Communications Director

Housing California

Communications Director at Housing California managing narrative and communications strategy. Focused on housing and homelessness issues in California with a hybrid work model.

Posted 7/31/2026full-timeSacramento • California • 🇺🇸 United StatesLead💰 $120,000 - $150,000 per yearWebsite

Core Competencies

Role fit

Core Competencies

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Demonstrates expertise in strategic communications and narrative change, with a strong focus on advocacy for low-income communities and communities of color. Proficient in managing communications strategies, media relations, and digital communications tools to effectively convey complex policy narratives.

Highest-signal resume keywords

Strategic CommunicationsNarrative ChangeMedia RelationsDigital CommunicationsWriting and Editing

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Hard Skills

Strategic CommunicationsNarrative ChangeMedia RelationsWritingEditingCommunications PlanningCampaign SupportPolicy TranslationRapid Response CommunicationsCommunications Calendar Management

Soft Skills

LeadershipCollaborationPublic SpeakingAdvocacyConsultant Management

Tools & Technologies

Email MarketingCMSSocial MediaMedia MonitoringAnalytics Tools

Industry Keywords

Racial JusticeEconomic JusticeHousing JusticeAdvocacy CommunicationsPublic Narrative

About the role

Key responsibilities & impact

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.

Requirements

What you’ll need

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.
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.

Benefits

Comp & perks

Fully paid medical, dental, and vision for employee
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 and a shortened workweek during the summer legislative break
Training and professional development opportunities
Hybrid work environment