Head of Internal Communications

About us

Based in Berkeley, CA, UPSIDE Foods grows meat, poultry and seafood directly from animal cells.  These products are not vegan or vegetarian—they are delicious meat, made without the need to raise and slaughter billions of animals. UPSIDE Foods recently became the first company in the world to receive the US FDA greenlight for cultivated meat, and UPSIDE’s cultivated chicken will be available to consumers following USDA inspection and label approval. 

Founded as the world’s first cultivated meat company in 2015, UPSIDE Foods (formerly Memphis Meats) has achieved numerous industry-defining milestones, including being the first company to produce multiple species of meat (beef, chicken and duck). The company believes that people shouldn’t have to choose between the foods they love and a thriving planet, and is working to build a better food system with access to delicious, humane, and sustainable meat, poultry, and seafood. UPSIDE Foods has won various industry awards, including New York Times’ Good Tech Awards, FastCo’s Next Big Thing in Tech, and the Best and Brightest Companies to Work For in the Nation. UPSIDE Foods has raised a total of $608 million, including from the Abu Dhabi Growth Fund (ADG), Baillie Gifford, Bill Gates, Cargill, John Doerr, John Mackey, Kimbal and Christiana Musk, Norwest, Richard Branson, Softbank, Temasek, Threshold, Tyson Foods, and others. For more information, please visit www.upsidefoods.com.

About this job

We are hiring a Director of Internal Communications to spearhead our efforts to inspire, inform, and engage our growing team. This critical leader will help define our internal communications strategy and work closely with our leadership team to execute against it. 

We’re looking for a gifted communicator and storyteller that enjoys fast-paced growth, is comfortable with change and ambiguity, has a flexible growth mindset, and is excited about helping us build the UPSIDE story from the inside out! The focus will be on positioning the company's messaging consistently and effectively to reach and engage employees. 

This role will report to the Chief Operating Officer and will work closely with the leadership team and numerous cross-functional teams within the company. They will also be a key lead in formulating the organizational response to any crisis PR situations. Executive maturity, sound decision making and judgment, and ability to maintain confidence are critical. 

Responsibilities include… 

• Developing an internal communications strategy to connect employees to UPSIDE’s mission, values, and strategy; ensure that organizational initiatives and priorities are successfully and consistently communicated; and help employees feel engaged, supported and inspired 
• Creating and managing our internal communications processes and calendar to deliver important communications from leadership and across and between teams and ensure our employees know where to go for the information they need
• Developing content (slides, talking points, videos, newsletters) for company communications in partnership with the UPSIDE leadership team 
• Providing strategic, direct hands-on support to key senior executives including consultation, message/content development and materials preparation for employee-facing events and meetings
• Monitoring relevant topics and trends (internally and externally) that could impact our employees, our culture, or our company’s mission and make recommendations to leadership as appropriate, including proactive internal messaging 
• Working closely with our external communications and PR team to ensure consistency and coordination between internal and external messaging
• Partnering with the people team on the strategy and execution of company celebrations and events (trainings, guest speakers) 

About you…

• Bachelor's degree, with journalism, communications, public relations or marketing preferred
• 10+ years of communications experience, preferably in internal communications spanning start-up and larger organizations through periods of significant growth. Experience with developing strategic plans and processes and communicating to a variety of different audiences is desired
• Communicate with clarity, empathy, and creativity. Excellent written and verbal communication skills, a passion for storytelling and narrative building, and ability to proactively source and develop stories from employees
• Have a strong sense for storytelling, messaging, themes and techniques that resonate with internal audiences/constituencies. Able to tailor approach to different audiences and receive and adjust to feedback
• Strong interpersonal skills and ability to build trust and relationships across all functions and levels of the organization, including working with and coaching senior executives 
• Strong understanding of digital communications and their optimal use in supporting change and information dissemination
• Understanding of organizational change management practices and considerations
• Balanced way of working - Keen eye for detail and a skillful writer, editor, and content producer with a track record of producing high quality work - but still able to prioritize and excel in a fast-paced environment.
• High level of interpersonal maturity, poise and professionalism
• Thrive in dynamic, ambiguous environments with evolving responsibilities; growth mindset and highly flexible and adaptable; can achieve success and complete objectives in the absence of well-defined systems, procedures, and benchmarks
• Able to handle high level confidential matters with discretion and professionalism

Who you’ll work with…

• This role will partner with every function! It’s a rare opportunity to learn different parts of the business and industry and to shape the future of UPSIDE from the inside out!  
• You’ll work closely with our Chief Operating Officer, People team, and Communications and Branding teams and will interact regularly with our Leadership team and Directors across the organization.

Key Contributions in First Year…

• Develop comprehensive Internal Comms Strategic Plan and annual calendar based on input from key stakeholders (employees, leadership) 
• Spearhead a cadence of live communications events such as All Team Meetings, fireside chats, and Leadership summits that are complemented with asynchronous announcements and multimedia communications  
• Build strong working relationships with leadership and provide coaching to improve effectiveness of communication
• Improve employee understanding of UPSIDE strategy and approach and clarity around areas of high interest (compensation, development, resource allocation)
• Ensure that company communications and messages are resonating equally with different employee groups (level, demographic, function, etc.) 

UPSIDE Benefits!

• Stock options for all full-time incoming team members!
• 90-100% employer-paid healthcare premiums for team members (medical [including HSA and FSA], dental, and vision)
• Pet insurance for your furry family members!
• Unlimited PTO 
• DE&I (Diversity, Equity & Inclusion) Council and People Engagement Programs
• Company-sponsored learning & development opportunities

UPSIDE Foods is an equal opportunity employer and we value diversity at our company. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status. Our company-wide mission is to create a product for everyone, so we are deeply committed to having teams and leaders that reflect this mission.