the power to drive change. The person in this position will need to be able to identify key messages and communications channels — including traditional media, digital communication, and events — for maximizing impact, and be able to produce content that delivers those messages efficiently. The senior communications officer will also need to manage complex communications projects, as well as grantees and outside vendors, with the flexibility to adapt to changing conditions on the ground.

This is a full-time exempt position reporting to the chief communications officer. While the Communications & Engagement team is based in Oakland, CHCF will consider candidates who would work remotely from other regions of California for this role. We especially welcome candidates who have professional or lived experience in one of our regions of special focus — Central Valley, Inland Empire, and Los Angeles.

Primary Responsibilities

• Advance CHCF goals and program-related work. Participate as a thought partner with Programs and Communications & Engagement staff to help develop, support, and promote programmatic goals through creative communications, including message development, storytelling, writing, social media, media outreach, data visualization, and events. Develop and manage grants related to communications and/or health journalism.
• Engage target audiences. Develop strategies and activities to identify and engage target audiences regarding the foundation’s goals. Assist in identifying key contacts outside the foundation who can be instrumental in partnering with and helping to carry the messages of CHCF. Use CHCF’s customer relations management tool to advance program team goals and to monitor the effectiveness of engagement approaches.
• Leverage research and data. Serve as first point of contact for Programs staff on research and other grantee publications; work with Programs staff and Communications & Engagement team members and grantees to advise them on audience and help determine key messages for publications. Work with editorial staff to establish release dates and to create and oversee dissemination strategy.
• Facilitate media coverage. Develop strong relationships with journalists and other media influencers. Field and manage media inquiries, pitch stories, and manage messages in the public arena. Help Programs staff to prepare to speak with the press, as needed.
• Build on CHCF’s strong reputation. Support the creation of strategies and tactics to enhance the foundation’s brand and identity. Write and/or edit promotional materials for online and print use.
• Contribute to CHCF’s culture. Actively participate in training; diversity, equity, and inclusions workshops; and other activities that positively contribute to CHCF’s culture. 

Minimum Qualifications

• Seven or more years of work experience in a communications-related field such as public relations, communications consulting, and/or journalism.
• Demonstrated experience in communications strategy development, as well as project and client management.

• Experience with communications about health care and/or health workforce (preferred).
• Passion for CHCF’s mission and demonstrated commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion.

• Bachelor’s degree in communications, journalism, public relations, public health, public policy, or related field.

Skills and Competencies

• You have a demonstrated commitment to health equity, CHCF’s mission, and to diversity, equity, and inclusion through your previous education, work, and/or volunteer activities and focus.
• You have the ability to manage complex projects in collaboration with multiple partners, including in-house staff, consultants, and other outside vendors.
• You have experience with developing multimedia and other innovative approaches for communicating information and social change messages.
• You have exceptional writing and public speaking skills and a demonstrated ability to translate technical information and complex concepts and statistics into accessible, audience-specific materials.
• You have the ability to effectively work with and provide counsel to senior management, leadership teams, and advisory groups. And you can train and coach colleagues on how to effectively communicate through writing, interviews, and presentations.
• You have a strong understanding of the news media. You ideally have existing relationships with working journalists.
• You are comfortable taking on new tasks or projects with little direction and possess the ability to adjust course quickly in response to information and feedback.
• You have an enthusiastic response to innovative ideas and the ability to operationalize those ideas after considering multiple perspectives and weighing opportunities, risks, creative alternatives, and the best paths forward.
• You have strong organizational skills, detail orientation, and ability to manage and prioritize multiple projects.
• You are a collaborative teammate with high integrity and a strong work ethic. You invite different perspectives into your work and are committed to improving yourself and others by seeking and providing specific feedback and guidance.

Salary and Benefits

The full salary range for this position is $131,456 to $197,184. The starting base salary of this role is $154,960.

The foundation provides a generous benefits package that includes medical, dental, vision, disability, life, and long-term care insurance; commuter checks or paid parking; employee assistance program and wellness program; educational assistance; paid time off; and retirement benefits.

Commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

The California Health Care Foundation is committed to attracting and retaining a diverse staff and will honor your experiences, perspectives, and unique identity. We believe the power of diversity enriches all of us by exposing us to a range of ways to understand and engage with the world, to identify challenges, and to discover, design, and deliver solutions. Read more about CHCF’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion vision.

COVID-19 Vaccination Policy 

The California Health Care Foundation has a duty to provide and maintain a workplace that is free of known hazards. The foundation is adopting a COVID-19 Vaccination Policy to safeguard the health of our employees and their families, our grantees and visitors, and the community at large from exposure to COVID-19. This policy will comply with all applicable laws and is based on guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and local health authorities. 

As of December 1, 2021, all employees will be required to show evidence that they are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 or have an approved accommodations request on file with human resources by that date. 

CHCF will consider requests for accommodations, as required by law. Employees requesting accommodations due to a medical reason, or because of a sincerely held religious belief, must submit a completed Request for Accommodation application form to human resources. 

How to Apply

To apply for a position at CHCF, please submit your interest via our online application system. Unless otherwise noted, we will accept resumes until a position is filled, and we will try to let you know the status of your application in a timely manner.

The California Health Care Foundation is an Equal Opportunity Employer, and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, race, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law. Employment offers will be contingent on a background check that is limited in scope and compliant with best practices for Fair Chance Hiring. We welcome formerly incarcerated people to apply for this role.