Vice President, Internal Communications and Engagement

The Vice President, Internal Communications & Engagement serves as the enterprise leader responsible for workforce communications, employee engagement, leadership communications, organizational change communications, internal campaigns, employee listening, and internal communications channels across Kaiser Permanente.

Reporting directly to the Chief Public Affairs Officer and serving as a member of the Chief Public Affairs Leadership Table, this executive plays an enterprise-wide leadership role in helping create a more informed, engaged, aligned, and connected workforce across Kaiser Permanentes integrated care and coverage enterprise.

The Vice President leads the development and execution of enterprise internal communications strategies that connect employees and clinicians to Kaiser Permanentes mission, strategy, business priorities, culture, and values. This leader is responsible for evolving the organization from a primarily one-way communications model to a modern engagement model that fosters dialogue, understanding, alignment, and action.
The role serves as the primary communications partner to Human Resources, Enterprise Strategy, the Medical Group, Health Plan leadership, Care Delivery, Operations, the CEO, and executive leadership teams on workforce communications, employee engagement, organizational change, and leadership communications. This includes shaping and advancing CEO and senior leadership communications that strengthen enterprise alignment, leadership visibility, and employee understanding of Kaiser Permanentes strategy, priorities, and direction. While Human Resources maintains ownership of employee engagement programs, engagement measurement, and change management processes, this role serves as a critical strategic partner in helping shape and activate communications and engagement strategies that drive awareness, understanding, and adoption across the enterprise.

The Vice President oversees enterprise internal communications channels and platforms, including the intranet and employee communications ecosystem, and is responsible for creating a unified internal communications strategy that supports a One KP Voice while allowing for market relevance and local execution.

The role partners closely with Market Public Affairs Leaders to establish governance, visibility, and alignment across enterprise and market internal communications efforts. This includes developing shared communications priorities, common narratives, integrated campaigns, and coordinated execution strategies that ensure employees receive consistent, timely, and relevant information regardless of location or business unit.

The Vice President also serves as a strategic advisor to the Chief Public Affairs Officer and enterprise leaders, leading special projects, facilitating cross-functional alignment, and helping ensure communications considerations are integrated into major organizational initiatives and transformation efforts.

Success in this role requires a combination of strategic communications expertise, employee engagement capabilities, marketing discipline, organizational influence, and the ability to connect enterprise priorities with the daily experiences of employees and clinicians across a complex, highly matrixed organization.

• Internal Communications Strategy
• Develop and lead Kaiser Permanentes enterprise internal communications strategy.
• Ensure internal communications support organizational priorities, business objectives, cultural aspirations, workforce needs, and enterprise transformation efforts.
• Establish enterprise standards, governance, messaging frameworks, and best practices for internal communications.
• Create a coordinated internal communications ecosystem that aligns enterprise and market communications efforts around common priorities, shared narratives, and consistent employee experiences.
• Ensure employees and clinicians receive clear, timely, relevant, and actionable communications.
• Employee & Workforce Engagement
• Develop modern workforce engagement strategies that move the organization beyond one-way communications and toward meaningful dialogue, feedback, participation, and action.
• Partner with Human Resources leaders to support employee engagement priorities, workforce initiatives, organizational culture efforts, and change management programs.
• Develop audience-centered communications and engagement strategies that effectively reach clinicians, frontline employees, operational teams, and corporate functions.
• Support enterprise listening strategies that help leaders understand employee sentiment, concerns, opportunities, and emerging issues.
• Create engagement approaches that strengthen employee connection to Kaiser Permanentes mission, strategy, and organizational priorities.
• Leadership Communications
• Lead enterprise leadership communications strategies supporting the CEO and KPs senior most executives and organizational leaders.
• Partner with executive leaders and the head of external communications to develop coordinated messaging that inspires confidence, builds alignment, and connects communications across employee, clinician, member, and external stakeholder audiences.
• Support enterprise town halls, leadership forums, executive messaging, and other strategic leadership communications initiatives.
• Ensure leaders have the communications tools, messaging, and resources necessary to engage employees effectively.
• Strengthen leadership visibility and accessibility through thoughtful communications and engagement approaches.
• Organizational Change Communications
• Serve as the enterprise communications leader for major organizational transformations, business initiatives, operating model changes, and enterprise priorities.
• Develop communication strategies that help employees understand, navigate, and adapt to organizational change.
• Partner with Human Resources, Operations, Enterprise Strategy, and business leaders to align communications with change management efforts.
• Translate complex organizational changes into clear, actionable, and engaging communications.
• Support enterprise adoption, understanding, and alignment during periods of significant transformation.
• Clinician & Workforce Communications
• Develop communication and engagement strategies that effectively reach Kaiser Permanentes large and diverse clinician and frontline workforce populations.
• Partner with care delivery leaders, Human Resources, and Market Public Affairs teams to ensure clinicians and employees understand enterprise priorities, organizational changes, workforce initiatives, and business objectives.
• Create communications approaches tailored to physicians, care teams, operational employees, and other frontline audiences.
• Ensure internal communications strategies recognize the realities of clinical environments and support workforce understanding, engagement, and adoption.
• Internal Campaigns & Communications Marketing
• Apply audience segmentation, campaign planning, behavior-change principles, and modern marketing approaches to internal communications.
• Lead enterprise internal campaigns that support strategic priorities, cultural initiatives, workforce engagement efforts, and organizational objectives.
• Develop integrated communications strategies that leverage multiple channels and audience-specific approaches.
• Partner with Marketing and Customer Experience leaders to incorporate best practices in audience engagement and campaign development.
• Establish campaign measurement approaches and performance indicators.
• Internal Channels & Digital Platforms
• Lead strategy, governance, and continuous improvement for enterprise internal communications channels and platforms.
• Oversee the enterprise intranet and employee communications ecosystem.
• Establish a unified platform strategy that improves consistency, accessibility, user experience, and organizational alignment.
• Ensure employees have access to timely, relevant, and useful information through effective digital communications experiences.
• Drive innovation in internal communications channels, tools, and engagement approaches.
• Market Integration & One KP Execution
• Partner with Market Public Affairs Leaders to ensure consistent execution of internal communications strategies across all markets while allowing for appropriate local adaptation.
• Establish governance, planning processes, and operating rhythms that align enterprise and market communications priorities.
• Develop shared communications strategies, content frameworks, campaigns, and messaging that support a One KP Voice internally.
• Identify market-specific needs, workforce dynamics, and communications opportunities that should inform enterprise planning.
• Strengthen visibility and coordination across enterprise and market internal communications activities.
• Inclusion, Belonging & Employee Networks
• Partner with Human Resources and Inclusion leaders to support employee resource groups, business resource groups, inclusion initiatives, and culture-building efforts.
• Develop communications strategies that support belonging, collaboration, and workforce engagement.
• Ensure employee communities, affinity groups, and engagement networks have access to communications support and strategic guidance.
• Amplify stories, programs, and initiatives that strengthen culture and employee connection.
• Enterprise Alignment & Strategic Initiatives
• Serve as a liaison between Public Affairs and key enterprise functions to strengthen communication, coordination, and alignment.
• Build trusted relationships across enterprise functions and help drive operating model alignment, ensuring Public Affairs leaders are engaged early on initiatives with workforce, reputational, operational, or stakeholder implications.
• Lead special projects and strategic initiatives on behalf of the Chief Public Affairs Officer and Public Affairs leadership team.
• Facilitate cross-functional alignment and help resolve complex issues that span multiple teams, markets, or enterprise functions.
• Support implementation of Public Affairs organizational priorities, operating model improvements, and enterprise transformation efforts.
• Team Leadership & Organizational Effectiveness
• Lead, develop, and inspire a high-performing internal communications and engagement team.
• Foster a culture of collaboration, accountability, innovation, inclusion, and continuous improvement.
• Align resources, priorities, and capabilities to support enterprise objectives.
• Develop future communications leaders and strengthen organizational capabilities across the function.
• Establish meaningful metrics and reporting that demonstrate communications effectiveness, workforce engagement impact, and organizational value.

Travel Requirements

Travel is expected to range between 15% - 25% and includes visits to facilities, community events, media opportunities, meetings, enterprise planning sessions, and key organizational meetings.