VP, Communications

XPRIZE Overview

XPRIZE is an established global leader in designing and executing large-scale competitions to solve humanity’s greatest challenges. As a 501(c)3, our unique model democratizes innovation by incentivizing crowd-sourced, scientifically viable solutions to create a more equitable and abundant future for all. Since our founding in 1994, we’ve launched $519 million in prize competitions that are driving more than $31 billion in social and economic impact — a 60x return on philanthropic investment. These competitions not only de-risk early-stage breakthrough ideas but also mobilize capital, talent, and momentum to accelerate solutions from concept to real-world scale.

We operate across 5 areas of impact,including:

- Deep Tech + Exploration

- Energy + Climate + Nature

- Food + Water + Waste

- Health

- Learning + Society

Join XPRIZE to help create meaningful impact as we strive to empower humanity to achieve breakthroughs and architect a more equitable and abundant future for all.
The Opportunity

XPRIZE is at an extraordinary moment. For over 30 years we have been engineering breakthroughs that others thought impossible — transforming bold ideas into scalable solutions that reshape industries and shift entire systems for the benefit of humanity.

The world is grappling with its hardest problems, and XPRIZE exists to solve them. To continue doing that work and attracting the funders, partners, and innovators who make it possible — the world needs to know we exist.

The Vice President, Communications is a senior, strategic leader with deep media relationships, a bias toward action, and the experience to know how to get XPRIZE into the rooms and conversations that matter.

Reporting to the Chief Marketing Officer and working in close partnership with the Vice President, Content, this executive owns how XPRIZE's story reaches the world — through earned media, external narrative, and donor-facing communications — and makes sure it reaches the right people at the right time.
What Success Looks Like

- XPRIZE is consistently present in the media conversations that matter to its donors, sponsors, and scientific community

- Prize milestones — launches, finalist announcements, winner reveals — land with coordinated, high-impact earned media coverage

- Philanthropic investors understand the stakes and impact of XPRIZE's work with clarity and urgency

- The communications function runs with its own systems, relationships, and standards — not dependent on agency support for strategic direction

Key Responsibilities
Earned Media and External Narrative

- Own global media strategy and cultivate relationships with journalists, editors, and producers across science, technology, business, and philanthropy

- Position XPRIZE executives and domain leads as credible, authoritative voices through media, speaking, and editorial opportunities

- Build and maintain an always-on communications presence that keeps XPRIZE visible between prize milestones

- Manage the existing PR agency and establish the long-term agency partnership model

Prize Lifecycle Communications

- Lead communications strategy across the full prize lifecycle — from pre-launch positioning through winner announcement and impact storytelling

- Ensure every major prize milestone has a coordinated earned media plan that integrates with owned content strategy

- Translate complex scientific and technical subject matter for two distinct audiences simultaneously: domain experts who already understand the science, and philanthropic donors and sponsors who need to feel the urgency and stakes

Advancement and Donor-Facing Narrative

- Partner closely with Advancement leadership to align communications strategy with fundraising priorities and donor engagement goals

- Shape the narrative strategy that connects XPRIZE's scientific breakthroughs to philanthropic investment decisions

- Develop high-impact communications assets — impact reports, donor materials, exe