This role reports directly to the CEO and serves as a key member of the global executive team responsible for shaping and executing the organization’s global industry communications strategies that advance the organization’s mission, protect and strengthen the reputation of California almonds, and align compelling messaging across audiences and stakeholders. The Director leads the organization’s efforts to clearly articulate ABC’s value, impact, and strategic priorities to growers, handlers, industry leaders, and other key stakeholders, building understanding and confidence in the organization’s work. and Serves as a key advisor providing communications expertise and advice to the Board, President & CEO, senior leadership, and committees on reputation, stakeholder engagement, executive communications, and strategic positioning. Collaborates closely with the CEO and the leadership team to drive strategic initiatives and alignment. This role plays a pivotal role in establishing clear objectives, measuring impact and translating organizational results and complex industry issues into compelling narratives and metrics to help tell our story.
This is an exempt, executive level position based at our headquarters in Modesto, CA.
The following duties are typical of those performed by employees in this job title; however, employees may perform other related duties.
Strategic Communications Leadership
- Develops and implements an integrated global communications strategy that advances ABC’s mission, strengthens the reputation of California almonds, demonstrates organizational and industry value, and ensures a consistent and compelling brand voice and consistency across owned, earned, paid, and partner channels.
- Leads development of global messaging, positioning, reputation management, and audience strategies in partnership with internal teams and agency partners, ensuring communications are relevant, and effective across domestic and international audiences, priority markets and stakeholder groups. Oversees digital, influencer and social media strategy, including SEO, GEO and AIO to strengthen the visibility and discoverability of ABC content.
- Establishes and maintains ABC’s enterprise narrative, and messaging architecture, ensuring that complex organizational priorities, research, market activities, and industry issues are translated into clear, credible, and compelling stories for diverse audiences.
- Manages and oversees the California Relations program geared toward driving pride for almonds in California working closely with U.S. marketing team and agency partners to align strategies and tactics.
- Provide communications expertise and advice to the Board, CEO, senior leadership, and committees.
- Leads communications planning for major industry and global engagement initiatives.
- As part of the leadership team, ensures effective execution of strategic initiatives and alignment with overall objectives. Sets priorities and understands gaps, finding and implementing solutions to guide teams towards success. Can grasp and add value to the leader’s vision.
- Anticipates potential areas of concern, roadblocks, or silos to plan for and avert issues with diplomacy.
Executive Support and Communication
- Leads the development and framing of executive communications, including presentations, speeches, talking points, Board and industry messages, briefing materials, and other high-impact communications issued on behalf of the CEO and organization, collaborating with department leaders as appropriate.
- Ensures executive and Board communications clearly connect organizational activities and results to ABC's strategic priorities, mission, and value to the California almond industry.
- Partners cross-functionally to ensure major organizational initiatives are supported by coordinated communications strategies, clear messaging, and effective stakeholder engagement.
- Serves as a trusted communications advisor to the CEO, anticipating communication needs and developing messaging, response strategies, briefing materials, and communications plans for high-priority organizational and industry matters.
Industry, Stakeholder, and Media Relations
- Develops and leads a comprehensive industry communications and engagement strategy that strengthens understanding of ABC’s mission, strategic priorities, programs, investments, and impact among growers, handlers, Board and Committee members, and other key stakeholders.
- Builds and maintains relationships with influential industry, media, community, and external stakeholders to strengthen understanding of ABC and the California almond industry's priorities, impact, and contributions. Serves as an ABC spokesperson.
- Oversees execution and development of crisis management and media training for executives, Board and Committee members, key industry spokespeople, and senior leaders.
- Manages media inquiries and response strategies in close coordination with ABC staff, leadership, and agency partners to ensure timely aligned, and effective communications.
- Represents the Almond Board at conferences, media events and interviews with professionalism.
- Serves as team liaison of the Global Communications Committee (GCC), planning and executing quarterly committee meetings and reporting on committee activities to the BOD and staff directly or through the team.
- Serves in a support role for Environmental Stewardship Workgroup (ESWG), working to provide executive updates and ensure cohesion with overall GCC strategic and tactical direction.
- Serves in a support role the Governance Committee, working with leader to plan and execute bimonthly meetings and work on key initiatives identified by the committee.
- Coordinates the work of the team with other ABC departments, programs, outside agencies, and other entities.
Team Leadership and Management
- Leads, develops, and mentors the team, including talent selection, performance management, professional development, and accountability for high-quality, timely, and strategically aligned work.
- Assembles teams from around the organization to solve problems and generate ideas to further the interests of the almond industry.
- Fosters a collaborative and inclusive culture by promoting cross-functional communication and knowledge sharing that strives for high performance and continuous improvement.
Organizational and Communications Performance
- Establishes communications goals, key performance indicators, and measurement frameworks to evaluate effectiveness, stakeholder engagement, reputation, and communications impact; uses insights and data to continuously improve strategy and demonstrate communications value. Manages the Global Communications budget.
- Monitors developments related to department activities, evaluates their impact, and implements improvements; participates in establishing and achieving overall strategic goals in accordance with the Almond Board's mission and vision.
- Prepares or directs the preparation of a variety of studies and reports related to current issues and strategic communication best practices to ensure consistency throughout the organization
- Sets key performance indicators to measure and improve the organization’s performance as it pertains to communications. Identifies areas of improvement and makes actionable recommendations.
- Manages sensitive and confidential information with the utmost discretion and professionalism.
- Upholds and supports ABC initiatives, programs, policies, and processes. Demonstrates ABC’s values through role modeling appropriate leadership behavior and action.
Qualifications:
- Proven ability in the principles and practices of public relations, advertising, and communications.
- Exceptional organizational and project management skills, with a high degree of accuracy in work output.
- Experience in strategic planning processes, goal setting, program and budget development, implementation, and evaluation.
- Knowledge of communication strategies that address Board, Committee, and industry objectives.
- Digital and AI fluency, including working knowledge of SEO, GEO, AIO, digital analytics and emerging communications technologies.
- Strong analytical, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills, with the ability to gather, synthesize, and present complex information and strategic guidance.
- Proven success in a business management role, with special focus on executive level advising, strategy, and interdepartmental collaboration. Skilled at navigating organizational dynamics.
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills, including the ability to present ideas and recommendations in a clear and concise manner to a wide range of stakeholders.
- Ability to listen carefully, connect ideas across functional areas and stakeholders, and quickly distill complex concepts into digestible and actionable pieces.
- Planning, organizing, assigning, directing, and reviewing work of a department including selecting, training, motivating, and evaluating professional, support and supervisory staff.
- Ability to step back from day-to-day activities to view the business and industry from a big picture perspective.
- Demonstrated ability to influence and build credibility with executive leaders, Boards, industry stakeholders, and other sophisticated audiences.
- Experience developing enterprise narratives, executive positioning, stakeholder communications, and communications strategies designed to demonstrate organizational value and impact.
- Strong leadership, project management, networking, and interpersonal skills with the ability to build relationships and influence stakeholders at all levels.
- Comfortable operating in ambiguous environments with high degrees of task deadline pressure while maintaining attention to detail and quality. Using facts to support observations, making decisions thoughtfully, despite the complexity of the issues or pressure involved.
- Ability to drive change through direct and non-direct reporting relationships and partner teams.
- Discretion and ability to oversee confidential information with utmost integrity.
- Ability to thrive in a dynamic environment and adapt to changing priorities. Strategic thinker and nimble business mind with the ability to anticipate challenges, identify opportunities, and develop creative solutions.
- Demonstrates effective and trustworthy leadership, resourcefulness, and dependability.
- Ability to work outside of traditional business hours when needed.
Education and Experience: A typical way to obtainthe above knowledge and skill is a combination of education and experience equivalent to:
A bachelor’s degree (or equivalent experience) in public relations, journalism, communications, or related subject and 10+ years of progressively responsible professional experience in reputation/issues/crisis management, corporate affairs, communications program oversight, and media relations, including at least five years in a management capacity.
Experience in agriculture, food, commodity organizations, or similarly complex stakeholder-driven industries strongly preferred. Experience communicating sustainability, water, natural resources, policy, research, or other complex technical topics highly valued. Extensive experience working and coordinating with a broad network of media partners, giving direction, making recommendations, and holding accountable required.
Proven track record of planning and leading strategic initiatives and cross-organizational projects.
Physical Characteristics: The physical abilities involved in the performance of essential duties are:
- Working at a computer for extended periods of time.
- Vision sufficient to read handwritten and printed documents and computer screens
- Speech and hearing sufficient to communicate by phone and in person
- Manual dexterity sufficient to use a variety of office equipment and tools, computer key boards, and to manipulate papers.
- Travel 10-30%
