Communications Program Manager Jobs in California

Description

 ABOUT U.S. ENERGY FOUNDATION

U.S. Energy Foundation's (USEF) mission is to secure a clean and equitable energy future to tackle the climate crisis. We envision a healthy, safe, and equitable economy powered by clean energy. We believe a thriving clean energy economy can create sustainable opportunities, spur innovation, and protect our climate-for today and future generations.

USEF supports education and analysis to promote nonpartisan policy solutions that advance renewable energy and energy efficiency, while opening doors to greater innovation and productivity-growing the economy with dramatically less pollution. For more than 30 years, USEF has supported grantees to help educate policymakers and the general public about the benefits of a clean energy economy. Our grantees include business, health, environmental, labor, equity, community, faith, and consumer groups, as well as policy experts, think tanks, universities, and more.

We are working daily to create equitable systems that support people to flourish. We aim to bring humility, transparency, respect, and an appreciation for others' lived experiences to our interactions with colleagues, grantees, and partners.

USEF's Fundraising Philosophy

  As USEF's primary clients and partners are our funders and grantees, USEF commits to acting as a strategic thought leader for our current and prospective funding partners and the field by:

1. Collaborating-and co-creating, where      feasible and desired-on strategy development, including hosting and/or      managing funder collaboratives
2. Highlighting the opportunity for climate philanthropy to maximize      benefits to disadvantaged communities and those most impacted by climate      change
3. Offering excellent, responsive service by      providing proactive, compelling, and timely updates and information

USEF is headquartered in San Francisco, California, and our more than 125 staff members are based in locations throughout the Midwest, Northeast, Southeast, and Western regions, where they can best serve our programs, partners, operations, and other functions.

USEF believes that a diverse workforce makes us a more effective organization and is essential for achieving a clean and equitable energy future. We encourage people of all backgrounds to apply.

POSITION SUMMARY

The Manager, Program Communications, is an individual contributor on USEF's Program Operations Team, responsible for translating USEF's and Energy Action Fund's (EAF) programmatic work into compelling communications for key external audiences, including funding partners and partner organizations, such as grantees. The role centers on three interconnected areas of work: (1) drafting high-quality funder grant proposals and reports, along with supporting partner communications; (2) owning the content strategy for USEF's/EAF's Program Dashboard; and (3) developing and managing an organization-wide process for grantee communications. The ideal candidate is an exceptional writer who can synthesize complex clean energy policy and program content into clear, persuasive narratives-working closely with USEF Program staff, the EAF team, and Strategic Partnerships (SP) colleagues to ensure consistency, accuracy, and impact across all funder- and grantee-facing products.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Funder Communications

• Serve as the primary first drafter for funder grant proposals and reports across USEF/EAF portfolios.
•  Work closely with Program team experts to identify the most compelling content to highlight, synthesizing input from across the organization into cohesive, persuasive documents.
• Align all funder-facing products with USEF's overall narrative strategy to ensure consistency of voice and messaging.
• Distill complex programmatic initiatives across priority geographies, sectors, key venues, and strategic imperatives (e.g., advancing equity) into clear and motivating funder communications.
• Leverage new technology, including Claude, to support efficient content creation, drafting, and knowledge management.
• Provide support on USEF and EAF partner communications products, including funder updates and Impact Reports, as needed.
• Remain informed on key USEF/EAF initiatives and the broader climate and clean energy policy landscape to write with accuracy, context, and credibility.

Grantee Communications and Coordination

• Develop and manage an organization-wide process for communicating with USEF and EAF grantees, ensuring consistent, timely, and meaningful engagement across the portfolio. 
• Partner with Program and Grants staff to define the goals, cadence, and format of grantee communications, helping staff contribute in effective and efficient ways.
•  Work with grantees and USEF/EAF staff to gather the information needed to tell the story of funded work and its impact, including soliciting updates from Program team members on priority areas. 
• As appropriate, collaborate with the SP team for brand and risk review.
• Coordinate with the Grants team to ensure grantee communications are aligned with grants management processes and that touchpoints with grantees are consistent and well-sequenced across the organization.
• Identify opportunities to strengthen grantee relationships through improved communications practices, and propose and implement improvements over time.

Program Dashboard Management

• Serve as the content owner for USEF's/EAF's Program Dashboard (Dashboard), a funder-facing communications platform that provides real-time updates on USEF's/EAF's work.
• Ensure a steady cadence of Dashboard content in collaboration with Program team and EAF staff, with updates that are timely, accurate, and reflect organizational priorities.
• Work with Program teams to surface the most relevant developments, milestones, and impact data for Dashboard publication.
• Partner with the SP team and relevant technical staff to ensure Dashboard content aligns with the broader funder communications strategy and organizational voice.
• Proactively identify opportunities to enhance the funder experience on the Dashboard, including content organization, navigation, and presentation.

Internal Collaboration and Coordination

• Strategize with Program Operations on continuous improvement of internal knowledge and content sharing related to program activities.
• Serve as a resource to Program team staff on communications activities, offering guidance and thought partnership on framing and impact communications.
• Participate in team meetings and cross-functional convenings to stay current on organizational priorities and emerging developments. 
• Oversee consultant contracts, where necessary, to support communications outputs.

Requirements

QUALIFICATIONS

The ideal candidate brings deep experience in program communications, grant writing, development communications, or a closely related field within a nonprofit, foundation, or advocacy organization. This person is an exceptional writer and strategic thinker who can work both independently and collaboratively in a complex, matrixed environment, and is deeply committed to USEF's mission and values. Writing samples will be requested.

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with a demonstrated ability to synthesize complex programmatic, policy, and technical content into clear, compelling narratives for diverse audiences, including donors and partner organizations.
• Strong editing and copyediting skills, with the ability to refine and polish existing content as well as adapt and repurpose materials for different stakeholder audiences.
• Strong storytelling instincts and a track record of proactively engaging expert colleagues to gather the information needed to tell cohesive, impact-driven stories.
• Decisive and detail-oriented project manager with superior organization, time management, and prioritization skills, and the ability to manage multiple complex projects simultaneously under tight deadlines.
• Comfort leveraging new technology (including large language models, such as Claude) to enhance the efficiency and quality of communications work.
• Familiarity with the major issues and trends in climate and clean energy advocacy.
• A high degree of cultural competence and emotional intelligence, with experience contributing meaningfully to a workplace where equity and inclusion are core values in both internal and external work.
• An entrepreneurial, solutions-oriented mindset with the ability to think creatively, take initiative, and work independently, while knowing when to seek support.
• A genuine service orientation and commitment to helping the organization fulfill its mission.

SUPERVISION

Reports to the Senior Director, Program Operations. 

COMPENSATION

This is a full-time position. The target salary for this position is $144,000 for a candidate based in the metro areas of San Francisco, New York City, Seattle, San Diego, Los Angeles, Washington, D.C., Boston, or Sacramento, and $129,600 for candidates in other areas of the U.S. USEF provides a comprehensive benefits package, including competitive salary, medical, dental, vision, disability, and retirement benefits, as well as paid time off.

OTHER REQUIREMENTS

Ability to travel four to six times a year for two to four business days at a time.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is required to spend extended hours at the computer. This position requires moderate levels of domestic travel.

WORK ENVIRONMENT

USEF is a remote-first work environment. This position may be based in any of USEF's offices or may work remotely from anywhere in the U.S.

The office environments include some shared workspace, some individual offices, and shared kitchen facilities, with moderate noise levels and a collegial atmosphere. On occasion, there are activities or events after work hours.

Priority application deadline is Friday, June 19th, 2026