Director of Strategic Communications and Informed Communities

Gates Family Foundation; Denver (CO); On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

Gates Family Foundation in Colorado seeks a Director of Strategic Communications and Informed Communities to lead a comprehensive communications strategy, support program teams, and oversee grantmaking communications to expand access to reliable information and civic engagement across the state.

Reporting to the President, you will guide external communications, build relationships with media and partners, and serve as a spokesperson while fostering learning across teams within a 12-member staff.

Qualifications

• Experience developing and implementing a comprehensive communications strategy.
• Proven ability to lead diverse teams and manage multiple priorities.
• Strong storytelling and written/oral communication across audiences.
• Experience engaging with media, partners, and community stakeholders.
• Comfortable serving as a public spokesperson and advisor to executives.

Responsibilities

• Develop and implement a multifaceted strategic communications plan.
• Oversee external communications, digital strategy, media relations, and PR.
• Collaborate with program teams to highlight impact and success stories.
• Serve as a spokesperson and representative at events.
• Monitor effectiveness and adjust strategies based on data.
• Support grantmaking communications to expand informed communities.

Skills

Strategic communications

Leadership

Media relations

Storytelling

Stakeholder engagement

Cross-sector collaboration

Public speaking

Team management

Job description

Director of Strategic Communications and Informed Communities

The Position

Gates Family Foundation is seeking a Director of Strategic Communications and Informed Communities. This position will lead a comprehensive communications strategy aligned with the Foundation’s broader goals, support all program teams in leveraging strategic communications to deepen the impact of their work, and oversee the Foundation’s grantmaking efforts to ensure widespread access to reliable information and strong civic engagement across the state. The position reports directly to the President, regularly oversees contractors, and joins a team of 11 other staff members across programs, learning and evaluation, finance and grants management. Job responsibilities of this role include the following:

Strategic Communications Leadership

• Provide strategic direction to continually develop, refine and implement a multifaceted strategic communications plan that advances the Foundation's mission, amplifies its initiatives and the work of its grantees and partners, and fosters informed and engaged communities across Colorado
• Work with program teams to develop strategic communications strategies, highlight impact, and amplify success stories in all program areas
• Collaborate with the Director of Learning and Evaluation to help codify and share key learnings from the Foundation’s grantmaking and initiatives
• Monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of communication strategies, making data-driven adjustments as needed
• Lend strategic thought leadership and hands‑on communications support to key high-impact initiatives across program areas
• Oversee all aspects of external communications for the Foundation, including digital strategy, content creation, media relations, and public relations
• Build and maintain strong relationships with key stakeholders, including community and foundation leaders, strategic partners, and media outlets
• Serve as a spokesperson and representative for the Foundation at public events, conferences, and other engagements
• Support internal communication and learning among the board of trustees and the staff

Informed Communities Program Leadership

• Provide intellectual leadership to continually develop and refine the Foundation’s theory of action and the strategy behind its grantmaking and initiated work for Informed Communities (see detail below)
• Serve as a an active partner and key voice on the Executive Committee of the Colorado Media Project, a broad coalition of stakeholders working to expand and protect access to reliable, local news for all Colorado citizens
• Build and maintain trusted relationships with grantee and non‑grantee partners in the media sector, serving as a thought partner and support, surfacing common challenges, and identifying new opportunities to ensure a strong local news ecosystem
• Identify strategic grantmaking opportunities, analyze their feasibility, shape specific opportunities, present recommendations internally, and negotiate grant agreements
• Review grant applications, conduct due diligence, and make recommendations on funding
• Identify and track outcomes to evaluate the impact of foundation investments and inform its strategy for Informed Communities

Qualifications

• Passion for the Foundation's mission and a deep commitment to fostering a thriving, diverse local news ecosystem accessible to all Colorado citizens
• Leadership experience in communications, with experience developing and executing successful communication strategies that affect positive change at a systems level (e.g. across a city, state, or field); Experience in the nonprofit, public, and/or philanthropic sectors preferred
• A robust and well‑rounded communications skillset, including experience in digital media and multimedia content creation, media relations, public relations, and campaigns
• A track record of leading powerfully through collaborative relationships, with deep experience in coalition building, facilitating partnerships, and playing an advisory role to a wide array of stakeholders
• Exceptional storytelling, writing, and oral communication skills, including the ability to craft compelling narratives for diverse audiences and distill complex information into concise, digestible formats
• Experience working in an ambiguous, entrepreneurial context and launching innovative projects or initiatives
• A track record of building trusted relationships across many lines of difference (ideological, sector, political, racial, socioeconomic, geographic, etc.)
• Experience working on a small team with a highly collaborative, all hands on deck approach; ability to juggle many competing priorities at once
• Familiarity with Colorado’s local journalism landscape and trends in the field

Desired Mindsets and Orientations

• An entrepreneurial orientation, with experience and comfort in an environment that requires generating new ideas and approaches, handling shifting priorities, working autonomously, and adapting to rapid change
• A demonstrated commitment to equity, community‑driven change, and disrupting traditional power dynamics
• A bold strategic thinker who achieves impact while maintaining ease, values‑alignment, and voice for all stakeholders
• A servant leader who centers listening, humility, and relationships to achieve goals
• A collaborative team player who thrives in a culture of learning, feedback, coaching and reciprocal support among the team
• A commitment to Colorado and a never‑ending curiosity regarding the challenges and opportunities the state faces, ideally including working knowledge of the state
• A leader who brings new and varied perspectives and experiences to the team that are reflective of Colorado’s diverse communities

Informed Communities Priorities and Strategies

Gates Family Foundation is committed to supporting community‑based newsrooms and promising new ventures in Colorado that are building a more inclusive, responsive, resilient, and sustainable local news and civic information ecosystem. We support public‑service journalism and communications that serve historically ignored communities and provide platforms for underrepresented storytellers. We work to fill civic news gaps in our core focus areas by supporting organizations that report on urgent issues in education, natural resources, and community development.

Priority Strategies

• Evolve and Strengthen the Civic News Ecosystem - Catalyze and support innovations that help make Colorado’s civic news ecosystem more collaborative, resilient, inclusive and responsive to community needs.
• Address Gaps in Civic News Coverage - Support civic news organizations that increase the amount and reach of high‑quality reporting on Gates’ key focus areas of public education, natural resources and community development.
• Build Inclusive News Leadership, Voices and Models - Engage a broader range of people and institutions in rebuilding the public square, with an emphasis on better service to underserved communities of color and rural areas.

A list of grantees and more information can be found on the Foundation’s website: https://gatesfamilyfoundation.org/strategic-priorities/informed-communities/

Gates Family Foundation believes that diverse teams lead to better solutions, creative thinking, and greater depth in experiences and perspectives. We strive in our hiring to ensure that our candidate pool is diverse in terms of race, age, gender, sexual orientation, lived experience, socioeconomic background, physical or mental ability, origin, and religion.

Research suggests that women and people of color are more likely to self‑select out of opportunities if they don’t meet 100% of the job requirements. We encourage anyone who believes they have the skills and the drive necessary to succeed here to apply for this role.