Communications Associate
Sacramento, CA
Housing California
Date Posted: 2/12/2025
Since 1988, Housing California (Housing CA) has worked to create a California with homes, health, and prosperity for all in thriving, sustainable communities. We bring together a diverse, cross-sector network to prevent and end homelessness, increase the supply of safe, stable, affordable homes, and reverse the legacy of systemic racial and economic inequities by building power among the people most impacted by housing injustice, shaping the narrative, and advocating for the passage of transformative statewide policy solutions. Learn more about our policy strategy here and explore additional information about Housing CA here.
We are seeking a creative, collaborative, and organized Communications Associate to support, execute, and ensure consistency across Housing California’s narrative and strategic communications work. This position is ideal for a detail-oriented professional who thrives in a mission-driven environment, brings fresh perspectives to content creation, is skilled in implementing communications strategies, and is thoughtful about narrative alignment and impact tracking.
POSITION SUMMARY
The Communications Associate plays a key role in advancing Housing CA’s mission. Working closely with the Narrative and Strategic Communications Director, this position supports the organization’s day-to-day communications efforts, focusing on maintaining and enhancing Housing CA’s digital presence, including newsletters, websites, and social media platforms.
This role requires creativity, organization, and strategic thinking to help shape and implement Housing California’s voice while ensuring alignment across its initiatives. As both a detail-oriented executor and a strategic thought partner, the Communications Associate ensures that all communications efforts are timely, impactful, and cohesive, including during high-pressure legislative moments or urgent advocacy opportunities. Through their work, they will help elevate narratives that build public and political support for transformative housing and homelessness policies across Housing CA, including Roadmap Home 2030, the Residents United Network (RUN), the Annual Conference and other key events and initiatives.
WHAT YOU WILL DO
The Communications Associate will support and execute an array of narrative and strategic communications projects, including:
Digital Communications and Content Management
Social Media
Maintain and execute a robust multimedia content calendar, ensuring consistent digital presence and alignment with Housing CA’s overarching communications and narrative strategy and key organizational priorities.
Source and assess a variety of sources to develop and publish diverse content across Housing CA’s social platforms (e.g., Facebook, Instagram, X, LinkedIn, YouTube, TikTok) for various brands (Housing CA, Residents United Network, Roadmap Home 2030, etc.) and initiatives (Annual Conference and other events, policy advocacy, member engagement, power building, etc.)
Track social media analytics, prepare monthly reports and analysis, and highlight next steps and future actions based on data.
Newsletters
Serve as point on newsletter development, coordinating and collaborating with team members to source, organize, design, edit, and distribute newsletter content, while ensuring consistent voice, tone, brand, and narrative alignment.
Execute newsletter distribution schedules, audience segmentation, and analytics tracking to measure effectiveness and improve engagement.
Website
Publish day-to-day updates to Housing CA’s websites (Housing CA, Roadmap Home 2030) and microsites to ensure accuracy, timeliness, and relevance.
Write, edit, and upload web content (page updates, blog posts/statements, press releases, media coverage, etc.), prioritizing alignment with organizational priorities, optimal user engagement, and Search Engine Optimization (SEO).
Monitor website performance and provide recommendations for improvements based on analytics and user feedback.
Content & Collateral Design
Design and produce graphics, videos, and collateral materials using tools like Canva and Adobe Creative Suite.
Create fact sheets, infographics, and other collateral in collaboration with the policy, strategic initiatives, power building, and administrative teams.
Participate in creating event-specific collateral for Housing CA’s Annual Conference, RUN summits, Advocacy Days, and other key events, as assigned.
Narrative Change & Thought Partnership
Contribute to developing and refining Housing California’s narrative strategy, ensuring alignment with equity principles and current research on narrative change.
Contribute to work plans and processes to align communications efforts with organizational goals.
Track and monitor news trends and uplift opportunities for media engagement, including earned media and op-eds.
Monitor the impact of Housing California’s internal and external communications and communications processes and continuously suggest approaches to improve effectiveness and outcomes.
Capacity Building & Organizational Support
Provide technical assistance to staff on narrative and strategic communications best practices, tools, and systems as needed.
Assist with fundraising, donor-facing, and membership content that highlights Housing CA’s impact and enhances member and donor recruitment and retention efforts.
Stay up to date with strategic communications, digital communications, and narrative change best practices to ensure currency and relevance in reaching Housing CA’s key audiences, including identifying ongoing professional development opportunities for continued learning.
Support cross-departmental collaborations and assist with other organizational responsibilities that further the strategic goals of the organization.
WHO YOU ARE
Justice-Oriented: You have a demonstrated commitment to racial, gender, disability, economic, and housing justice and work to uphold these values in your communications.
Digital Communications Experience: You have 1+ years of experience creating and optimizing content on websites, newsletters, social media, and communications campaigns, ideally in mission-driven or advocacy settings.
Mission-Aligned: You have professional experience in housing justice or a related field, such as health equity, criminal justice reform, education, labor, or climate justice.
Adaptable Learner: You embrace learning and adapting as part of your work, thriving in an environment where continuous improvement and flexibility are valued.
Newsletter Savvy: You are skilled at writing, designing, and executing newsletters from concept to distribution, focusing on engagement, strategic alignment, and measurable outcomes.
Strong Writer: You are a skilled writer with a knack for understanding varied audiences and adapting messages with clarity, brevity, and impact.
Technologically Proficient: You are comfortable navigating marketing and communications platforms, cloud-based tools, and CRM databases (e.g., EveryAction, Google Suite, Adobe Suite, WordPress).
Highly Collaborative: You have a track record of collaborating with others across lines of difference to build shared goals and developing and maintaining strong working relationships that produce justice-oriented outcomes.
Data-Driven: You are experienced in leveraging digital analytics to inform and improve communications strategies, ensuring data-driven decision-making across platforms.
Organized and Agile: You have a knack for managing multiple priorities, meeting deadlines, and thriving in fast-paced, collaborative environments with high-pressure periods (e.g. legislative deadlines, advocacy campaigns, and public events).
Willing to Travel: You are willing and able to travel and attend occasional evening obligations.
Additional experience that would be welcomed, but is not required:
Lived experience with housing instability or homelessness.
Understanding of California’s housing and political landscape.
Experience with public policy analysis and legislative advocacy. Ideally, you also have experience working in the California legislative and budget process.
Bilingual Spanish/English.
Experience using online advocacy, data tracking, and project management tools.
Bachelor’s degree (B.A.) from four-year college or university in communications, public relations, journalism, or related field.
Our ideal candidate may have experience that doesn’t directly match the qualifications above, and we encourage people with equivalent experience to apply.
COMPENSATION, BENEFITS, AND LOCATION
This is a full-time, non-exempt position that reports to the Narrative and Strategic Communications Director. This is a hybrid position based in our office in Sacramento. The salary range is between $32.94 - $40.87 / hour (annualized at $68,515 - $85,009), depending on experience.
Benefits package includes fully paid medical, dental, and vision for employee and 25% paid medical, dental and vision for dependents, paid parental leave, long-term disability and group life insurance coverage; commuting subsidy; cell phone/at home internet subsidy; 403(b) retirement plan with 3.5% employer contribution; generous vacation (3+ weeks, depending on tenure), sick leave (8 hours per month + employees start with 8 hours of leave), 12 paid holidays; organization-wide closure during the last week of December and a shortened workweek during the summer legislative break; training and professional development opportunities; and a hybrid work environment.
OUR CULTURE
Housing CA is committed to creating a just, equitable, diverse, and inclusive workplace that fosters a culture of belonging, ongoing learning and collaboration, and supports, stabilizes, and incentivizes people to join the Housing California team and stay for the long game.
We value having staff who come from communities that are most impacted by the issues we address. We especially encourage Black, Latinx, Indigenous, and people of color; people from families that have immigrated to the U.S.; people who have been unhoused or experienced housing instability; women; LGBTQIA+ people; system-impacted people; and people with disabilities to apply for these positions.
We aim for our work to be both effective and sustainable; we balance required travel during some parts of the year and the fast-paced legislative calendar with a commitment to our team’s mental and physical health.
HOW TO APPLY & HIRING PROCESS
We will accept applications until the position is filled. The interview process will include a 30-minute screening call followed by 2-3 60–minute interviews and a short content creation activity.
Applicants will be asked to submit 2-3 samples of communications products related to the position, and to explain their specific roles in producing the work samples submitted. One submission must represent a written work product (newsletter, blog, op-ed, toolkit, etc.), and one must represent a graphic design/visual product.
If you have questions, please email Jenny Welch (jwelch@housingca.org).
