Chief Communications Officer Jobs in California (NOW HIRING)

Reporting to the President & CEO, the Chief Marketing & Communications Officer (CMCO) leads the strategy and execution of marketing and communications to expand Save the Redwoods' visibility, influence, and audience engagement in support of its mission and strategic priorities.

As a member of the Executive Team and Leadership Team, the CMCO helps lead the organization as a whole, bringing an external, audience-centered perspective to strategic decision-making, aligning marketing and communications with organizational priorities, and ensuring Save the Redwoods is well-positioned in moments of opportunity, risk, and growth.

The CMCO oversees an integrated function spanning marketing, media relations, digital strategy, content, storytelling, and audience engagement, and works in close partnership with Development, Program, Government Affairs, and the COO's office to ensure coordinated, high-impact outreach and communications.

Essential Duties

Organizational Leadership & Strategic Direction

• Serve as a member of the Executive Team and Leadership Team, contributing to organizational strategy, priorities, and decision-making.
• Contribute to and help shape organizational strategic planning, ensuring marketing and communications priorities are aligned with and advance organizational goals.
• Bring an external, audience-centered perspective into organizational planning and leadership discussions.
• Partner with the CEO and senior leaders to align marketing communications with strategic, programmatic, and fundraising priorities.
• Ensure Save the Redwoods is well positioned in moments of opportunity, risk, and change.
• Lead communications partnerships and co-branded strategies for priority initiatives (e.g., Redwoods Rising, GSLC), ensuring alignment, clarity, and impact across joint announcements, campaigns, and partner channels.

Awareness, Engagement, and Audience Growth

• Ensure Save the Redwoods' brand is brought to life across marketing, social, storytelling, media, and digital channels in ways that are clear, compelling, and aligned with organizational priorities.
• Oversee marketing and communications strategies that expand visibility and strengthen connection with priority audiences, including prospective and current supporters, partners, policymakers, and landowners.
• Ensure a high standard of creativity and storytelling across all marketing and communications work, resulting in distinctive, compelling output.
• Oversee social, digital, and content strategies to grow audience engagement and support across channels.
• Build and steward strategic external and brand partnerships that extend reach, credibility, and impact.
• Ensure integrated campaigns that connect marketing, earned media, digital, and partnerships, including co-branded initiatives, to drive awareness, engagement, and support.
• Establish and use clear measures of success to evaluate performance, refine strategies, and ensure marketing and communications efforts are contributing to organizational goals.

Team Leadership & Operational Excellence

• Lead a high-performing marketing and communications team, with oversight of senior leaders and functional experts.
• Set clear priorities, roles, and accountabilities across the team, ensuring alignment with organizational goals and strong execution.
• Support and coach direct reports in their strategic, management, and budget responsibilities.
• Build strong, effective working relationships between Marketing Communications and other teams across the organization.
• Oversee annual planning, budgeting, and performance measurement for the function, including establishing clear goals and tracking progress against them.
• Foster a collaborative and supportive team culture that enables strong performance, continuous learning, and shared ownership of results.

Thought Leadership & Executive Communications

• Set direction for and oversee thought leadership and executive communications, ensuring strong positioning across key external moments.
• Partner closely with the CEO and staff responsible for executive communications to shape and elevate leadership's voice and presence across media, speaking engagements, and high-visibility opportunities.
• Oversee communications strategy for high-profile, complex, or sensitive initiatives, ensuring clear and effective external positioning.
• Lead organizational response and positioning in moments involving reputational risk, complex issues, or heightened public visibility.
• Partner with the Executive Team and other leaders to guide internal communications that reinforce priorities and strengthen organizational alignment.

Qualifications

• Senior leadership experience: 12-15+ years of experience across marketing and communications functions, with a track record of driving visibility, engagement, and organizational impact.
• Strategic execution: Demonstrated ability to translate strategy into focused, high-impact initiatives, balancing leadership through others with a willingness to engage directly in the work when needed; able to prioritize effectively in complex environments.
• Judgment in complex situations: Experience navigating high-profile, sensitive, or ambiguous issues with sound judgment, discretion, and decisiveness
• Executive presence: Proven ability to partner with CEOs and senior leaders, and to work closely with boards, shaping materials, guiding communications, and supporting effective engagement, as well as with partners and external stakeholders.
• Team leadership: Experience leading and developing high-performing, multi-disciplinary teams; while staying close to the work; and fostering a culture of accountability, collaboration, and high-quality output.
• Marketing and audience fluency: Strong understanding of how audiences engage across marketing, social, and digital channels, and how to use storytelling to drive connection and action
• Leadership style: High emotional intelligence, strong self-awareness, and a collaborative, solutions-oriented approach.
• Mission alignment: Deep commitment to conservation and the mission of Save the Redwoods League

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

Save the Redwoods League is fully committed to ourDiversity, Equity and Inclusion Goals. The League welcomes candidates with diverse backgrounds and/or multicultural skillsets. We are open to the possibility that a great candidate for this job may not precisely meet all the above criteria; if you believe you are the right person for this job and can persuasively make that case, we encourage you to apply.

Why join us?

At Save the Redwoods League, you'll work with a dedicated, diverse, and passionate team that believes in the power of nature to heal and inspire. You'll contribute meaningfully to the protection of one of the world's most extraordinary ecosystems and help shape a more connected, climate-resilient future.

We provide excellent benefits including paid vacation, sick time, medical, dental, public transit subsidy, life insurance and a generous 401K match!