Director, Communications and Civic Information Structure

California Endowment•Los Angeles, CA

7d•Hybrid

About The Position

The California Endowment is seeking a Director, Communications and Civic Information Infrastructure to lead its strategy for strengthening the community infrastructure needed to build and sustain community power, civic participation, and systems change across California. Through long-term investments, strategic partnerships, shared infrastructure, and field-building initiatives, the Director will advance a statewide ecosystem that enables community-based organizations, coalitions, and movement partners to thrive and drive lasting change. The Director will translate The Endowment’s Learn → Build → Strengthen → Lead framework into an integrated portfolio of investments, partnerships, shared infrastructure, learning initiatives, and innovation strategies. The role connects community infrastructure investments with narrative power, civic communications, trusted information ecosystems, and community voice. The Director will develop and implement strategic initiatives, oversee a multidisciplinary team, serve as a thought partner to leadership, and represent The Endowment with external partners, philanthropic peers, and community leaders. The position reports to the Vice President, Strategic Communications and Narrative. This is a hybrid role with two days per week on-site at the Los Angeles office. Other office locations in Fresno, Sacramento, San Diego, and Oakland may be considered for the right candidate. The Endowment is a private, statewide health foundation established in 1996. Its mission is to expand access to affordable, quality health care for underserved individuals and communities and promote fundamental improvements in the health status of all Californians.

Requirements

At least 10 years of progressively responsible experience in strategic communications, public policy, community development, civic engagement, or related fields.
At least five years of staff management experience.
A bachelor’s degree in communications, public policy, public administration, or a related field; the posting states this is equivalent to four years of relevant experience.
Demonstrated experience managing campaigns that bridge policy, culture, and community engagement.
Experience working in California’s health and/or social impact ecosystem.
Ability to apply a systems perspective to identify root causes, interdependencies, leverage points, and opportunities.
Deep understanding of and commitment to equity, justice, and community-centered approaches that strengthen civic participation, leadership development, and community voice.
Ability to build, steward, and leverage relationships across community organizations, philanthropic peers, and public-sector stakeholders.
Ability to use data, evaluation, community intelligence, and emerging insights to inform strategy, support continuous improvement, and adapt to changing conditions.
Ability to navigate ambiguity, shifting environments, and competing priorities.
Understanding of narrative power, trusted information ecosystems, civic communications, and community intelligence in advancing community power and systems change.
Excellent writing, editing, and storytelling skills, including the ability to distill complex ideas into compelling narratives.
Strong strategic planning, project management, and team leadership skills.
Ability to manage complex projects, budgets, and cross-departmental collaboration.
Ability to build trust, foster collaboration, and engage diverse stakeholders across communities, sectors, and lived experiences.
Commitment to inclusive, equitable, and culturally responsive teams and workplace practices.
Ability to lead and develop a high-performing, diverse team through coaching, mentorship, and accountability.

Nice To Haves

Familiarity with health equity frameworks.
Experience in philanthropy, nonprofit, or public-sector organizations is preferred.

Responsibilities

Lead the development, implementation, and refinement of The Endowment’s community infrastructure strategy, aligning it with organizational priorities and goals.
Operationalize The Endowment’s Learn → Build → Strengthen → Lead framework through strategic investments and initiatives.
Establish strategic priorities, investment frameworks, portfolio goals, and performance measures to guide decisions and resource allocation.
Use systems thinking to identify opportunities, trends, risks, and leverage points that can strengthen community infrastructure and collective impact.
Monitor portfolio performance, evaluate progress toward strategic outcomes, and recommend adjustments to improve effectiveness and long-term impact.
Oversee portfolio planning, budgeting, and resource allocation.
Bring community intelligence, field insights, and ecosystem perspectives into enterprise planning and decision-making.
Design and lead grantmaking and investment strategies that strengthen community-based organizations, coalitions, networks, and movement partners.
Lead a portfolio of grants, investments, and partnerships, ensuring effective stewardship, measurable outcomes, and alignment with organizational priorities.
Advance investments in shared infrastructure, civic communications systems, narrative infrastructure, and collaborative platforms that expand community voice, trusted information, civic participation, and collective action.
Identify opportunities to align investments across portfolios and external partners to strengthen statewide infrastructure and long-term impact.
Ensure investments are community-informed, equity-centered, and responsive to field needs and changing conditions.
Provide strategic leadership for the Community Intelligence Commons, advancing community-centered approaches to knowledge governance, civic infrastructure, data stewardship, and responsible use of artificial intelligence.
Develop systems, partnerships, and shared learning infrastructure that enable communities to generate, govern, access, and use information for equitable decision-making and collective action.
Use community intelligence to strengthen narrative strategies, trusted information ecosystems, civic engagement, and community-informed decision-making.
Advance approaches that democratize access to information, elevate community knowledge, and support community-led data governance and collective benefit.
Ensure learning from the Community Intelligence Commons informs communications, narrative, investment, and organizational strategies.
Partner with Evaluation & Learning to establish learning agendas, outcomes, and evaluation frameworks, and promote continuous learning and innovation across the portfolio.
Steward statewide partnerships across philanthropy, community organizations, movement leaders, researchers, civic innovators, and public-sector stakeholders.
Identify and advance opportunities that strengthen community power, narrative change, civic participation, and movement-building across California.
Develop collaborative initiatives that leverage resources, knowledge, and partnerships to increase collective impact.
Represent The Endowment in field-building and thought leadership efforts related to community infrastructure, civic engagement, narrative power, and systems change.
Cultivate strategic relationships that strengthen The Endowment’s influence, learning, and long-term impact.
Partner across Communications, Strategic Implementation, Evaluation & Learning, and Operations teams to advance integrated strategies and shared organizational outcomes.
Advise leadership by contributing community intelligence, field insights, and systems perspectives to enterprise-wide planning, communications, and organizational strategy.
Lead, mentor, and develop a high-performing team; establish goals and performance expectations; conduct performance reviews; and provide guidance, feedback, and development opportunities.
Foster an inclusive, collaborative work environment that welcomes perspectives shaped by professional, cultural, social, ethnic, and experiential backgrounds.
Perform other duties and responsibilities as assigned.

Benefits

Shared medical and dental premiums for employees and eligible dependents.
Employer-paid vision, life and AD&D, short-term disability, long-term disability, and employee assistance program benefits.
Health Care and Dependent Care Flexible Spending Accounts.
Reimbursement toward gym fees and/or wellness programs and mental health care.
9-80 schedule with synchronized days off.
Hybrid work schedule available for most positions.
11 paid holidays and a paid winter holiday closure.
Generous paid time off.
401(k) plan with employer match and contributions.
Matching gifts program.
Paid parking or public transportation subsidy.
Professional development and training opportunities.
Tuition reimbursement program.
Monthly BYOD stipend.