Communications Manager, Learning Commons

The Chan Zuckerberg Initiative was founded in 2015 by Priscilla Chan and Mark Zuckerberg to help solve some of society’s toughest challenges — from curing or preventing disease to improving education and addressing the needs of our local communities. We provide the operational support across our areas of work.

The Team

At Learning Commons, we pair technology with grantmaking to scale proven teaching and learning practices to benefit every learner. We aim to translate what learning science tells us about how students learn best into classroom practice. With the advent of generative AI, that translation work can be accelerated and scaled to have a greater impact. 

Our mission is to bring learning science into the tools used every day by teachers and students, ensuring that technology reflects the realities of classrooms and strengthens teaching and learning.

In today’s fragmented edtech landscape, school districts are often left piecing together products that don’t always align with curricula or instructional needs. While AI holds enormous potential to support educators, it can only deliver on that promise when grounded in research, high-quality educational data, and expert evaluation. That’s why we’re building open, public-purpose infrastructure — datasets, rubrics, and resources — that help raise the standard for educational tools and create more consistent, impactful learning experiences for all students and teachers.

The Opportunity

Educators are already using AI-based tools in various ways—including generating lesson plans, creating classroom materials such as tests and assignments, and helping differentiate instruction for students. At Learning Commons, we are inspired and excited about the possibilities and promise of AI to accelerate the availability of research-backed practices at scale. We are actively and thoughtfully exploring how to incorporate AI into products in close partnership with researchers, experts, and educators.

The Communications Manager role is an opportunity to manage strategic communications for Learning Commons. In this role, you will  plan and coordinate integrated storytelling opportunities across Learning Commons’s partnerships and tools. This role sits on the Brand and Communications team and reports to the Vice President of Communications for Learning Commons and Ventures. 

What You'll Do

• Media relations: Develop and maintain relationships with education, philanthropic, and technology journalists; source, craft, and pitch stories related to our work; track and respond to media inquiries, update media lists, and assist with media monitoring
• Content creation and strategic communications: Write and edit compelling content, including press releases, blogs, newsletters, web content, social media posts, talking points, and FAQs
• Support internal communications: Maintain communications calendar and create content for internal newsletters, events, and announcements
• Plan and execute events: Prepare briefing memos, assess and track speaking engagement requests,  and manage the logistics for press calls, workshops, webinars, convenings, and conferences
• Collaborate cross-functionally: Partner with product, brand, and marketing teams, and external partners to develop and execute communication strategies that increase understanding of our impact among key audiences
• Assist with vendor contracts and invoicing for select communications services: Work with Legal and Finance teams to ensure quality deliverables and adherence to project timelines

What You'll Bring

• 6-8 years of experience in strategic communications with a demonstrated ability to establish and maintain media relationships
• Professional experience working in the education technology and/or K-12 education sectors
• Outstanding writing and editing skills with the ability to simplify and adapt complex issues for different audiences and platforms.
• Passion for the work we are doing at Learning Commons
• Willingness and ability to work collaboratively, adapt to a dynamic work environment, and navigate complexity and multiple priorities to deliver results.

Compensation

The Redwood City, CA base pay range for a new hire in this role is $138,000 - $189,200. New hires are typically hired into the lower portion of the range, enabling employee growth in the range over time. Actual placement in range is based on job-related skills and experience, as evaluated throughout the interview process. 

Better Together

As we grow, we’re excited to strengthen in-person connections and cultivate a collaborative, team-oriented environment. This role is a hybrid position requiring you to be onsite for at least 60% of the working month, approximately 3 days a week, with specific in-office days determined by the team’s manager. The exact schedule will be at the hiring manager's discretion and communicated during the interview process.

Benefits for the Whole You 

We’re thankful to have an incredible team behind our work. To honor their commitment, we offer a wide range of benefits to support the people who make all we do possible. 

• Provides a generous employer match on employee 401(k) contributions to support planning for the future.
• Paid time off to volunteer at an organization of your choice. 
• Funding for select family-forming benefits. 
• Relocation support for employees who need assistance moving

If you’re interested in a role but your previous experience doesn’t perfectly align with each qualification in the job description, we still encourage you to apply as you may be the perfect fit for this or another role.

#LI-Hybrid