Communications & Partnerships Manager

Exciting New Opportunity! The Communications & Partnerships Manager (CPM) is a senior, mission-driven communications professional who leads the organization's communications strategy, content, and external partnerships. This role serves as the organization's primary storyteller and messaging architect, ensuring our voice is clear, consistent, and authentically grounded in the communities we serve.

The CPM sits at the intersection of Programs and Advancement & Outreach, functioning as a formal bridge between the two departments. In this capacity, the CPM co-leads cross-departmental team meetings, translates programmatic and policy work into compelling public narratives, and ensures that our advocacy, fundraising, and community outreach efforts speak with one coordinated voice to the same audience.

The CPM reports to the Director of Advancement, directly supervises the Communications & Design Coordinator, and coordinates contracted grant writers and event managers. This is a strategic, writing-intensive, and highly collaborative role that requires both creative excellence and operational discipline.

Key Responsibilities

Communications Strategy & Planning

• Develop and implement an annual communications plan aligned with organizational goals, mission, and fundraising and programmatic priorities.
• Manage and maintain the organization’s communications calendar, ensuring timely, coordinated content across all channels and departments.
• Establish and uphold brand standards, voice, tone, and visual identity across all organizational communications.
• Develop and maintain an evaluation framework to assess communications effectiveness, using data and metrics to inform strategy and report findings to leadership.
• Translate complex policy, advocacy, and programmatic work into accessible, mission-aligned public narratives.

Content Development & Storytelling

• Serve as the organization’s lead writer across all communications channels and formats, including the monthly newsletter, website copy, press materials, op-eds, talking points, donor communications, grant narratives, reports, and social media.
• Own the monthly organizational newsletter, setting the editorial calendar, writing and directing content, and coordinating contributions across departments. The Communications & Design Coordinator handles production, design, and distribution.
• Support organizational leadership with speechwriting, presentations, and public-facing communications as needed.
• Ensure that the stories of the communities we serve- LGBTQ-headed households who are also Black and Brown women, Transgender parents, working-class families, disabled, and multilingual- are centered with dignity, accuracy, and cultural competence in all external communications.
• Develop digital communications strategies that deepen community engagement and convert engagement into participation, advocacy action, and donor support.

Cross-Departmental Bridge Function

• Co-lead cross-departmental team meetings in partnership with Programs and Advancement leadership to ensure coordinated messaging and shared organizational voice.
• Serve as the primary communications liaison between the Programs department and the Department of Advancement & Outreach, ensuring that advocacy, policy, and programmatic work is effectively messaged for fundraising, media, and community audiences.
• Partner with the Programs Director to understand and amplify policy campaigns, advocacy initiatives, and community education efforts through strategic communications.
• Collaborate with the Director of Advancement on donor communications, campaign messaging, and organizational visibility strategies.

Contractor Coordination

• Serve as the primary day-to-day coordinator for contracted grant writers, IT and Web contractors, and event managers, providing direction, reviewing deliverables, and managing timelines and communications.
• Liaise between contractors and the Director of Advancement, escalating strategic decisions and ensuring alignment with organizational priorities.
• Support the Director of Advancement in managing event manager relationships, particularly during major fundraising initiatives such as the annual gala, where the Director may take a more active coordination role.
• Manage relationships with other communications vendors and consultants as needed, including designers, PR support, and media contractors.

Partnerships & External Relations

• Identify, cultivate, and steward strategic external partnerships with nonprofits, community organizations, media outlets, and aligned corporate or institutional partners.
• Represent the organization at external meetings, coalitions, convenings, and community events as a values-aligned organizational ambassador.
• Manage partner communications and ensure that all external collaborations reflect the organization’s mission, equity commitments, and community relationships.
• Pitch and manage media relationships; develop and distribute press releases, op-eds, and earned media strategies.

Staff Supervision & Organizational Participation

• Provide day-to-day supervision and coaching to the Communications & Design Coordinator, including task direction, feedback, and professional development support. Formal performance evaluation
• Keep the Director of Advancement informed of team workload, capacity, and any performance concerns, ensuring the Director can exercise formal supervisory authority as needed.
• Contribute to organizational planning, culture, and cross-departmental decision-making.
• Participate in major organizational events, including evenings and occasional weekends as required.

Generous Benefits, Fully paid health and dental for employees and their families, vision, generous PTO and paid holidays including paid winter and fall breaks, 40l K with 3% match, commuter benefits, hybrid work schedule with only 2 in-office work days required,

• Bachelor’s degree in Communications, Journalism, Marketing, Public Affairs, or a related field or equivalent combination of education and directly relevant professional experience. Candidates with 5+ years of substantive communications experience instead of a degree are strongly encouraged to apply.
• Minimum 4 to 5 years of progressive experience in communications, content strategy, or a related field, with demonstrated experience in a nonprofit, advocacy, or social justice context.
• Exceptional writing skills across multiple formats: narrative storytelling, policy communications, donor communications, press materials, digital content, and newsletter production.
• Demonstrated ability to translate complex programmatic and policy work into clear, compelling public narratives for diverse audiences.
• Experience managing a communications calendar and coordinating content across multiple departments or stakeholders.
• Proficiency in Neon CRM or a comparable CRM system; working knowledge of email marketing platforms, website content management (WordPress), and social media management tools.
• Strong project management skills with demonstrated ability to coordinate contractors, vendors, and cross-functional teams.
• Demonstrated commitment to racial equity, health justice, and LGBTQ+ family equity, with an understanding of the communities this organization serves.
• Ability to work collaboratively across departments and with people from a wide range of racial, ethnic, cultural, socioeconomic, and generational backgrounds.

Preferred

• Experience working in LGBTQ+ Family advocacy communications.
• Familiarity with California legislative and policy communications landscape.
• Experience with media relations, earned media strategy, and op-ed placement.
• Bilingual or multilingual candidates are strongly encouraged to apply.
• Experience supporting or coordinating fundraising events and gala communications.