Communications Campaigns Specialist

POSITION TITLE:  Communications Campaigns Specialist

PROGRAM: Communications

SUPERVISOR: Communications Director

LOCATION: DC area preferred; then Mid-Atlantic; then other areas of US east coast

SALARY: USD $61,000 - $83,000, depending on qualifications

DEADLINE: Rolling, with first review on Friday, September 13 (phone screens to begin on Sept 16)

SUMMARY DESCRIPTION:

CIEL’s Communications Department plays a critical role in using communications tools and strategies to accelerate legal campaigns and elevate expert thought leadership to achieve CIEL’s mission. To this end, the Communications Department’s Communications Campaigns Specialists partner with program teams (Climate & Energy; People, Land, and Resources; Fossil Economy; and Environmental Health) to further CIEL’s mission.

The communications specialist will use strategic communications to advance program objectives, including securing climate accountability and justice, accelerating fossil fuel phaseout, and remedy for communities. As someone with a broad range of skills and tools, the Communications Campaigns Specialist should be able to nimbly respond to the wide variety of communications needs that arise from campaigns, whether it’s creating social media content, working with the Media Specialist to pitch reporters, or helping support the development of campaign strategy.

The specialist will be responsible for developing and implementing high impact communications strategies, producing clear and compelling written content tailored to key audiences, and seizing timely media opportunities to reinforce and advance core objectives. The specialist will use rapid response communications to drive proactive advocacy campaigns and support coalition communications efforts, as appropriate. Our ideal candidate will be enthusiastic and adept in working within a team to rapidly respond to real-world events and proactively seize opportunities that affect campaign objectives, while crafting, maintaining, and staying aligned with long-term strategy. The specialist reports to the Communications Director while collaborating closely with program staff and leadership.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

Communications Campaigns: (45%) 

• Working with Program staff, design and implement short, medium, and long term high-impact communications campaigns to advance campaign goals.
• Coordinate with Communications Team to leverage cutting edge research for greatest impact across earned, owned, paid, and social channels.
• Coordinate with coalition partners to create and capitalize on key moments by leveraging earned, owned, paid, and social media that engages target audiences and uses rapid response to drive progress.
• Develop and curate content for social media, and develop digital campaign actions that engage our supporters.
• In coordination with the Media Relations Specialist, build relationships with and pitch key reporters and outlets.

Content Development: (35%)

• Draft, edit, and proof clear, compelling written content including, but not limited to social media, newsletters, press releases, talking points, blogs, opinion pieces, reports, and multimedia materials.
• Ability to draw connections across themes and clearly illustrate those connections in narratives.
• Support development and design of publications and digital content (and where appropriate, movement content) to ensure consistent, high quality, and coherent positions and visions.
• Work with relevant team members to produce outward facing materials of consistently high quality both in substance and design. 
• Collaborate with the Publications Manager to support the publication production process within assigned programmatic spaces, as appropriate for the scale of the publication and related campaign, and repurpose/distill content to reach key audiences.

General Communications: (15%)

• Support cohesion and consistency across CIEL’s public communications by supporting the use of style guides, consistent tone, standardized language, organizational templates, and processes across all publications.
• Ensure alignment and coherence of campaign communications within CIEL’s broader vision and strategy.
• Coordinate within the Comms team to achieve campaign goals, assisting in information flow within Comms and across other CIEL programs.
• Play an active role in the communications team, including providing back-up support where necessary.

Management and Administration: (5%)

• Support fundraising efforts, such as proposals and annual report, as relevant.
• Maintain timesheets and submit them on time.
• Meet weekly with supervisor and other team members in Communications and relevant programs.
• Participate in weekly staff, team, and coalition meetings and other organizational activities, including an annual staff performance evaluation.
• Meet target dates, prioritize tasks, and ensure high-quality work products.

QUALIFICATIONS:

Minimum Qualifications:

• At least 4 years of professional experience in journalism, public relations, digital media, or communications.
• Exceptional writing and communication skills and a demonstrated ability to write clearly and compellingly for a variety of audiences, including policymakers and the public on different platforms.
• Aptitude and willingness to work in rapid response circumstances where urgency is a necessity.
• Able to coordinate and complete a variety of collaborative projects. 
• Experience with diverse coalitions and environmental or human rights policy campaigns, with a strong preference for experience related to human rights and climate issues.
• Able to oversee and deliver multiple priorities by target dates and perform a wide variety of tasks over the course of the workday.
• Able to work both separately and collaboratively, in close coordination across teams.
• Comfort admitting what you don’t know and recognizing that seeking and receiving feedback is part of the learning process.
• Awareness of how your words and actions affect others, openness to and respect for others’ perspectives.
• Able to travel, sometimes for 2-week periods (public safety guidelines permitting).
• Native English writing proficiency.

Desired Qualifications:

• Familiarity with the drivers and impacts of the climate crisis
• Proficiency in Spanish/French

A successful candidate will demonstrate the following competencies: 

• Action-Oriented: Makes things happen. Takes on new opportunities and tough challenges with a sense of curiosity, proactivity, and constructiveness.
• Nimble Learning: Approaches unfamiliar tasks proactively and with an open mind. Can quickly adapt to new situations and to draw on past successes and failures to solve current problems.  
• Effective Communication: Understands the value of effective communication. Can deliver messages in a clear, compelling, and concise manner. Actively listens, checks for understanding, and adjusts content and style to meet the needs of different stakeholders.  
• Collaborates: Brings people together to leverage their skills, talents, and knowledge to achieve a common purpose. Creates synergy resulting in a combined effort with greater results than what can be achieved by individuals.  
• Resourcefulness: Is able to make the best of limited resources and find a way to get things done even when the odds are against them. Can look beyond the obvious for viable approaches to accomplish the goal.  

This is a full-time, exempt position. CIEL offers a strong benefits package including employer-subsidized health, dental, and vision; paid vacation, sick, and parental leave; a 5% contribution of gross annual salary into a 403(b) retirement account; a relocation stipend; dedicated professional development funding; and paid sabbatical leave after 7 years. CIEL is a 501(c)3 nonprofit in the US, and full-time employees qualify for the US Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program. 

The location for this role must be on the US East Coast. The order of preference is:

1. Washington DC metro area (most preferred)

2. Mid-Atlantic region (i.e., Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania)

3. Elsewhere on the US East Coast (least preferred).