If you’re just as comfortable developing a big vision for strategic communications and pitching stories, you love leading teams and mentoring other staff, and you’re passionate about large-scale transformative solutions to the climate crisis, then read on! This might be the perfect role for you.
About Stand.earth
Stand.earth is a nonprofit environmental organization working to create a world where respect for people and the environment comes first. Our campaigns challenge destructive corporate and governmental practices, demand accountability, and create solutions that support all of us — and the environment and climate upon which we depend. Stand’s strategic approach and fierce determination have yielded extraordinary results: Since 2000, we’ve secured the protection of 65 million acres of wilderness, shifted billions of dollars of corporate purchasing toward responsible options, and transformed the environmental practices of more than 100 major U.S. corporations. Stand.earth operates in the United States and Canada.
Stand recognizes and respects the sovereignty of First Nations and tribes, as well as the rights of Indigenous Peoples and frontline communities. These communities are often first and most directly impacted by environmental pollution and climate change, and they provide critical leadership in developing solutions.
Pollution, climate change, and corporations’ bad behavior disproportionately hurts the most marginalized people in society — including people of color, people from working class backgrounds, people with disabilities, women and LGBTQ+ people. To develop transformative solutions, these communities must be centered in the work we do. Hence, we strongly encourage applications from people with these identities or who are members of other historically marginalized communities. If you require assistance applying to this opportunity, please contact [email protected].
The Position
The Communications Director is a new position at Stand. They will be an expert in their field, fueled by a passion to win campaigns by engaging a variety of audiences through traditional and digital media. Reporting to a member of Stand’s executive leadership team, the International Communications Director will play a key role leading our communications department. They will also be embedded within a few highly collaborative campaign teams that include campaigners, organizers, digital staff and other communications staff.
This is a full-time exempt position with excellent benefits. Salary will be commensurate with experience and location, and will likely be within the range of $85,000 to $110,000 USD.
Ideally this role will be based in the US but we are open to international candidates who are comfortable working Pacific, Mountain or Eastern time zones. To start, the role will be remote from the comfort of the candidate’s own home. Once the threat of the COVID-19 pandemic has passed, there may also be the option to work out of one of our hub offices in San Francisco; Bellingham; or Vancouver.
Key Responsibilities
- Develop and oversee the implementation of our international communication strategy to build corporate, political and societal influence
- Lead and manage a highly collaborative Communications Department (currently two full-time communications managers, and a portfolio of contractors), holding responsibility for its budget and planning process.
- Manage the development of media strategies for our suite of campaigns with a focus on our emerging campaign work on stopping global oil and gas expansion (ie: the SAFE Cities and Amazon Sacred Headwaters campaigns)
- Oversee external strategic communications efforts targeted at increasing Stand.earth’s media profile and impact through storytelling, long-form pitching and other proactive and reactive media tactics
- Work closely with our brand expert to ensure Stand’s public communications across all channels are aligned with the organization’s strategic plan and are consistent with building Stand.earth’s brand.
- Build long-term relationships with reporters relevant to your campaign work — including media outlets in the US and internationally, with a focus on Europe and South America —and train and support other communications staff and campaigners to do the same
- Manage organizational risks in the communications realm — including crisis communications, training staff on media interactions and social media expectations, developing and implementing communications approval processes, and weighing in on organizational decisions that may impact communications
- Act as an ambassador on behalf of Stand.earth by representing the organization at key events, both internally and externally, and serving as one of Stand.earth’s primary storytellers
- Monitor media coverage and analyze media trends, regularly reporting back to staff on press related to our work and organization
- Lead on creating compelling campaign content for our media across your portfolio of campaigns, and support the department on other campaigns — including press releases, blogs, op-eds, and talking points
- Work with the Digital Director of Campaign Strategies to shape the digital storytelling for the organization across all our social media accounts
Who you’ll be
- Experienced in communications or public relations, with a proven track record of at least 8 years of identifying and pursuing opportunities that land high-profile media coverage.
- Demonstrated ability to develop and nurture strong professional relationships across the organization as well as with external stakeholders and journalists.
- A great written and verbal communicator and strong copy editor with experience succinctly conveying complex messages, and supporting teams to develop creative and strategic content that meets campaign goals.
- Familiar with the international and US media landscape, with relationships with journalists from key outlets that cover political, environment, corporate, climate change and Indigenous issues.
- An effective and supportive manager, who can foster a positive and collaborative team environment while helping manage your team’s workload by setting and tracking key priorities.
- Comfortable working in an entrepreneurial, and primarily virtual, work environment where ideas, rapid response, and follow-through are core team values.
- Passionate about climate justice and environmental protection, and juiced up by the thought of convincing governments and corporations to make meaningful and lasting change.
- Committed to equity, racial justice, authentic communications, and continual learning.
- Once the threat of COVID has passed, you’ll need to be able to travel up to 20% of the time.
There isn’t a formal educational requirement for the role, and there will be opportunities for learning and professional development.
- In addition, it’s nice but not essential for you to have some of the following skills or experiences:
- Experienced at developing targeted communication strategies for Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and other social media outlets.
- Deep familiarity with the media landscape and reporter relationships in California.
- Familiarity with the media landscape and reporter relationships in Ecuador and Peru.
- Strong skills in graphic design, photography and/or video editing.
- Experienced using Meltwater, Cision or a similar media monitoring platform.
- HTML and web editing experience.
- Fluency in spoken and written Spanish.
- Experience working or volunteering on issues of climate, environmental protection and/or environmental justice, corporate accountability and in particular working on campaigns to stop fossil fuel projects.
- Experience in, or knowledge of, community organizing, or experience working closely with communities affected by our campaigning issues, including people at the front lines of extractives mega-projects and in particular Indigenous communities.