Communications Associate

The California Health Care Foundation (CHCF) is an independent, nonprofit philanthropy dedicated to improving California’s health care system so that all Californians, especially those with low incomes and those facing the greatest barriers, can access the care they need. We partner with leaders across the health care safety net to provide the data and resources needed to make care more just and to drive meaningful improvement in a complex system.

We are seeking a communications associate to join our dynamic Communications and Engagement team. This is an exciting opportunity to work at the intersection of communication strategy, grants administration, and audience engagement, contributing directly to real change in health care across California.

About the California Health Care Foundation

CHCF works to improve the health care system so that all Californians have access to the care they need. We focus especially on ensuring the system works for Californians with low incomes and for communities that have historically faced the greatest barriers to care.

Our efforts are concentrated in four key areas:

• Getting everyone covered. Ensuring all Californians, regardless of income or immigration status, have health insurance.
• Strengthening and diversifying the health workforce. Addressing critical workforce shortages and improving the cultural and language competencies of health professionals.
• Delivering better care. Improving access and care for people with complex needs, such as those experiencing homelessness or serious mental illness.
• Making care just. Removing structural barriers that prevent people of color from accessing high-quality care and transforming health care systems to uphold dignity for all.

Position Overview

The communications associate is the operational backbone of CHCF’s communications team, ensuring initiatives run seamlessly and align with the foundation’s mission. This role blends project coordination, grants management, and administrative excellence with opportunities to contribute to strategic communications efforts. Your work will directly support CHCF’s goals of expanding health coverage, diversifying the health workforce, improving care delivery, and advancing equity in care.

Whether managing a grant, organizing a webinar, or supporting audience engagement campaigns, you will play a key role in shaping impactful health care policies and practices across California.

This is a full-time, exempt position reporting to the chief communications officer. The role is based in CHCF’s Oakland office and requires in-office presence two days per week, with occasional flexibility for a third day.

What You’ll Do

Grants Management with a Communications Focus

• Support strategic initiatives. Administer grants tied to communications and health journalism, including managing proposals and maintaining detailed records in collaboration with the grants management team.
• Maintain consistency and alignment. Draft correspondence and coordinate with communications officers and program staff to ensure clear messaging and alignment with CHCF’s goals.
• Track deliverables. Monitor grant-related timelines, deliverables, and payouts to ensure timely and successful project completion.
• Foster relationships. Serve as a liaison between grantees, the Communications team, and broader CHCF staff, ensuring smooth communication and alignment on project goals.
• Resolve issues. Address technical or logistic challenges in the grants system and provide research and support as needed.

Event and Meeting Coordination

• Plan and execute events. Coordinate logistics for meetings, workshops, and events, including venue arrangements, material preparation, and participant outreach.
• Drive engagement. Draft and disseminate participant communications, such as invitations, follow-ups, and informational content.
• Facilitate seamless virtual events. Manage technical aspects of virtual events (e.g., webinars), ensuring that discussions, presentations, and participant engagement run smoothly.
• Capture insights. Collaborate with team members to develop post-event summaries and to share key insights across CHCF’s platforms.
• Board meeting support. Assist the executive assistant with logistics for board meetings as required.

Administrative Support

• Enable leadership success. Manage calendars, travel arrangements, and expense reimbursements for the chief communications officer and the director of engagement.
• Optimize operations. Maintain organized records of communications assets, campaign plans, and key stakeholder contact information.
• Vendor coordination. Oversee contracts and invoice payments for communications vendors, ensuring smooth operations and timely processing.
• Respond to inquiries. Serve as the point of contact for general communications project inquiries, assisting in prioritizing tasks and addressing external requests.
• General office tasks. Perform administrative tasks such as photocopying, scanning, and assembling materials for communications initiatives.

Strategic Communications Support

• Enhance audience engagement. Collaborate with team members on multimedia campaigns, such as supporting in-house video production or monitoring online discussion forums.
• Organize content strategy. Assist in preparing and organizing editorial calendars to ensure alignment across platforms and consistency with CHCF’s brand.
• Measure and improve impact. Track campaign performance metrics, summarize insights, and recommend adjustments to improve outreach strategies.
• Maintain database accuracy. Ensure communications databases are up-to-date, supporting accurate and effective outreach activities.

Minimum Qualifications

• Educational background. Bachelor’s degree in communications, journalism, public relations, marketing, or a related field, or equivalent professional experience in communications.
• Grants and administrative expertise. Demonstrated experience managing administrative aspects of grants, including tracking deliverables, coordinating with stakeholders, and ensuring alignment with organizational priorities.
• Event planning and technology skills. Proven ability to plan and execute events, with strong proficiency in digital tools, virtual meeting platforms, and Microsoft Office applications.
• Exceptional communication skills. Clear and effective written and verbal communication, with additional experience in multimedia communication or PowerPoint as a plus.
• Organizational strength. Excellent organizational skills, with the ability to manage multiple priorities and deadlines while building and maintaining strong relationships with internal teams and external partners.

Skills and Competencies

• Leadership in communication projects. Ability to design and implement administrative solutions that improve communication processes and enhance efficiency.
• Attention to detail and multitasking. Meticulous focus on accuracy while managing multiple projects and meeting deadlines effectively.
• Strategic thinking and problem-solving. Analytical mindset with proactive decisionmaking skills to align efforts with organizational goals and to address challenges.
• Independence and adaptability. Self-motivated and adaptable in dynamic environments, with a readiness to learn new tools and to incorporate feedback.
• Collaboration and integrity. Strong commitment to fostering collaboration and valuing diverse perspectives, while maintaining ethical standards in all interactions.
• Effective communication. Skilled at conveying ideas clearly and tailoring messages for a variety of audiences.
• Relationship building. Proven ability to develop and maintain productive relationships across multidisciplinary teams to enhance communication outcomes and project success.

Other Qualifications

• Continuous learning and collaboration. Demonstrates a genuine curiosity and open-mindedness, paired with humility and a readiness to listen and learn from CHCF’s grantees and partners.
• Commitment to anti-racism and inclusivity. Exhibits a deep personal and professional dedication to anti-racist principles and actively participates in the organization's diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives.
• Constructive feedback dynamics. Possesses the ability to give, receive, and integrate feedback constructively, promoting a culture of open communication and continuous improvement.

Salary and Benefits

The full salary range for this position is $85,680 to $128,520. The starting salary for this role is $102,000 and is not negotiable.

The foundation provides a generous benefits package that include medical, dental, vision, disability, life, and long-term care insurance; commuter assistance or paid parking; employee assistance and wellness programs; educational assistance; paid time off; and 401(k) retirement benefits.

Commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

The California Health Care Foundation is committed to attracting and retaining a diverse staff and will honor your experiences, perspectives, and unique identity. We believe the power of diversity enriches all of us by exposing us to a range of ways to understand and engage with the world, identify challenges, and to discover, design, and deliver solutions. Read more about CHCF’s diversity, equity, and inclusion vision.

The California Health Care Foundation is an Equal Opportunity Employer, and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, race, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law. Employment offers will be contingent on a background check that is limited in scope and compliant with best practices for Fair Chance Hiring. We welcome formerly incarcerated people to apply for this role.