Senior Director, Communications

Reports to: Chief Operations Officer

Direct reports: 3 (Senior Communications Manager; Senior Media Relations Manager; Visual Design Specialist)

Location: Los Angeles, CA (hybrid; regular in-office presence required)

Michelson Philanthropies Overview

Michelson Philanthropies (MP) is a network of private operating foundations advancing scalable solutions to some of society’s most pressing challenges. Through advocacy, grantmaking, impact investing, and direct programs, we serve underserved communities across California and beyond. With staff primarily based in Los Angeles, our foundations -- Michelson Medical Research, Found Animals, 20 Million Minds, and the Center for Public Policy and International Affairs -- focus on medical research, animal welfare, education, intellectual property, and criminal justice reform.

As Michelson advances evidence-based ideas into real-world policy and practice, communications will be central to shaping the public and policy landscape—amplifying partner voices, shaping public narratives, and mobilizing influence for measurable change. The Senior Director of Communications will lead this cross-foundation effort, building campaigns that advance policy, elevate grantees, and expand our impact.

Position Summary

The Senior Director of Communications will lead Michelson Philanthropies’ external influence across the foundation network, translating program evidence into policy-facing campaigns and persuasive public narratives. This senior leader will oversee a three-person communications team, set measurable KPIs for outcomes, and partner with program, policy, and operations leaders to time campaigns for legislative cycles, coalition moments, and high-impact media opportunities.

Why This Role Matters

This role will lead Michelson’s public voice at a moment when we are pushing program evidence into policy and practice. The Senior Director will drive advocacy-focused campaigns that elevate grantees, inform state and sector policy, and translate complex program outcomes into compelling change narratives. You’ll build on recent wins — including advocacy that contributed to a $115M California allocation for the Zero-Textbook Cost Degree Program, support for the GAINS Act for student parents, and work on AB 867 to restrict cat declawing — to expand Michelson’s influence across higher education, animal welfare, and medical research.

Key Tasks/Responsibilities

• Strategic Planning & Organizational Leadership
• Develop and lead a unified, multi-year communications strategy that advances MP’s mission and sets measurable external goals (e.g., policy/advocacy wins, coalition growth, public awareness, media reach).
• Define KPIs tied to external outcomes (legislative engagement, grantee/partner adoption, campaign-driven behavior change) and build reporting that ties communications work to organizational impact.
• Team & Department Leadership
• Lead and mentor a communications team fostering a collaborative, efficient, and united department.
• Oversee hiring, professional development, performance management, and vendor/agency relationships.
• Lead communications for organizational initiatives, launches, and transitions to ensure staff and stakeholders are informed, prepared, and engaged.
• Manage the communications budget, contracts with consultants/agencies, and vendor relationships.
• External Communications & Media Relations
• Lead an integrated media and public affairs strategy across earned, paid, owned, and rapid-response channels, aligned to program and policy objectives.
• Design and execute advocacy and policy communications—partnering with program and policy teams to time campaigns for legislative cycles, rulemakings, and high-impact public moments.
• Serve as senior spokesperson as needed and define who speaks for what and the approval process for public statements.
• Cultivate and manage relationships with California and national journalists, coalition partners, and allied organizations to amplify grantees and drive policy conversations.
• Lead crisis and issues management communications, serving as a senior advisor to executive leadership on reputational risk, rapid response strategy, and stakeholder messaging during high-stakes moments.
• Content, Digital & Brand Management
• Oversee brand stewardship and messaging frameworks for the network—ensuring consistent tone, voice, and visual identity across platforms.
• Develop an impact-first content and digital strategy for owned channels (web, newsletters, blogs, social, video) that elevates evidence and partner voices, supports policy and adoption goals, and drives measurable engagement tied to program outcomes.
• Co-create storytelling toolkits with grantees and program teams (case studies, explainers, media kits) to center partner voices in advocacy.
• Harmonize editorial and campaign calendars, shared media lists, and a cross-foundation advocacy calendar so programs and foundations coordinate around campaigns, policy windows, and public moments.
• Set and report on content/digital KPIs (traffic/engagement, newsletter metrics, conversion for calls-to-action, and campaign outcomes), and use results to continuously optimize strategy.
• Executive Engagement
• Advise executive leadership on when and how to use the foundation’s voice for advocacy (op-eds, testimony, coalition sign-ons, major events).
• Translate executive priorities into communications plans, deliverables, and approval timelines; define approval workflows for high-profile external communications.
• Represent communications in senior leadership discussions, surfacing opportunities and risks tied to policy and public engagement.
• Other Duties As Assigned

Position Skills & Characteristics

• Demonstrated commitment to equity and community-centered partnership, including experience co-creating communications with grantees and elevating partner-led narratives.
• Experience building/guiding cross-channel communications campaigns, spanning earned media, paid media, social media, digital communications and marketing
• Strong grasp of communications metrics (earned media reach, sentiment, share of voice, engagement) and ability to synthesize data into leadership-ready reports and ROI storytelling.
• Proficiency in content management systems (WordPress, Squarespace), email marketing platforms (HubSpot), and social listening platforms (Meltwater).
• Experience with SEO, Google Analytics, and paid/digital advertising strategy.
• Strong organizational and project management skills with attention to detail.
• Excellent writing, editing, and executive-communications skills.
• Role requires someone who exhibits: compassion, resilience, relentlessness, creative thinking, adaptability, urgency, and community-centered activism among other qualities

Minimum Qualifications:

• 10+ years of progressive communications experience, including senior leadership managing cross-functional teams.
• Demonstrated experience leading policy- or advocacy-focused communications that produced measurable outcomes (e.g., legislation, rulemaking, coalition wins, or system adoption).
• Proven success leading brand strategy and architecture for multi-entity organizations (umbrella brand and sub-brands).
• Strong presence and credibility with executive, board, and sector-level stakeholders.
• Deep media relationships in California and strong ties to national philanthropic and policy networks.
• Excellent writing and executive communications skills; proven experience amplifying grantee and partner voices.
• Inspiring leader capable of enhancing existing staff capacity through trust and open communication.
• Demonstrated ability to work independently and collaboratively in a fast-paced environment.
• Bachelor’s degree in communications, journalism, public policy, or related field (or equivalent experience).