Director, Strategic Communications & Insights

Director, Strategic Communications & Insights

The Foundation We are the largest nonprofit fighting poverty, disease, and inequity around the world. Founded on a simple premise : people everywhere, regardless of identity or circumstances, should have the chance to live healthy, productive lives. We believe our employees should reflect the rich diversity of the global populations we aim to serve. We provide an exceptional benefits package to employees and their families which include comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage with no premiums, generous paid time off, paid family leave, foundation-paid retirement contribution, regional holidays, and opportunities to engage in several employee communities. As a workplace, we're committed to creating an environment for you to thrive both personally and professionally.

The Team The Communications Division, led by the Chief Communications Officer (CCO), oversees the foundation's global communications strategy. The division unites internal and external communications to advance the foundation's mission and amplify its impact around the world. The Strategic Communications & Insights team drives strategic alignment across the Communications division by integrating insights, measurement, and learning with leadership in reputation risk, issues management, and rapid response. The team provides data-driven decision support, leads on enterprise-wide issues and crisis communications, supporting regional communications teams to advance the responsible use of emerging technologies, including AI, to strengthen preparedness, and impact.

Application Deadline : We will begin reviewing applications as soon as possible and encourage early submissions. The deadline to apply is Friday, December 5.

Your Role

We are building a leadership team to accelerate the next phase of our strategy. As a senior communications leader, you will play a critical role in shaping how the foundation engages audiences, strengthens its reputation, and delivers on its mission. The Director, Strategic Communications & Insights will ensure the foundation stays ahead of the curve anticipating reputational risks, identifying societal trends, and leveraging data and technology to inform global communications strategy. You will serve as a strategic advisor to the CCO, your peers within the Communications Division, and senior partners across Global Policy & Advocacy (GPA) and other divisions, translating complex insights into clear, actionable strategies that shape how the foundation communicates and engages with the world. You will lead a global team of researchers and analysts, responsible for generating and applying insights that enhance the foundation's communications effectiveness; as well as reputation risk and media relations specialists, who strengthen public trust in the foundation, and inform rapid, evidence-based responses to emerging issues. As part of your leadership, you will champion the responsible integration of emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence (AI), into the foundation's insights, analytics, and measurement systems expanding our capacity to anticipate change, understand public sentiment, and continuously improve impact. You will be a key member of the Communications leadership team, helping to shape the overall Division's strategy, culture, and priorities.

What You'll Do

Lead Strategic Foresight and Insights : Direct a global team of researchers, analysts, and data scientists to deliver actionable insights that inform communications strategy, messaging, and market engagement.

Guide Reputation and Risk Leadership : Lead the foundation's enterprise-wide reputation and response function, overseeing corporate and programmatic issues management, and ensuring timely, coordinated responses to emerging risks.

Advance Reputation Stewardship : Anticipate potential risks to the foundation's reputation and guide mitigation strategies grounded in evidence and transparency.

Integrate Emerging Technologies : Oversee the responsible integration of AI and advanced analytics into communications planning, monitoring, and measurement enhancing predictive capabilities and operational efficiency.

Build Evidence-Based Strategy : Oversee the design and delivery of integrated research programs covering sentiment and risk analysis, audience insights, message testing, and scenario modeling.

Shape Measurement and Learning Systems : Develop a unified measurement and reporting framework that translates data into actionable insights, supporting continuous learning and improvement across the foundation.

Support Regional Comms Teams : Collaborate with regional communications and program leads to align strategies with data-driven insights, ensuring relevance across diverse cultural and political contexts.

Champion Inclusion and Ethics in Research : Ensure all insights and analytics work adheres to the highest ethical standards and integrates regional perspectives to reflect global diversity.

Mentor and Lead : Cultivate an inclusive, high-performing culture within your team, supporting professional growth, innovation, and cross-functional collaboration.

Ability to travel up to 30% domestically and globally.

Your Experience

Bachelor's or Master's degree in social sciences, communications, behavioral science, data analytics, or a related field.

15+ years of senior-level experience guiding insights, reputation, or risk management functions within complex, global organizations.

Proven expertise in integrating insights into strategic communications, including measurement frameworks and evidence-based storytelling.

Deep understanding of reputation risk, global media ecosystems, and socio-political environments relevant to the foundation's work.

Demonstrated success leading teams that combine qualitative research, data science, and strategic foresight.

Experience developing and managing AI- and data-enabled insights systems, including analytics dashboards and predictive monitoring tools.

Strong record of advising executives on communications strategy, risk, and reputation; able to distill complex intelligence into clear recommendations.

Proven ability to coach, inspire, and develop global talent and lead teams in a complex environment.

High emotional intelligence, integrity, and judgment, able to navigate sensitive issues with discretion and purpose.

#LI-PA1

The salary range for this role is $293,200 to $454,400 USD. We recognize high-wage market differences in Seattle and Washington D.C., where our offices are located. The range for this role in these locations is $319,500 to $495,300 USD. As a mission-driven organization, we strive to balance competitive pay with our mission. New hires salaries are typically between the range minimum and the salary range midpoint. Actual placement in the range will depend on a candidate's job-related skills, experience, and expertise, as evaluated during the interview process.

Hiring Requirements As part of our standard hiring process for new employees, employment will be contingent upon successful completion of a background check. Candidate Accommodations If you require assistance due to a disability in the application or recruitment process, please submit a request here. Inclusion Statement We are dedicated to the belief that all lives have equal value. We strive for a global and cultural workplace that supports ever greater diversity, equity, and inclusion of voices, ideas, and approaches and we support this diversity through all our employment practices. All applicants and employees who are drawn to serve our mission will enjoy equality of opportunity and fair treatment without regard to race, color, age, religion, pregnancy, sex, sexual orientation, disability, gender identity, gender expression, national origin, genetic information, veteran status, marital status, and prior protected activity.