Director of Communications at Housing California

Axis Talent Partners • Sacramento, CA

7d • $120,000 - $150,000 • Hybrid

About The Position

Housing California (Housing CA) has worked since 1988 to create a California with homes, health, and prosperity for all in thriving, sustainable communities. They bring together a diverse, cross-sector network to prevent and end homelessness, increase the supply of safe, stable, affordable homes, and reverse the legacy of systemic racial and economic inequities by building power among the people most impacted by housing injustice in partnership with cross-sector partners, shaping the narrative, and advocating for the passage of transformative statewide policy solutions. The Communications Director owns Housing CA's narrative and communications strategy end-to-end: setting the organization's voice, translating policy and legislative work into public narrative that moves people, and running the media and content operation that gets that narrative into the world. This is a senior leadership role. The Director manages a small communications team and consultants, and integrates communications work across legislative and regulatory affairs, power building, and organizational strategy. Externally, they lead media relations, rapid response, and public narrative strategy in service of Housing CA's "big tent" approach, building a shared voice across a broad and diverse constituency and centering the people most affected by housing instability and homelessness. The position is based in Sacramento (hybrid), with regular statewide travel and occasional early-morning, evening, and weekend commitments. The right candidate is energized by the pace of a live legislative and campaign calendar, including a current statewide affordable housing bond campaign and brings the seniority and judgment to lead the function independently.

Requirements

• Track record running a communications calendar and media relations function end-to-end.
• Experience leading rapid response communications in a fast-moving news or political environment.
• Experience managing consultants or agency partners.
• Comfortable representing an organization externally and prepping senior leaders for public-facing moments.
• Fluency with digital communications, media monitoring, email marketing, CMS, social media, and analytics tools.
• Experience supporting a live campaign — ballot measure, legislative push, or comparable — under real time pressure.
• Strong writing and editing skills across press, digital, and public-facing formats.
• 7+ years of experience in strategic communications, narrative change, or advocacy communications, ideally on behalf of low-income communities and communities of color.
• Working knowledge of narrative research and tested frameworks, and fluency applying them practically.
• Demonstrated commitment to racial, economic, and housing justice reflected in prior work.
• Skilled at translating complex policy or legislative material into accessible public narrative.
• Experience operating in advocacy, legislative, or coalition-based environments, with a well-developed communications toolkit.
• Demonstrated ability to own and manage narrative and messaging strategy at a senior level.
• Comfort holding "inside voice / outside voice" tension across public, coalition, and legislative spaces.
• Experience managing and developing communications staff, including hands-on coaching.
• Collaborative, low-ego leadership style.
• Track record as a senior leader who integrates team output into broader organizational strategy.

Nice To Haves

• Experience that doesn’t directly match the qualifications above, and we encourage people with equivalent experience to apply.

Responsibilities

• Owns and executes the annual communications plan and calendar, including newsletters, e-blasts, social media, and the op-ed pipeline.
• Leads media relations and advocacy: writing, editing, and distributing op-eds, press releases, and statements, and identifying earned media opportunities.
• Leads rapid response communications, positioning Housing CA quickly and credibly as news and political developments unfold.
• Leads communications strategy for major campaigns, including the current statewide affordable housing bond campaign.
• Prioritizes competing media requests, speaking engagements, and writing opportunities, and prepares the Executive Director and other key staff for interviews and public appearances.
• Manages communications consultants, briefing them clearly and holding their work to a high standard.
• Leads communications planning for major organizational moments, including the annual conference and Advocacy Day.
• Represents Housing CA at public events, coalition spaces, and media engagements.
• Develops and executes Housing CA's narrative change strategy, applying tested frameworks and research to shift the stories, values, and perceptions that shape public understanding.
• Owns Housing CA's strategic communications plan and style guide, maintaining a consistent, values-forward voice across every channel and audience.
• Guides the writing, editing, and production of publications, campaigns, and communications materials to a high editorial standard.
• Partners with the power-building team to elevate resident voice and develop spokespeople, keeping policy work grounded in lived experience.
• Serves as Housing CA's internal thought partner on narrative, building staff capacity to apply narrative strategy across programs and campaigns.
• Aligns communications strategy with organizational planning, budgeting, and impact tracking.
• Collaborates with the legislative/regulatory affairs and power-building teams so communications reinforces policy and organizing strategy.
• Operates with a high degree of autonomy and sound judgment as a senior organizational leader.
• Brings fresh thinking to a fast-changing coalition and legislative environment, adapting priorities as opportunities shift.
• Manages direct reports, coaching for growth in craft, judgment, and career development.
• Builds a collaborative, low-ego team culture that supports growth at every level.
• Contributes to organizational leadership: shaping culture, advancing equity commitments, and participating in strategic planning.
• Proposes and monitors the communications budget and supports fundraising for the program.

Benefits

• fully paid medical, dental, and vision for employee and 25% paid medical, dental and vision for dependents
• paid parental leave
• long-term disability and group life insurance coverage
• commuting subsidy
• cell phone/at home internet subsidy
• 403(b) retirement plan with 3.5% employer contribution
• generous vacation (3+ weeks, depending on tenure)
• sick leave (8 hours per month + employees start with 8 hours of leave)
• 12 paid holidays
• organization-wide closure during the last week of December
• shortened workweek during the summer legislative break
• training and professional development opportunities

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior
• Education Level: No Education Listed