This is a full-time (37.5 hours per week), exempt (salaried) position reporting to the Director of Communications. The Heising-Simons Foundation is headquartered in San Francisco, CA, with a hybrid work environment. 

Applications are due by midnight, Wednesday, May 13, 2026. To apply, please upload a cover letter that describes why you’d make a good fit for this position and the Heising-Simons Foundation, as well as your resume. 

 

About the Foundation 

The Heising-Simons Foundation is a family foundation based in Los Altos and San Francisco, California. The Foundation works with its many partners to advance sustainable solutions in climate and clean energy, enable groundbreaking science research, enhance the education of our youngest learners, and support human rights for all people. In 2025, the Foundation awarded more than $169 million in grants. The Foundation’s grantmaking is guided by the values of humility, courage, justice, opportunity, sustainability, innovation, relationships, and integrity. 

The Communications department leverages strategic communications to advance the Foundation’s mission and its programmatic goals. Working in partnership with our Board, leadership, and program and administrative teams, the Communications team focuses on increasing visibility, credibility, and influence among key stakeholder audiences in order to further support the leaders and solutions we advance through our grantmaking.  

 

Position Summary 

The Communications Officer, External Engagement, drives strategic communications that elevate the Heising-Simons Foundation’s voice and influence within philanthropic, nonprofit, and issue-specific spaces to advance impact across our funding areas: climate and clean energy, early childhood education, human rights, science, youth housing, and journalism. 

The primary responsibilities of the Communications Officer, External Engagement are to: 

  • Develop strategies and projects that advance the organization’s leadership and influence among defined key stakeholders, including partner funders, adjacent funders, grantees, and media outlets that cater to philanthropic, nonprofit, and funding area industry expert audiences. 

  • Partner with the communications team to develop impactful storytelling related to the Foundation’s overall purpose and impact, translating core organizational narratives and programmatic communications to key external stakeholder audiences. 

  • Cultivate relationships with key external stakeholders through direct outreach; advance thought leadership pieces; and support in-person gatherings to foster awareness, connection, and learning with key external stakeholder audiences. 

 

Primary Responsibilities 

Strategy & Planning 

  • Partner with the communications team to develop and execute plans for key areas of ownership that are aligned with the team’s overall communications strategy to increase the visibility and influence of the foundation in the philanthropic space and funding areas.  

  • Leverage media expertise to translate organizational expertise into external engagement strategies and campaigns that grow the Foundation’s credibility and visibility.  

  • Build and maintain relationships with key external stakeholders ranging from thought leaders to partners across various sectors, including philanthropy, nonprofit, social impact, government agencies, and higher education. 

  • Track the landscape across philanthropy, social impact, media, and key issue areas to advise on opportunities to engage stakeholders in the work of the Foundation and our grantees.  

 

Organizational Thought Leadership 

  • Develop a coherent thought leadership strategy, including speaking opportunities, strategic partnerships, earned media in outlets, and convenings and events.  

  • Support preparation of key spokespeople and/or staff for external engagements, whether through talking points, frameworks, or coaching.  

  • Serve as writer and/or editor of thought leadership pieces (in partnership with staff). 

  • Serve as the communications lead for external engagement requests, coordinating across stakeholders as needed.    

  • Produce or oversee the production of internal and external briefings, talking points, speeches, and related content. 

 

Events, Gatherings, and Convenings 

  • Scope new opportunities to host or participate in meaningful digital or in-person events, gatherings, and convenings to engage key audiences. 

  • Serve as the communications lead for Foundation events and convenings, overseeing the end-to-end production of branded materials, copy, stage design, and overall “look and feel” to ensure consistent branding and messaging. 

  • Ensure that the organization’s identity and values are reflected consistently in all external engagements. 

 

Media Relations 

  • Map and develop an integrated earned media strategy across niche outlets that cater to philanthropic, nonprofit, and funding area industry expert audiences 

  • Cultivate relationships with key journalists, editors, and/or media makers to advance our communications goals.  

  • Build reporters lists and proactively pitch stories about the work we support and its impact. 

  • Serve as point person for media inquiries, coordinating with internal stakeholders and responding to inbound requests as needed. 

  • Produce or oversee production of media pitches, press releases, and media toolkits. 

 

Learning & Networking 

  • Attend workshops and conferences to incorporate latest trends and tools into the organization’s strategic communications. 

  • Build and maintain relationships with professional networks in communications and media. 

 

Foundation-wide Responsibilities 

  • Serve as a supportive, creative, and flexible team member. 

  • Contribute to a positive, inclusive, and dynamic organizational culture. 

  • Participate in Foundation-wide activities, such as committees, internal culture-building, training, and strategic planning. 

  • Provide regular feedback to supervisor and colleagues both informally and as a part of the annual review process. 

  • Assist with the onboarding and training of new team members and colleagues in other departments. 

 

Requirements 

  • 10 years of progressive experience in strategic communications, external affairs, corporate social responsibility (CSR), or marketing, ideally within a mission-driven or complex organizational environment. 

  • A strategic thinker with a proven ability to translate high-level organizational goals and vision into actionable, stakeholder engagement plans and campaigns. 

  • A proactive problem-solver, with a sharp eye for identifying operational gaps and the initiative to design and implement creative solutions. 

  • An emotionally intelligent relationship builder who is responsive, warm, and clear; someone who naturally inspires trust and can navigate diverse power dynamics with diplomacy. 

  • Exceptional writing and editing skills, with the ability to distill complex ideas into compelling narratives for a variety of external audiences and platforms, including long-form, short-form, digital, and audio. 

  • Persuasive oral communications skills with the ability to read the room, engage internal and external audiences, and deliver compelling presentation decks.  

  • Familiarity with visual presentation, graphic design, and A/V production. 

  • Preference given to candidates with experience in the philanthropic space and/or the Foundation’s core issue areas of climate and clean energy, early childhood education, human rights, science, housing, and journalism. 

  • Diverse lived experiences welcome. 

  • Ability to travel occasionally to support key convenings, site visits, or represent the Foundation at events. 

 

Compensation and Benefits 

The target starting salary for this Bay Area-based position is $145,000 to $174,000 per year, depending on experience. 

The Heising-Simons Foundation offers a comprehensive employee benefits package designed to support employee wellness at work and in life. Benefits include employer-paid medical, dental, and vision insurance for employees and dependents. In addition, the Foundation offers a flexible spending account (FSA) for medical and childcare expenses, a 401(k) plan with an employer match of up to 16%, 3 weeks of vacation per year, and paid time off for sick, personal reasons, and holidays.  

 

Application Process 

The Foundation is an equal opportunity employer and welcomes a diverse pool of applicants. Foundation policy prohibits unlawful discrimination based on race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, pregnancy, national origin, ancestry, citizenship, age, marital status, physical disability, mental disability, military service, legally protected medical condition, reproductive health decisions, or any other consideration made unlawful by federal, state, or local laws. Reasonable accommodation will be made so that qualified applicants with disabilities may participate in the application process. Please advise in writing of special needs at the time of application. 

Our success is dependent on our ability to build teams that include people with different experiences and expertise who can challenge each other’s assumptions with new viewpoints and bring different perspectives to the team. We encourage women, people of color, formerly incarcerated individuals, immigrants, LGBTQ+, people with disabilities, and others with diverse perspectives and experiences to apply. 

Please upload a cover letter that describes why you’d make a good fit for this position and the Heising-Simons Foundation, as well as your resume.