Senior Communications Associate

D&A Communications; San Francisco (CA); Hybrid; USD 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

D&A Communications in San Francisco seeks a Senior Communications Associate to develop inclusive messaging and manage multifaceted campaigns. You will collaborate with clients and teams to craft culturally resonant content across channels, from press materials to social posts, while ensuring clarity and impact for diverse communities.

The role blends strategy with hands-on execution, including event support, multilingual outreach, and performance analysis.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in communications, public relations, journalism, marketing, public policy, urban planning, or related field.
• 3–5 years of experience in communications or public affairs in agency, nonprofit, or public sector.
• Proven ability to write/edit a wide range of materials.

Responsibilities

• Support planning, execution, and reporting for integrated communications campaigns.
• Draft and edit messaging frameworks, newsletters, social posts, and press materials.
• Translate complex information into clear content for diverse audiences.
• Contribute to crisis communications and manage sensitive messaging.
• Coordinate small projects across internal teams and external partners.
• Track progress and deliverables using project tools.

Skills

Writing & Editing

Campaign Management

Public Affairs

Bilingual (Spanish)

Inclusive Communications

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Communications, Public Relations, Journalism, Marketing, Public Policy, Urban Planning, or related field

Tools

Asana

Slack

Zoom

Teams

Google Workspace

Microsoft Office

Job description

This position is located in San Francisco

About D&A

D&A Communications is a bold, equity-first agency helping organizations connect authentically with diverse communities. We’re storytellers and strategists, creatives and community builders, with nearly 30 years of experience turning ideas into impact.

What You’ll Do

As a key member of our project teams, you’ll collaborate with clients and colleagues to create inclusive communication strategies that elevate community voices and drive meaningful engagement.

This dynamic role blends strategy and execution across multiple disciplines—content development, campaign management, event planning, vendor coordination, social media, and reporting. You’ll craft culturally responsive messaging, support branding and storytelling for private sector, public infrastructure, and community initiatives, and help bring engagement efforts to life through town halls, focus groups, surveys, webinars, and other events.

You’ll also play a vital role in multilingual outreach, working with Community-Based Organizations and translating community feedback into actionable insights that inform strategy.

We’re looking for a communicator who sees the connection between tactical work and strategic outcomes—someone who thrives in collaboration, understands integrated marketing, and is passionate about advancing equity, strengthening public trust, and creating lasting impact

Key Responsibilities

As a Senior Communications Associate, you’ll help shape and deliver communications that make a difference—supporting diverse public and private sector clients across areas like transportation, sustainability, housing, and health. In this hybrid role, you’ll balance remote work, in-office collaboration, and in-person events while ensuring clarity, accountability, and strategic focus.

Client-Facing & Strategic Support

• Support planning, execution, and reporting for integrated communications campaigns and initiatives.
• Draft and edit messaging frameworks, talking points, newsletters, social posts, web content, flyers, and press materials.
• Translate complex information and policies into clear, compelling content for diverse and historically underrepresented audiences.
• Contribute to crisis communications and manage sensitive or high-stakes messaging with professionalism.
• Manage small projects or workstreams, coordinating across internal teams and external partners.
• Track progress, action items, and deliverables through tools like Asana, Kantata, or similar platforms.

Research, Writing & Digital Coordination

• Conduct background research, media scans, and outreach assessments to inform strategy.
• Develop creative briefs, campaign reports, and impact summaries.
• Support digital content creation and performance tracking across web, email, and social platforms.
• Collaborate with design and digital teams to ensure brand and message alignment.
• Analyze communications metrics and provide recommendations to strengthen reach and impact.
• Partner with creative, strategy, and operations teams to keep projects aligned and on schedule.
• Participate in team check-ins and hybrid meetings; proactively communicate progress and challenges.
• Manage your time effectively—balancing focus work, utilization, and evolving priorities.
• Mentor junior associates and provide guidance on complex communications projects.
• Attend required in-person meetings and occasional community events.

Equity-Driven Engagement

• Embed equity, accessibility, and inclusion in every aspect of communication.
• Support culturally responsive outreach, translation efforts, and partnerships with community-based organizations.
• Contribute to internal discussions on equitable storytelling, representation, and inclusive campaign design.

Who You Are

You’re a thoughtful, versatile communicator who thrives in a collaborative, fast-paced environment. You combine creativity with precision—able to craft messages that resonate with diverse audiences while keeping projects organized and moving forward.

You’re curious about how people experience information, and you know how to translate complex topics into clear, engaging, and inclusive storytelling. You’re as comfortable drafting a social post or newsletter as you are coordinating a campaign rollout or supporting a community event.

You value teamwork, equity, and purpose-driven work. You take initiative, anticipate needs, and bring ideas to the table that make communication strategies more effective, authentic, and impactful.

Education, Experience, Skills

• Bachelor’s degree in Communications, Public Relations, Journalism, Marketing, Public Policy, Urban Planning, or a related field required.
• 3–5 years of experience in communications, public affairs, or a related field—preferably within a fast-paced agency, nonprofit, or public sector environment.
• Demonstrated experience writing and editing a wide range of materials, from press releases and fact sheets to social content and community flyers.
• Proven ability to manage multiple deadlines and priorities across projects with different timelines and audiences.
• Experience working directly with clients and/or public agencies is a strong plus.
• Comfortable using project management and collaboration tools such as Asana, Slack, Zoom, Teams, Google Workspace, and Microsoft Office.
• Experience working with or in support of diverse communities, with a demonstrated understanding of inclusive and equitable communications practices.
• Advanced proficiency in analytics tools (Google Analytics, social media insights, media monitoring software)
• Experience with multimedia content creation
• Knowledge of public relations measurement and evaluation methodologies
• Familiarity with marketing automation platforms and customer relationship management systems
• Bilingual or multilingual candidates (especially Spanish, Cantonese, Mandarin, Tagalog, and Vietnamese) are strongly encouraged to apply.

Why D&A?

We’re a team of bold thinkers with big hearts, committed to equity, creativity, and real-world transformation. We build trust, tell stories that matter, and create work that reflects the communities we serve.