Senior Director, Communications (LA & West LA Service Areas)
Primary Location Pasadena, California
Schedule Full-time
Shift Day
Salary $221600 - $286770 / year
Job Number 1398235
Date Posted 01/05/2026
Technical Summary:
The Senior Director of Communications operates in a labor environment with high visibility among Southern California media outlets. Our Los Angeles and West Los Angeles medical center markets are a hub for high-profile sports and community partnerships, and the senior director will play a key role in managing these markets' brand reputation through issues management, public relations, and other strategic internal/external communications. The senior director serves as a counsel to executive leadership, driving local, regional, and Enterprise business objectives such as membership growth and retention and employee engagement through precise and strategic communications.
Job Summary:
This senior director level position is primarily responsible for directing and overseeing the development of strategic communication plans and the implementation of communication efforts. This position directs and oversees communications across multiple business functions, directs complex projects or project components, and oversees complex communication activities.
Essential Responsibilities:
- Models and drives continuous learning and maintains a highly skilled and engaged workforce by aligning cross-functional resource plans with business objectives; overseeing the recruitment, selection, and development of talent; motivating and empowering teams; building organizational capacity and grooming high potentials for growth opportunities and advancement; staying current with industry trends, benchmarks, and best practices; providing guidance and leadership when difficult decisions need to be made; and ensuring performance management guidelines and expectations drive business needs.
- Oversees the operation of multiple units and departments by identifying customer and operational needs; analyzing resources, costs, and forecasts and incorporating them into business plans; engaging strategic, cross-functional business units to champion and drive support for business plans and priorities; translating business strategy into actionable business requirements; obtaining and distributing resources; setting standards and measuring progress; anticipating and removing obstacles that impact performance; addressing performance gaps and implementing contingency plans accordingly; ensuring products and/or services meet customer requirements and expectations while aligning with organizational strategies; serving as a subject-matter expert and trusted source to executive leadership; and providing influence and consultation in the development of the larger organizational or business strategy.
- Oversees complex communication activities by ensuring team members provide support to internal and/or external stakeholders; managing and maintaining vendor relationships; reviewing and approving communication activities; defining and communicating the KP brand to ensure positive reputation and recognition; ensuring communications align with KP standards; and ensuring communication activities and performance metrics are documented and tracked.
- Directs and oversees the development of strategic communication plans by directing consultation with key clients and stakeholders to identify business objectives, key performance indicators, and communication requirements; analyzing, reviewing, and synthesizing data and information; ensuring input and resources are obtained to fulfill communication plan objectives; ensuring plans are aligned with the organizational strategy; directing project scope and schedules; creating and managing budgets and resources; identifying and leveraging appropriate audiences and channels; influencing key stakeholders and leadership on strategic direction; and ensuring strategic support on a variety of organizational initiatives.
- Oversees the implementation of communication efforts by consulting with stakeholders or vendors on change management and implementation strategies; assessing effectiveness of communications and making modifications as necessary; monitoring key performance indicators and ongoing effectiveness of communications; ensuring communication plans are implemented on time, on budget, and within agreed upon specifications; and resolving critical issues on a 24 hour/on-call basis as needed during the implementation process.
- Directs and oversees communications across multiple business functions by creating, reviewing, revising, and approving complex content for KP communications programs and projects; overseeing the production of communications materials; ensuring final communications align with KP communication plans; and ensuring content is consistent with the Kaiser Permanente brand and editorial guidelines in terms of tone, manner, and messaging.
- Directs complex projects or project components by identifying and managing stakeholder contacts; assembling teams based on project needs and team member strengths; developing, analyzing, and managing project plans; negotiating and managing project schedules and resource forecasts; and overseeing project financials and deliverables.
Knowledge, Skills and Abilities: (Core)
- Ambiguity/Uncertainty Management
- Attention to Detail
- Business Knowledge
- Communication
- Constructive Feedback
- Critical Thinking
- Cross-Group Collaboration
- Decision Making
- Dependability
- Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Support
- Drives Results
- Facilitation Skills
- Health Care Industry
- Influencing Others
- Integrity
- Leadership
- Learning Agility
- Organizational Savvy
- Problem Solving
- Short- and Long-term Learning & Recall
- Strategic Thinking
- Team Building
- Teamwork
- Topic-Specific Communication
Knowledge, Skills and Abilities: (Functional)
- Acts with Compassion
- Business Planning
- Data Mining
- Delegation
- Negotiation
- Project Management
- Social Media
- Strategic Alignment
- Technical Communication
- Traditional and Digital Media
- Vendor Management
- Written Communication
Minimum Qualifications:
- Minimum four (4) years supervisory experience.
- Minimum four (4) years experience managing operational or project budgets.
- Bachelors degree in Communications, Journalism, English, Humanities, Business, Social Science, or related field and Minimum twelve (12) years experience in communications, writing, marketing, or a directly related field. Additional equivalent work experience in a directly related field may be substituted for the degree requirement.
Preferred Qualifications:
- Two (2) years in health care or another heavily regulated industry (e.g., Banking).
- Three (3) years experience working in an organization with union represented employees.
Primary Location: California,Pasadena,Walnut Center - Regional Offices
Scheduled Weekly Hours: 40
Shift: Day
Workdays: Mon, Tue, Wed, Thu, Fri
Working Hours Start: 08:00 AM
Working Hours End: 05:00 PM
Job Schedule: Full-time
Job Type: Standard
Worker Location: Flexible
Employee Status: Regular
Employee Group/Union Affiliation: NUE-SCAL-01|NUE|Non Union Employee
Job Level: Director/Senior Director
Department: Regional Offices - Pasadena - Rgnl PA-Service Areas - 0808
Pay Range: $221600 - $286770 / year
Kaiser Permanente is committed to pay equity and transparency. The posted pay range is based on possible base salaries for the role and does not include the value of our total rewards package. Actual pay determined at offer will be based on years of relevant work experience, education, certifications, skills and geographic location along with a review of current employees in similar roles to ensure that pay equity is achieved and maintained across Kaiser Permanente.
Travel: Yes, 10 % of the Time
Flexible: Work location is on-site at a KP location, with the flexibility to work from home.
Worker location must align with Kaiser Permanente's Authorized States policy.
Kaiser Permanente is an equal opportunity employer committed to fair, respectful, and inclusive workplaces. Applicants will be considered for employment without regard to race, religion, sex, age, national origin, disability, veteran status, or any other protected characteristic or status.
For jobs where work will be performed in unincorporated LA County, the employer provides the following statement in accordance with the Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance. Criminal history may have a direct, adverse, and negative relationship on the following job duties, potentially resulting in the withdrawal of the conditional offer of employment:
Consistently supports compliance and the Principles of Responsibility (Kaiser Permanente's Code of Conduct) by maintaining the privacy and confidentiality of information, protecting the assets of the organization, acting with ethics and integrity, reporting non-compliance, and adhering to applicable federal, state, and local laws and regulations, accreditation, and licensure requirements (where applicable), and Kaiser Permanente's policies and procedures.
Models and reinforces ethical behavior in self and others in accordance with the Principles of Responsibility, adheres to organizational policies and guidelines; supports compliance initiatives; maintains confidences; admits mistakes; conducts business with honesty, shows consistency in words and actions; follows through on commitments.
Job duties with at least occasional or possible access to: (1) patients, the general public, or other employees; (2) confidential protected health information and other confidential KP information (including employee, proprietary, financial or trade secret information); (3) KP property and assets, for example, electronic assets, medical instruments, or devices; (4) controlled substances regulated by federal law or potentially subject to diversion.
For jobs where work will be performed in unincorporated LA County, the employer provides the following statement in accordance with the Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance. Criminal history may have a direct, adverse, and negative relationship on the following job duties, potentially resulting in the withdrawal of the conditional offer of employment:
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