VP, Communications

XPRIZE

Vice President of Communications leading media strategy and narrative development at XPRIZE. Responsible for high-impact communications across various stakeholders and promoting organizational initiatives.

Posted 6/24/2026full-timeRemote • 🇺🇸 United StatesLead💰 $190,000 - $210,000 per yearWebsite

About the role

Key responsibilities & impact

Own global media strategy and cultivate relationships with journalists, editors, and producers across science, technology, business, and philanthropy
Position XPRIZE executives and domain leads as credible, authoritative voices through media, speaking, and editorial opportunities
Build and maintain an always-on communications presence that keeps XPRIZE visible between prize milestones
Manage the existing PR agency and establish the long-term agency partnership model
Lead communications strategy across the full prize lifecycle — from pre-launch positioning through winner announcement and impact storytelling
Ensure every major prize milestone has a coordinated earned media plan that integrates with owned content strategy
Translate complex scientific and technical subject matter for two distinct audiences simultaneously: domain experts who already understand the science, and philanthropic donors and sponsors who need to feel the urgency and stakes
Partner closely with Advancement leadership to align communications strategy with fundraising priorities and donor engagement goals
Shape the narrative strategy that connects XPRIZE's scientific breakthroughs to philanthropic investment decisions
Develop high-impact communications assets — impact reports, donor materials, executive messaging, and campaign narratives — that serve Advancement's outreach and deepen donor relationships
Serve as communications advisor to the CMO on messaging strategy, stakeholder engagement, and reputation
Oversee executive communications, including speeches, keynote content, op-eds, and thought leadership
Lead crisis communications and reputation management, establishing protocols and leading response in coordination with executive and legal leadership
Work in close partnership with the VP, Content, to ensure owned content strategy and earned media strategy are integrated rather than siloed
Provide the narrative foundation — messaging frameworks, story angles, briefing materials — that enables the owned content function to produce work that earns media attention
Ensure major prize milestones are supported by a unified content and communications approach
Build the communications function from the ground up — establishing systems, standards, and agency relationships that scale with the organization
Manage external agency partnerships with clear accountability for performance and outcomes
Oversee the communications budget with discipline and transparency

Requirements

What you’ll need

12+ years of communications leadership experience, including senior ownership of earned media strategy and executive communications
Demonstrated success translating complex scientific, technical, or policy subject matter into compelling narratives for multiple distinct audiences simultaneously
Established relationships with top-tier media across science, technology, business, and philanthropy
Proven ability to build communications infrastructure from scratch — systems, processes, and partnerships — not just maintain inherited ones
Experience developing donor-facing or philanthropic communications for sophisticated investor audiences
Exceptional written and verbal communication skills, including executive messaging and spokesperson experience
Comfort operating in a lean, fast-moving environment where strategic and executional demands coexist.

Benefits

Comp & perks

Remote-first environment (must live and work in the United States)
Quarterly company-paid All-Hands meetings in Los Angeles for frequent in-person collaboration
Employee and dependent medical, dental, and vision options
A 401(K) program with employer match
Ample paid time off, including vacation, floating holidays, sick days, and company-paid holidays
An Employee Assistance Program for confidential, professional support with personal, family, or other challenges
Employee stipends/reimbursements for cell phone, internet, health & wellbeing, and learning & development
Generous Paid Parental Leave for all employees welcoming a new child to their family
One meeting-free block per week and four focus weeks per year to ensure uninterrupted time for strategic projects

ATS Keywords

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Applicant Tracking System Keywords

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Hard Skills & Tools

earned media strategyexecutive communicationscommunications infrastructure developmentnarrative strategyimpact storytellingcrisis communicationsmessaging frameworkscontent strategystakeholder engagementdonor communications

Soft Skills

relationship buildingstrategic thinkingwritten communicationverbal communicationleadershipcollaborationadaptabilitytranslating complex subjectsproject managementaccountability