Responsibilities

• Develop and execute a comprehensive communications and marketing strategy aligned with HSVC's mission, organizational priorities, and long-term growth goals.
• Serve as a strategic advisor to the Executive Director and leadership team on communications, messaging, visibility, reputation, and public engagement.
• Translate organizational strategy into clear communications priorities, plans, campaigns, and messages for diverse audiences.
• Strengthen and steward HSVC's brand voice, messaging, and public narrative across all channels and materials.
• Establish goals, measures, and feedback loops to evaluate communications effectiveness, engagement, reach, and impact.
• Lead organizational storytelling efforts that communicate HSVC's mission, impact, programs, services, and future direction with clarity and authenticity.
• Translate complex animal welfare, veterinary, operational, and organizational initiatives into accessible, emotionally resonant, and accurate communications.
• Oversee development of content across website, social media, email, video, print, donor communications, annual reports, newsletters, press materials, and community-facing collateral.
• Strengthen public understanding of HSVC's work, services, mission, and evolving role throughout Ventura County.
• Develop communications strategies that deepen engagement with community members, adopters, volunteers, donors, veterinary clients, partners, media, and other constituents.

Requirements

• Strategic communications leadership, including experience developing and executing integrated communications strategies aligned with organizational priorities and long-term goals.
• Exceptional storytelling and content development skills, including the ability to translate mission, impact, and complex organizational initiatives into clear and compelling messages for diverse audiences.
• Strong community engagement and relationship-building skills, with the ability to build trust and credibility with constituents, partners, donors, volunteers, community members, media, and other key audiences.
• Experience supporting organizations through growth, change, public visibility, or strategic evolution.
• Demonstrated experience leading communications teams, managing projects, collaborating across departments, and delivering high-quality work while balancing multiple priorities.
• Strong writing, editing, verbal communication, and message-development skills across multiple formats, platforms, and audiences.
• Experience with public relations, media relations, digital communications, social media strategy, reputation management, and audience engagement.
• Ability to advise and partner with executive leadership on communications priorities, messaging, public presence, and sensitive issues.
• Experience managing communications budgets, vendors, consultants, and external partners.
• Bachelor's degree or equivalent combination of education and relevant professional experience in communications, marketing, public relations, journalism, or a related field.

Preferred

• Experience in animal welfare, sheltering, veterinary services, rescue, animal advocacy, or related fields.
• Experience in nonprofit, social impact, public service, advocacy, community-based, or other mission-driven organizations.
• Experience supporting fundraising communications, donor engagement, annual campaigns, impact reporting, or development communications.
• Spanish language proficiency or experience developing bilingual or multilingual communications and outreach.
• Experience communicating with diverse communities and building trust across lines of difference.

Benefits

• HSVC offers a competitive benefits package, including a memberships and professional development budget of up to $1,500.