Senior Communications Officer

Responsibilities

• Communications Strategy, Positioning, and Reputation
• Steward OST’s external voice, messaging, and reputation across audiences and channels, adapting framing while maintaining a consistent institutional identity.
• Bring political, relational, and reputational judgment to communications decisions, including questions of timing, visibility, tone, partner recognition, and sensitivity.
• Independently manage most day-to-day communications decisions while recognizing when questions of institutional positioning, audience priorities, or significant sensitivities should be elevated to leadership.
• more details in hiring link
• Donor and Funder Communications
• Partner closely with the Director of Philanthropy to translate OST’s fundraising and donor-engagement vision into communications strategy and execution.
• Develop donor- and funder-facing materials including cases for support, digital and direct-mail appeals and campaigns, impact stories, stewardship communications, annual reporting, and other fundraising collateral.
• more details in hiring link
• Narrative Translation, Storytelling, and Program Communications

Requirements

• 5+ years of progressively responsible communications and public relations experience, including demonstrated senior-level responsibility, ideally in science, public policy, government, philanthropy, higher education, or a nonprofit setting.
• Demonstrated experience developing and executing communications strategy across multiple audiences and channels. Experience in employing a constituent journeys framework to build digital and in-person engagement and support welcomed.
• Experience developing donor, funder, or institutional advancement communications and making a compelling case for organizational impact and investment.
• Demonstrated ability to translate complex scientific, technical, policy, or organizational content for non-expert audiences without sacrificing accuracy or nuance.
• Experience advising colleagues or organizational leadership on communications strategy, framing, audience, timing, or tone.
• Experience directing or coordinating communications work produced by colleagues, interns, contractors, or others.
• Familiarity with California government, public policy, or public-sector environments is preferred; comparable experience working in politically or institutionally sensitive environments may substitute.
• Experience with media relations, public affairs, executive communications, or policy-facing communications is very welcome.
• Experience in ocean, climate, natural resources, science, research, or higher education environments is very helpful but not required.
• Exceptional writing, editing, and storytelling skills across institutional messaging, donor communications, technical translation, web content, social media, presentations, and other public-facing materials.

Preferred

• More skills & attributes are included in the full position description in our hiring portal.

Benefits

• OST offers a competitive benefits package including health coverage, 403b with a 4.5% employer match after one year, generous paid time off and holidays (including a paid year-end office closure), and a monthly technology stipend. Combined with family-friendly, flexible schedules, the total package is designed to support employees in balancing meaningful work with their lives outside of work.