Sr. Vice President - Chief Communications Officer

HCF's Collaboration Philosophy

At the Hawai'i Community Foundation (HCF), we believe that an organization's team as a "whole is greater than the sum of its parts" (Aristotle). To us, this means that we are committed to be a collaborative 'ohana (family) that lives and actionizes our mission, respects and cares for each other, and innovates and learns together. We understand that we must rely upon all our individual strengths as we partner to provide excellent value and achieve effective results for our generous donors, community partners, and all of Hawai'i's people.

Position Summary

Like all HCF team members and volunteers, the Senior Vice President and Chief Communications Officer (SVP-CCO) exudes the heart and passion for HCF's mission: to inspire generosity, advocate for equity, forge connections and invest in community to create a better Hawai'i.

Specifically, the SVP-CCO is a visionary leader whose primary responsibility is to lead and manage in tandem with the CEO and in collaboration with the Executive Leadership Team (ELT) all of HCF's communication channels internally and externally. Among the many responsibilities of the SVP-CCO, the top 5 objectives include:

• Serve as a strategic thought-partner with an organization-wide perspective, as a member of HCF's Senior Executive Leadership Team (ELT) that includes the Chief Executive Officer, Sr. Vice President and Chief Transformation Officer, Sr. Vice President and Chief Impact Officer, Sr. Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer and Sr. Vice President and General Counsel.
• Lead in the development of HCF's strategic communications plan that is fully aligned with HCF's 10-year strategic plan, including the CHANGE framework. Critical to this plan is an implementation strategy that inspires and aligns both internal and external stakeholders.
• Effectively lead a team of communications staff driven and working across functions with other ELT members and modeling internal collaboration amongst staff.
• Serving as the creative lead in delivering on ambitious communication goals that taps into both personal skills and experience, as well as those of hired consultants.
• Develop appropriate tracking and reporting that is aligned with HCF's strategic plan and mission achievement scorecard.

Key Duties and Responsibilities

Strategic Integration

• Develop and execute a unified strategy that addresses the unique needs of various stakeholder groups and incorporates both human and digitally-based toolsets to advance the organization's mission.
• Partner with leadership to ensure communication and data visualization efforts align with strategic priorities and demonstrate measurable impact.
• Identify emerging tools and trends to enhance outreach, engagement, and operational effectiveness, with a special emphasis on our internal stakeholders (Board of Governors and employees) as our most impactful advocates.

Communication for Impact

• Identify and lead storytelling initiatives to showcase the organization's impact through compelling narratives, visuals, and data-driven content.
• Develop and oversee communication campaigns that engage donors, partners, board members, employees, and the broader community in the organization's work.
• Act as one of the organization's spokespersons, representing its values and initiatives in media and public forums.

Digital Transformation, Content Development and Analytics

• Stay ahead of latest trends in stakeholder/consumer behavior and related digital marketing toolsets (e.g. AI, Voice Search, etc.) and interactive formats and shortforms (e.g. TikTok, YouTubeShorts, Instagram Reels, live polls, podcasts, etc.) to implement dynamic content development, and personalized engagement methods for highest absorption by internal and external stakeholders.
• Drive digital transformation initiatives that enhance communication/marketing, collaboration, and program execution.
• Use analytics to measure the effectiveness of campaigns, programs, and digital outreach, refining strategies as needed.
• With the advisement of other leaders, develop dashboards and other visualization tools to communicate outcomes to donors, stakeholders, and the public.

Crisis/Risk Management and Reputation

• Ongoing pursuit of awareness and relevance of global, national and local landscape to HCF's goals and activities to ensure ability to proactively identify threats and opportunities.
• Lead integrated responses to crises, ensuring coordinated communication and cross-functional support.
• Play an integral role in HCF's business continuity planning and response efforts.
• Safeguard the organization's earned credibility and reputation through proactive planning and transparent communication during challenges that align with HCF's organizational values.

Internal Partnerships

• Partner with other leaders and groups that support program delivery, donor management, partner and grantee relations, data management and analysis and employee engagement.
• Work with IT and technology application stewards to implement tools for data collection, visualization, and reporting to demonstrate program outcomes and impact effectively. Work with CEO's executive team and People Operations and Growth (POG) to build and implement a strong internal communications system and cadence, starting with orientation for new employees (including board members), multi-dimensional engagement approaches for the current board/employee base and exit interviews when board/employees leave.
• Work with CEO, Chief Transformation Officer and POG to ensure that the internal communications system includes creative approaches to keep current board/employees informed of strategic progress, key business decisions, stories of employee-driven impact and celebration.

Team Leadership

• Build and mentor a high-performing team that bridges communications with the Donor and Grant-making teams as well as POG (for internal communications), fostering collaboration and innovation.
• Cultivate a culture of creativity, adaptability, and continuous learning across both functions.
• Oversee professional development for team members to 'future-proof' and build capacity in latest industry methods in storytelling, AI/technology, and data utilization.

Resource Management

• Develop and manage budgets for the communications function, ensuring alignment with organizational goals.
• Partner with IT, POG, fundraisers and development teams to secure resources that enhance internal and external communication capabilities.

Qualifications

Education and Experience

• Bachelor's degree in Communications, Public Relations, or a related field required. (Master's preferred).
• Minimum of 10 years of leadership experience in communications, or a similar capacity, with a focus on mission-driven organizations required.
• Experience in philanthropy, nonprofit, or social change sectors with a track record of using communication strategies to drive impact preferred.

Skills and Competencies Required

• Expertise in data visualization tools, digital storytelling, and social impact reporting.
• Strong understanding of donor communication, stakeholder engagement, and public relations
• Exceptional leadership, problem-solving, and interpersonal skills.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities and balance strategic vision with operational execution.

• Proficiency with IT systems, CRM platforms, and data analytics for tracking and reporting outcomes preferred.

Certifications (Preferred)

• Accreditation in Public Relations (APR)