Communications Operations Manager

About The David and Lucile Packard Foundation

Founded in 1964 by David and Lucile Packard, the Packard Foundation is a family philanthropy dedicated to supporting leaders and organizations around the world working to invest in children and families, protect and restore the natural world, and create just and inclusive societies.

For more than six decades, the Foundation has advanced scientific innovation, championed reproductive health and rights, conserved and restored our natural world, and invested in the well-being of children and families. To achieve lasting change, we also strive to address root causes of longstanding problems, including building a thriving, resilient U.S. democracy; advancing racial justice in the United States and gender equity globally; and supporting a strong civil society around the globe.

Inclusive collaboration is the heart of our approach. We believe that actively listening to and learning from people with a wide range of views is the best way to create solutions that match the scale and urgency of the challenges we face. We are dedicated to supporting community-based solutions shaped by the knowledge and experience of the people whose lives are most affected and informed by data. We recognize that meaningful solutions require patience, urgency, and supporting the conditions for transformational change. We are committed to addressing complex issues over the long term while making tangible progress today.

OUR VISION: A just and equitable world where both people and nature flourish.

OUR MISSION: We work with people and communities to create enduring solutions for just societies and a healthy, resilient natural world.

OUR VALUES: Equity, Integrity, Belief in Individual Leadership, Thinking Big, Respect, and Effectiveness

Department Overview

The Communications department is responsible for shaping internal and external communications that inspire people and communities to create enduring solutions for just societies and a healthy, natural resilient world. Our department focuses on producing engaging communications that embody our commitment to justice and equity and contribute to consistent, positive experiences for our grantees and partners as we collectively work to accelerate progress towards our common goals.

Position Summary

The Communications Operations Manager is a key member of the Communications team and reports to the Chief Communications Officer. This role drives the operations of the Communications department, including administrative and project management, to enable the execution of communications projects. The Operations Manager streamlines systems and processes, identifying areas for improvement, finding solutions, and collaborating across the Communications team and Foundation to implement solutions that enhance efficiency and impact.

The ideal candidate for this position is forward thinking, highly organized, detail oriented, possesses excellent time management skills, and project management skills. The role requires the ability to thrive in a fast-paced, collaborative work environment while managing multiple priorities. In addition, the successful candidate should possess critical thinking skills, proactively seek answers to complex questions, and explore ways to make department processes and systems more effective and efficient. 

Primary Duties and Responsibilities

Communications Team Operations

• Operationalize and lead overall tracking of the Communications team’s annual workplan and progress toward department objectives; design systems for tracking in collaboration with Communications Leadership group.
• Schedule, plan, and facilitate team meetings ensuring topics are timely, relevant, and meaningful.
• Answers and triages staff, grantee, and media requests and inquiries in an accurate and timely manner.
• Monitors media daily and compiles media reports for the Communications team and CEO.
• Organize department retreats and agenda, teambuilding activities, celebrations, and Board docket and meeting prep as needed.
• Build and maintain productive relationships with external vendors, ensuring deliverables align with Foundation standards, timelines, and budget.
• Represent the Communications team on cross-Foundation efforts.

Communications Project Management

• Manages complex projects such as video shoots and production projects, communication campaigns, organizational identity implementation, and/or large events.
• Increase the effectiveness and efficiency of communications processes for Foundation staff through evaluating, developing, and managing the communication platforms and protocols.
• Contribute to building staffs’ communications skills by organizing trainings, updating resources and protocols, and ensuring platforms are accessible and easy to navigate.
• Manage communications projects from end-to-end, meeting deadlines and managing coordination among internal and external stakeholders.
• Assist with special projects as needed.

Budget and Administrative Support

• Develop and manage team’s annual operating budget in coordination with the Chief Communications Officer and the Finance team; monitor monthly budget and provide monthly updates.
• Create, negotiate, and process department contracts and honorarium; process invoices.
• Takes point on scheduling meetings with multiple stakeholders.
• Maintain internal files and work with IT to introduce knowledge management and collaboration platforms to department.

Qualifications

Education

• A Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience and training is required for this role.

Experience

• A minimum of three to five years of experience managing operations and projects for department or team in a fast-paced work environment.
• Project management experience, demonstrating expertise leading cross functional teams, managing timelines and budgets, and delivering project outcomes.
• Experience developing and managing department budgets.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Professional maturity, emotional intelligence, and interpersonal skills, coupled with impeccable integrity and ethics and the ability to read and navigate difficult situations and handle sensitive information with care
• Operates with minimal supervision, owning deliverables while knowing when to surface critical information or approvals
• Proven ability designing and managing multiple, complex, time-sensitive, and cross-functional projects at one time
• Demonstrated ability to optimize knowledge management workflows
• Strong aptitude for operational, administrative, and financial processes
• High proficiency with MS Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, project management software, electronic filing/maintenance systems, and a high level of comfort learning new software programs and databases; experience with digital organizing tools a plus
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills to convey complex ideas and information clearly and effectively
• Able to produce detailed, accurate, and timely work
• Ability to think critically and independently; anticipates needs and seeks out solutions to complex problems
• Exercises judgment within well-defined procedures and practices to determine appropriate action, including developing alternatives and anticipating next steps
• Ability to balance and meet multiple deadlines, project requirements, and anticipate information needed as situations and projects arise
• Ability to follow and manage internal processes and identify and implement improvements
• Passionate commitment to creating an inclusive culture that values all backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives. Devoted to growing own cultural competence and will actively participate in the Foundation’s work to integrate justice and equity into all facets of our work
• A flexible attitude; possesses the ability to shift and pivot as needed 
• Consistently looks for ways to strengthen departmental systems, tools, and workflows
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Compensation and Benefits

The position is full-time and non-exempt. The salary range for this position is $88,000 – $106,000 annually. This salary range is an estimate, and the actual salary may vary based on various factors, including without limitation individual education, experience, tenure, certification, skills, and abilities, as well as internal equity and alignment with market data.

The David and Lucile Packard Foundation offers excellent benefits for eligible employees. Current benefits include medical (HMO and HDHPs), dental and vision coverage; 15% employer contribution to employee retirement plan; life insurance, disability insurance, vacation, and sick leave; an adoption benefit; fertility benefit; a financial wellness program; health advocacy services, paid time off to volunteer for nonprofit organizations; matching grants for employee contributions to tax exempt organizations; commute assistance; and tuition assistance.