Communications and Public Relations Manager

Organizational Background

Amazon Conservation Association (also known as Amazon Conservation) is a nonprofit organization based in Washington, DC, USA with partners across the Amazon basin. Amazon Conservation’s mission is to unite science, innovation, and people to protect the Amazon—the greatest wild forest on Earth. As conservation pioneers since 1999, our holistic approach focuses on three strategic areas: protecting wild places, empowering people, and putting science and technology to work. Our on-the-ground work, carried out through our sister organizations Conservación Amazónica-ACCA in Peru and Conservación Amazónica-ACEAA in Bolivia, are geographically focused in the headwaters of the Amazon basin. From this base, we incubate solutions that we take to scale through building partnerships across the region, including in Ecuador, Colombia, Brazil, and Venezuela, where we have been strengthening coverage of our real-time monitoring efforts to combat illegal deforestation through our flagship Monitoring of the Andes Amazon Program (MAAP).

To date, our most significant efforts:

• Helped establish and support the protection and management of more than 10.5 million acres of conservation areas in Peru and Bolivia.
• Support local people to build a forest-based bioeconomy in the southwest Amazon through sustainable production of açaí, Brazil nuts, and other products.
• Support indigenous groups, communities, governments, and local NGOs to combat illegal deforestation through real-time monitoring and defense strategies that employ the latest in technology.
• Provide cutting-edge analyses on deforestation, fires, and climate change across 100% of the Amazon through our Monitoring of the Andes Amazon Program (MAAP).
• Carry out science that backs our conservation efforts and the world’s understanding of the Amazon, both inside and outside our premier biological research stations.

Through these conservation efforts and by building strong partnerships across the region, we are widening and deepening our work to apply nature-based solutions that strengthen climate resilience for people and nature. For more information, please visit www.amazonconservation.org.

Position Overview

We are currently seeking an organized, dynamic, self-starter, and detail-oriented professional to serve as the Communications and Public Relations Manager within Amazon Conservation’s growing DC team.

Reporting to the Philanthropy and Communications Director, this position will help leverage Amazon Conservation’s work to a wide variety of audiences by leading and extending the organization’s reach, influence, fundraising, and impact through strengthening our communications and public relations efforts. This position will manage the organization’s Communications Associate.

Responsibilities:

Communications Management (55%)

• Support the development of the organization’s communications and marketing strategies, providing thought leadership and strategic input.
• Oversee and lead the implementation of the communications strategy, including overseeing the development and delivery of all external communication materials across all channels, developing an engaging content calendar jointly with the Communications Associate, managing communications projects and campaigns, controlling the communications budget, and overseeing vendors.
• Improve marketing tactics for audience growth, by contributing to strategic planning and content creation for paid campaigns to increase engagement, improve SEO results, drive web traffic, and promote initiatives to target and grow audiences.
• Lead the creation and execution of virtual and in-person events, including developing event programming in partnership with other Amazon Conservation staff and partners, overseeing materials creation, managing pre- and post-event coordination including timelines, and overseeing actual event implementation.
• Manage Communications Associate and, as needed, Social Media and Communications Interns, providing structure, mentorship, and supervision in line with Amazon Conservation’s values.
• Ensure key communications performance indicators are tracked and met by helping set yearly goals, managing the process of gathering progress update data, providing analysis of trends, evaluating current efforts, and strategizing improvements.

Public Relations and Media Management (30%)

• Mold and grow the organization's image, ensuring a positive reputation on and offline.
• Create publicity strategies and press campaigns, including developing and implementing publicity strategies for the organization's initiatives, partners, and events.
• Develop materials for press and media outlets, including writing press releases, preparing information and pitches, developing talking points for staff, and preparing staff for interviews.
• Support partners' media and positioning efforts both in-country and internationally, including co-writing and reviewing press releases, planning joint campaigns, connecting them with journalists, and providing translation support.
• Build and maintain a robust range of relationships with reporters and members of the press to help advance our mission.
• Respond to media inquiries, coordinating with key staff on an organizational response.
• Analyze media coverage to guide media impact that improves the communications reach of Amazon Conservation and its partners.

Other (15%)

• Support the cultivation and stewardship of donors and prospects by providing thought leadership and guaranteeing the high-quality of all external materials (such as project updates, proposals, and reports).
• Lead the development of communications activities for Amazon Conservation direct grants, managing timelines and deliverables, in coordination with the Programs team.
• Other duties as assigned.

Required Qualifications;

• Bachelor’s Degree in Communications, Journalism, Marketing, English, or related field;
• 5-7 years of relevant experience (internships can be counted towards this requirement). Must include experience working with the media;
• Proven experience building communications strategies, plans, and strategic messaging;
• Superior written communication and storytelling skills;
• Ability to edit and rewrite technical documents to convey complex ideas in a clear and direct style while preserving the intricacies of scientific content;
• Strong project management skills and ability to handle multiple projects simultaneously;
• Proven track record of building relationships with journalists and partners, preferably in a cross-cultural context;
• Native-level proficiency in written and spoken English, professional proficiency in written and spoken Spanish.
• Superior understanding of graphic design and familiarity with the Adobe Suite (Illustrator, InDesign, and Photoshop);
• Moderate to high knowledge of email marketing platforms (Mailchimp or similar), and in designing emails and managing/segmenting audiences;
• Strong understanding of digital media such as websites, blogs, social media, and collaborative virtual spaces;
• Strong basic computer skills; proven ability to use standard technology packages, i.e. Word, PowerPoint, Excel as well as the full Google Suite (Google Docs, Google Slides, Google Sheets);
• Possess full command of English grammar, punctuation, technical terminology, style, and usage. Understands varying language requirements and nuances pitched at a variety of audiences that range from the lay to the technical and professional;
• Self-motivated with strong organizational and problem-solving skills, and high accountability.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Professional proficiency in Portuguese a strong plus;
• Masters degree in Communications, Integrated Marketing, or Journalism a plus;
• Previous experience working in a nonprofit environment a plus;
• Interest and/or previous experience in environmental conservation and/or Latin America a plus.
• Residence in an Amazonian country a plus.

Position Details (Salary, Benefits, Location):

The location for this position is flexible. Ideally, it will be based in Amazon Conservation’s Washington, DC office, other strategic places in the US, or a key Amazonian country (such as Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Bolivia, or Peru), but other remote-based arrangements may be considered. If not based in Washington DC, periodic travel to this location will be required, with a travel budget allocated for this position. International travel to/ within Latin America will also be required on an as-needed basis, with at least one required trip per year. Amazon Conservation’s Washington, DC office operates in a hybrid work environment.

A competitive salary is offered based on experience and the candidate’s location. Amazon Conservation offers a competitive benefits package that includes employer-paid medical, dental, vision, short- and long-term disability, 70% dependent coverage, as well as a matching pension plan, 12 sick days, 25 vacation days, and 3 personal days. For applicants outside the US, other arrangements may be made for benefits coverage.

DEI Commitment:

Amazon Conservation commits to establishing and fostering an equitable and inclusive environment where all members feel safe, supported, and valued. We believe that a diversity of experience, positionality, and perspective is of central importance to maximizing our work protecting the Amazon Rainforest. We believe that all staff, volunteers, partners, and others associated with our organization deserve to pursue their work free from any form of harassment, racism, or discrimination. To this extent, we have formed the Social Justice Taskforce, an internal cross-section of volunteer staff who are committed to building its diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) strategy and leading the organization in achieving its DEI goals, including in its hiring and employee engagement practices. Amazon Conservation is an Equal Opportunity Employer (EOE).

Application Guidelines

Email your resume, cover letter, 2 short writing samples (preferably including one press release or media pitch), and a list of 3 references to applications@amazonconservation.org with the subject line “Communications and PR Manager Application.”

Applications without all required materials will not be reviewed. We regret that due to the high volume of applications we are unable to acknowledge or respond to every application. No phone calls, please.

Candidates are reviewed on a rolling basis. Position is open until filled and is available immediately.