Director Of Communications At Housing California

Job Title: DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS AT HOUSING CALIFORNIA

Position Type: FULL TIME

Location: Sacramento

Description:

Since 1988, Housing California (Housing CA) has worked to create a California with homes, health, and prosperity for all in thriving, sustainable communities. We bring together a diverse, cross-sector network to prevent and end homelessness, increase the supply of safe, stable, affordable homes, and reverse the legacy of systemic racial and economic inequities by building power among the people most impacted by housing injustice in partnership with cross-sector partners, shaping the narrative, and advocating for the passage of transformative statewide policy solutions.

Learn more about long term policy agenda here and explore additional information about Housing CA’s current legislative priorities on our website singca.org.

California's housing and homelessness crisis will not be solved by policy wins alone; it requires a fundamental shift in how the public understands who deserves a home and why.

This is a senior leadership role. The Director manages a small communications team and consultants, and integrates communications work across legislative and regulatory affairs, power building, and organizational strategy. Externally, they lead media relations, rapid response, and public narrative strategy in service of Housing CA's "big tent" approach, building a shared voice across a broad and diverse constituency and centering the people most affected by housing instability and homelessness.

The position is based in Sacramento (hybrid), with regular statewide travel and occasional early-morning, evening, and weekend commitments. The right candidate is energized by the pace of a live legislative and campaign calendar, including a current statewide affordable housing bond campaign and brings the seniority and judgment to lead the function independently.

Strategic Communications Execution & Media Advocacy:
Runs Housing CA's public-facing communications operation (media, content calendar, and campaign comms) with the rigor a live legislative and electoral calendar demands.

• 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.

• 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.

Leads the development and execution of Housing CA's narrative change and communications strategy, translating policy priorities and lived experience into public narrative that shifts how people understand housing and homelessness.

• Develops…