The SCAN Foundation

The SCAN Foundation

Senior Director of Communications

Reports To: President and Chief Executive Officer

Status: Full-Time, Exempt

Location: Long Beach, CA (Mainly remote from anywhere in the U.S.)

Apply By: November 21, 2025

The SCAN Foundation seeks a strategic, equity-centered, and collaborative communications leader to elevate vision, plans, and tactics in support of the mission. Reporting directly to the President and Chief Executive Officer and serving as a member of the Executive Team, the Senior Director of Communications will advance grantmaking and impact investing priorities alongside a team of dedicated and humble colleagues. With support from a Manager and consultants, the Senior Director will strengthen the role of communications as a thought partner; oversee initiatives from vision to execution; and lift up voices of communities of older adults, with a focus on people of color, those with lower incomes, and rural residents.   

THE FOUNDATION

The SCAN Foundation (TSF) envisions a society where all of us can age well with purpose. We pursue this vision by igniting bold and equitable changes in how older adults age in both home and community. Our grants and impact investments prioritize communities that have been historically marginalized with an emphasis on older people of color, older adults with lower incomes, and older residents in rural communities. Learn more at https://www.thescanfoundation.org/.

THE POSITION

Reporting to the President and Chief Executive Officer, the Senior Director of Communications is responsible for the overall development, implementation, and management of the communications vision, plans, and tactics to advance The SCAN Foundation's (TSF’s) strategic priorities. The Senior Director will actively support the achievement of TSF’s vision and goals with a commitment to fostering diversity, equity, and inclusion in the pursuit of our mission.

Key priorities include raising the visibility and influence of TSF and executive leadership; developing and disseminating timely, credible analyses of and commentary on pressing policy issues; sharing the results and lessons of TSF’s grantmaking and impact investing; and serving as a convener of aging and health stakeholders, building communications platforms that advance our strategic goals across our website, newsletter, blogs, social media, and more.

The Senior Director of Communications is a member of the Executive Team and works closely with the Senior Director of Strategy, the Vice President of Policy and Programs, the Senior Director of Operations and Finance, and other members of the Program and Policy, Impact Investing, and Operations departments. The Senior Director will oversee a lean internal team supported by consultants and agencies, ensuring strategic alignment and high-quality execution.

Essential Functions include:

Overall Communications Strategy and Implementation

• Develop and implement TSF’s communications strategies, plans, and tactics including a unified communications strategy for the diverse capabilities at TSF across grantmaking, impact investing, policy, and lived experience.
• Bring curiosity, proactive energy, and strategic thinking to generate and implement ideas for communications opportunities in collaboration with colleagues across the organization.
• Develop clear narratives that connect data, lived experience, and impact to the Foundation’s mission.
• Oversee the creation and implementation of an integrated communications platform leveraging the support of the Manager and/or consultants to keep the content on TSF’s newly relaunched website fresh; manage social media channels; leverage public events and webinars; enhance digital content including video and photo projects; and ensure consistent e-mail outreach.
• Proactively strengthen TSF’s media relations with journalists, editors, and other media professionals to inform and influence earned media coverage aligned with TSF’s and its partner’s mission and priorities.
• Provide strategic and editorial guidance for TSF-funded policy analyses, reports, and advocacy efforts.
• Support executive communications and external and internal communications.
• Monitor communications analytics and adapt strategies and tactics as needed.

Organizational Voice and Leadership

• Position TSF as a leader in advancing strategic priorities, including ensuring access to long term services and supports for all older adults, especially those in underrepresented communities.
• Build TSF’s national visibility by positioning its thought leadership and policy insights with key audiences in policy, philanthropy, and aging sectors.
• Support the President and CEO in developing and executing a robust thought leadership plan that aligns with TSF's goals and mission positioning the CEO as an authority in aging, equity, and health policy while enhancing TSF's visibility among target audiences.
• Serve as a trusted advisor and thought partner to the CEO, proactively identifying and prioritizing opportunities to elevate the Foundation’s and CEO’s voice through speaking, writing, media engagements, and more.
• Working with the Policy and Programs team to ensure the work of grantee partners and the voices of older adults with lived experience are showcased across all public facing communication activities.
• Stay abreast of policy developments and media coverage related to TSF priority areas.
• Identify and create opportunities for staff across the organization to elevate priority issues with key audiences (e.g., policymakers, the media, health care and aging practitioners, community-based organizations, advocates, investors, and other funders).
• Maintain key media contacts to facilitate regular earned media for TSF.
• Make recommendations about which opportunities (e.g., media, public comments, testimony) are worth pursuing.
• Maintain an editorial calendar to ensure a regular pipeline of coordinated content and activities to elevate priority issues.
• Facilitate storytelling, public engagement, and partnerships to shape national and California narratives around inclusive aging and equity.

Coordination and Collaboration Across Departments

• Facilitate coordination and collaboration across TSF’s functional departments including partnering with the Policy and Programs and Impact Investing teams to communicate how TSF’s grantmaking, investments, and partnerships collectively advance systems change and equitable policies in aging.
• Work in partnership with the Senior Director of Strategy to ensure programs, investments, and speaking engagements advance organizational goals.
• Work closely with the Policy and Program and Impact Investing teams to develop data-driven reports, policy briefs, public comments, and legislative testimony, translating complex findings into understandable messages and language for lay audiences.
• Identify opportunities with Program staff to elevate the work of grantees and partners through storytelling, media outreach, social media, and photo and video projects.
• Work with grantees to maximize opportunities to deploy communications as a tool to elevate their programs and outcomes.
• Develop and oversee the promotion of impact investment activities, including market research, opinion pieces, investment announcements, and other external efforts.
• Oversee the management of content calendars and processes to ensure coordination across teams and clarity of roles and responsibilities.
• Performs other duties as assigned, recognizing the value of diverse skills and experiences in contributing to our collective success.

Leadership and Management

• Actively contribute to organizational strategy, operations, and culture as a member of the Executive Team.
• Supervise a dynamic team of communications professionals, both staff and consultants.
• Lead, coach, motivate, and retain staff members and evaluate their performance.
• Ensure effective collaboration and appropriate opportunities for professional growth and autonomy.
• Develop metrics and KPIs to assess impact and find areas for growth.
• Drive and build the department’s annual budget and work plan.
• Actively support the achievement of TSF's Vision and Goals.
• Foster a culture of curiosity, inclusion, and belonging across teams by ensuring communications reflect TSF’s internal values and external voice.

Other duties as assigned.

THE QUALIFICATIONS

The ideal Senior Director of Communications will bring many of the following experiences and areas of expertise along with other transferable skills to the role:

• At least 8-10 years of communications experience, including at least 2-3 years in a leadership position, preferably in the philanthropic or nonprofit sector with some exposure to health, aging, and/or policy and passion for our mission.
• Demonstrated ability to influence change and inform and motivate constituencies across channels including campaigns, social media, and paid media while staying abreast of evolving communications trends and methodologies.
• Strong interpersonal skills with the ability to articulate a point of view, operate effectively in a cross-functional team environment, be a thought partner to colleagues respecting and building upon ideas in a way that brings others along, help facilitate alignment, and engage with diverse internal and external stakeholders with ease.
• A nimble, creative leader who can balance strategic vision with hands-on implementation, and who thrives in an entrepreneurial, evolving philanthropic environment.
• Demonstrated ability to align internal teams around a clear narrative and to translate strategy into stories that move policy, influence partners, and build trust.
• Demonstrated experience telling stories of impact by translating complex research and/or policy findings into plain, compelling language and reports tailored to key constituencies that empower and lift up the voices of communities that we center such as older adults, people of color, those with lower incomes, and/or rural residents.

• Demonstrated ability to understand complex business models and sets of stakeholders; anticipate future trends and implications; establish strategy; develop work plans; and resolve problems to achieve results.

• Ability to effectively and strategically prioritize and manage multiple projects and priorities simultaneously in a dynamic environment with excellent organizational and management skills including delegating and completing quality work on time and within budgetary guidelines.
• Superior writing and editing skills, attention to detail, editorial judgment, and presentation skills.
• Strong manager with the ability to motivate and develop diverse teams including multiple consultants.
• Demonstrated technological skills with extensive experience with social media applications and analytics (including Google Analytics), internet research, the Microsoft Suite, and web development and management tools.
• Advanced degree in a related subject such as communications, marketing, journalism, health, and/or policy preferred or experience in excess of the minimum required.

Competitive Compensation, Work Environment and Benefits include:

●     Base Salary Range: $147,900 to $214,030 annually, commensurate with experience.

●     Work Environment: Mostly Remote.

●     Key Benefits: An annual employee bonus program; robust Wellness Program; generous paid-time-off (PTO) along with 11 paid holidays per year, 1 floating holiday, birthday off, and 2 volunteer days; excellent 401(k) Retirement Saving Plan with employer match; robust employee recognition program; and Tuition Reimbursement.

Don’t miss this exciting opportunity to become part of a team that makes a difference to our members and our community every day!

THE APPLICATION PROCESS

We're always looking for talented people to join our team! Are you qualified and ready to help deepen and strengthen our communications in support of our mission? We are partnering with Walker & Associates Consulting – a Black- and woman-owned, California-based strategic management consulting and executive search firm promoting equitable community impact – to facilitate this search. To apply, email a cover letter, resume, and list of three professional references (references will not be contacted without your advance notice) to thescanfoundation@walkeraac.com by Friday, November 21, 2025 at 5:00 pm PT. Use the subject line: Senior Director Application. Please submit PDF or Microsoft Word files only, preferably in one combined file. Resume review begins immediately.

At The SCAN Foundation, we believe that it is our business to improve the state of our world. Each of us has a responsibility to drive Equality in our communities and workplaces. We are committed to creating a workforce that reflects our community through inclusive programs and initiatives such as equal pay, employee resource groups, inclusive benefits, and more.