Senior Director of Marketing Communications

About the California Academy of Sciences

The California Academy of Sciences is a globally renowned scientific and cultural institution located in the heart of San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park. Home to a world-class planetarium, aquarium, research center, and natural history museum—all under one living roof—our mission is to regenerate the natural world through science, learning, and collaboration.

Our extensive collections span plants, animals, fossils, and cultural artifacts from across the globe and throughout history. We are a diverse team of leading biodiversity scientists, educators, storytellers, designers, and communicators who work collaboratively to advance knowledge and inspire action through science and storytelling.

When you join the California Academy of Sciences, you become part of a mission-driven community that values curiosity, collaboration, and innovation. Whether you're working behind the scenes in research or engaging the public on the museum floor, your work will help connect people to the natural world and empower them to protect it.

About the Opportunity

The California Academy of Sciences is seeking an extraordinary Senior Director of Marketing to join its team. As one of the museum’s highest-level communicators, you will oversee brand, external comms, audience insights, digital engagement (social and email marketing), and brand creative. This role will be prized for bringing new thinking to an historic institution and will report to the Chief Innovation Officer.

As the most senior leader of the marketing team, you will craft vision and strategy for all marketing and communications activities, including the Academy’s 3MM+ 4-brand social-media ecosystem. The Senior Director will sponsor innovative, tech-forward marketing strategies to shine a light on the Academy’s mission and portfolio of offerings, including temporary and permanent exhibits, Night Life, birthday parties and sleepovers, corporate and donor events, and more. You will create campaigns that win the hearts and minds of those who live in the Bay Area and beyond, driving engagement, attendance, and revenue. This role will also work with our insights team to gather audience research and produce strategic insights that help the organization stay in tune with and better serve its community.

You will serve as a key strategic advisor to Academy leadership, shaping institutional positioning, partnerships, and long-term audience growth strategy. You will lead the evolution toward a modern, data-powered marketing ecosystem leveraging AI, marketing automation, CRM tools, and personalization strategies to deepen audience engagement and loyalty. As a public-facing brand ambassador, you will help elevate the Academy's reputation beyond the Bay Area, forging partnerships with influencers, media, and mission-aligned organizations. You will be tasked with modernizing the marketing organization itself—fostering a culture of creativity, agility, DEI-centered leadership, and innovation. Beyond driving attendance, you will champion community-building, audience co-creation, and deeper two-way engagement with the Academy’s diverse audiences. You will help position the Academy on the national and global stage as a thought leader in science, climate, and education, testing bold ideas and introducing innovative revenue-generating marketing strategies.

The California Academy of Sciences welcomes people of all backgrounds, identities, and beliefs to join us in achieving our mission to explore, explain, and sustain life on Earth. We place diversity, equity, and inclusion at the heart of our recruiting efforts and strive to build a culture centered on mutual respect, equal treatment, and the opportunity to succeed. 

Organizational Culture
Join a team dedicated to the Academy’s mission, vision and values! Currently, the Academy has a new strategic plan including three initiatives – Hope for Reefs, Thriving California, and Islands 2030 – that leverage biodiversity science, environmental learning, and collaborative engagement to regenerate fragile ecosystems around the world. Learn more at https://www.calacademy.org/about-us/major-initiatives.

We hope you are inspired by what we do and are excited to contribute to our mission. The mission of the California Academy of Sciences is to regenerate the natural world through science, learning, and collaboration. The Academy is looking for candidates who do great work, and we know they may come from a number of different backgrounds and experiences. We encourage you to apply even if you do not believe you meet every qualification for the position.

This position is based in San Francisco, California. Staff are currently expected to work from the Academy offices at least 2-3 times per week, which may fluctuate based on business needs. Please do not apply if you are not able to work onsite. Candidates are required to have up-to-date COVID-19 vaccination as a condition of employment, absent qualifying exemptions in accordance with applicable laws. Individuals receiving a conditional offer of employment from the California Academy of Sciences will be provided the full text of the vaccination policy.

Key Responsibilities

• Craft a holistic marketing vision and strategy for the Academy, including evergreen brand campaigns, exhibition marketing, and other levers that drive engagement across programs and channels. 
• Amplify our scientific research and activities across all channels
• Manage outside agencies, including advertising and creative, to ensure the Academy brand is vibrant, modern, and purpose-driven 
• Generate top-of-mind awareness of the Academy’s exhibit offerings and evergreen experiences to drive visitation, membership, and donor support. 
• Serve as a key strategic advisor to Academy leadership, shaping institutional positioning, partnerships, and long-term audience growth strategy. 
• Lead the evolution toward a modern, data-powered marketing ecosystem leveraging AI, marketing automation, CRM tools, and personalization strategies to deepen audience engagement and loyalty. 
• Act as a public-facing brand ambassador, elevating the Academy’s reputation beyond the Bay Area and forging partnerships with influencers, media, and mission-aligned organizations. 
• Oversee annual marketing budget, including media, production, and agency fees, making recommendations for allocations and investments as needed. 
• Oversee the development and execution of paid media strategy and planning, including all audiences, media mix, creative & messaging strategy, and production. 
• Direct and leverage insights and data from market research, analytics, and business trends to help inform marketing decisions and measure results. 
• Partner with colleagues on other teams (such as Creative Studio, Sales, and Advancement) to develop integrated marketing plans that meet revenue goals. 
• Lead institutional communications and content strategy 
• Ensure cohesive messaging and voice across departments Co-lead internal communications initiatives with the people team 
• Direct web and email operations ($17M ecommerce, 500+ campaigns generating $1M+ revenue) Lead cross-functional web strategy with data-driven KPI tracking 
• Optimize customer journey and conversion processes 
• Evaluate emerging technologies and develop strategic recommendations 
• Champion community-building, audience co-creation, and deeper two-way engagement with the Academy’s diverse audiences. 
• Help position the Academy on the national and global stage as a thought leader in science, climate, and education, testing bold ideas and introducing innovative revenue-generating marketing strategies. 
• Assess marketing effectiveness through ROI analysis

Qualifications: A successful candidate will have the following:

EDUCATION AND/OR EXPERIENCE: A qualified candidate will have a combination of the following experience and/or equivalent education:

• Bachelor’s degree Minimum
• 15 years marketing experience (brand, product, channel, communication, market research, digital, etc.) or equivalent combination of education and experience 
• 15+ years of experience managing teams with multiple direct reports. Leading teams of digital content creators preferred.
• Experience in marketing for destinations or visitation preferred
• Experience outside museum world is preferred Interest in social sciences, environmental issues, museums, and education

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES: 

• Expertise in brand strategy, multichannel paid marketing tactics, marketing trends and best practices, audience development and analytics/measurement, advertising and promotional messaging, email, and website development
• Fluency in all major platforms (owned, organic, and paid)
• Comfort with cross-channel storytelling and content development
• Experience managing complex budgets over $3M and making strategic recommendations backed by analytics and ROI calculations
• Proven track record of effectively managing and developing teams with diverse roles and building a modern, innovative.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Excellent presentation skills.
• Executive presence.
• Experimental mindset, creative problem solver, keen interest in frontier technologies like AI and implementing operational efficiencies

LANGUAGE SKILLS: 

• Ability to read and interpret documents such as safety rules, operating and maintenance instructions, and procedure manuals.
• Ability to write routine reports and correspondence.
• Ability to speak effectively before groups or individuals.

Compensation and Benefits:

The salary range for this position is $195,000 - $215,000. Actual compensation will be commensurate with the final candidate's qualifications and experience, including skills, knowledge, relevant education, certifications and aligned with the internal peer group. We believe in fair and equitable compensation practices and are committed to providing competitive salaries within the industry and market standards. The Academy offers a total compensation package that emphasizes both base salary and comprehensive benefits based on the hours per week worked. Further details regarding compensation and benefits will be discussed during the interview process.

Schedule: Full-time, 40 hours per week 

This position is based in San Francisco, California. Staff are currently expected to work from the Academy offices at least 3 times per week, which may fluctuate based on business needs. 

How to Apply:

Interested candidates should submit a resume and application through our Careers Page portal.

The California Academy of Sciences will give full consideration for employment to all qualified applicants with criminal histories in a manner consistent with the requirements of the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance (SF Police Code, Article 49).