Communications Director

The North Carolina Climate Justice Collective (NCCJC) cultivates a multi-racial, intergenerational grassroots movement ecosystem to address the root causes of climate change. Using popular education and cultural organizing, we ignite social transformation. We center all our work in the leadership of youth, Black, Indigenous and people of color, women, low wealth people, and LGBTQI+ people to create strategic alignment. We are bringing an end to fracked gas infrastructure, coal ash pollution, industrial agriculture and forest destruction while planting the seeds of a life-sustaining, regenerative society.

NCCJC is seeking a Communications Director to lead narrative strategy and communications across platforms for a large Collective uplifting impacted communities, grassroots groups, native nations, concerned individuals and organizational allies from across our state. This role requires strong facilitation and digital campaign experience. The ideal candidate can lead program staff, coalition partners, allies, and audiences in shared communications to move cultural organizing, policy, advocacy, and civic engagement work forward. We’re looking for someone who is ready to refine communications processes and streamline existing infrastructure to continually build a clear and uniquely NCCJC voice for climate justice. The Communications Director will work closely with NCCJC program staff to lead planning and calendaring, and create owned, digital, paid, and earned communications content, including building relationships with press to support regular coverage and strategic placements.

The Communications Director will report to the Executive Co-Directors. This is a regular, full-time, exempt position.

Location information

Remote but candidate must be located in North Carolina, preferably in the Triangle or Triad regions

Primary Responsibilities

Communications Strategy 70%

• In collaboration with NCCJC’s communications and program staff, lead, develop and implement strategic, comprehensive, and measurable campaign communications and strategies to further NCCJC’s mission, vision, and priorities.
• Ensure the consistency and quality of NCCJC’s brand identity, credibility, and voice.
• Develop and implement multi-year strategies to grow the skills, strategy and capacity for content production for NCCJC’s Communications.
• Build relationships with targeted media and journalists, identify media opportunities, and shape larger news narratives around programmatic and political priorities.
• Maintain and lead staff through social media management, including regular content calendaring, and maintaining a consistent presence across existing platforms with aligned justice-centered messaging, and responsive graphic design.
• Engage in strategic communications development and landscape understanding with NCCJC’s staff and partners.
• Develop framing support for ongoing messaging outputs on the 4Rs and other NCCJC and climate justice-movement-based narrative pillars, including talking points across audiences.
• Create measurable and sustaining goals utilizing analytics for engaging existing audiences and growing new audiences across platforms. Report to leadership at least once a year on trends, needs, gaps, and areas of strength.

Administrative 30%

• Bring on and collaborate with consultants, vendors, and contractors to oversee graphics, writing, editing, and promotion, as needed.
• Lead regular Communications team meetings with staff and leadership, guiding NCCJC in alignment through a strategic yearly Communications Plan that includes growth goals, content strategy, and approaches to emerging and existing platforms.
• Hold leadership role in coalition and community partnerships and navigate these complex relationships through maintaining constructive strategic alignment and support.
• Contribute to organizational decision-making, strategy, and team-building.
• Lead on shared communications practices and provide messaging training and other internal communications support as needed.

Qualifications

• 5 + years of experience in coordinating or managing strategic campaign communications and
• communications planning.
• Excellent storytelling, writing, copy editing skills.
• Proven ability in strategic planning and campaign development, effectively crafting narratives and addressing issues through proactive messaging across channels.
• Leadership skill in project management and supporting teams in shared task maintenance.
• Proven ability to swiftly manage communication during rapid response needs or internal/external crisis situations.
• Commitment to racial justice as the center of our movements.
• Experience organizing alongside, working with and among low-income, and communities of color. Experience working with grassroots leaders and building community in a social justice context with sensitivity to a broad range of races, class backgrounds, cultures,
• faiths, and identities.
• Strong visual design intuition and familiarity with Canva (Photoshop/Illustrator a plus)
• Strong interpersonal skills with the ability to consult and coordinate with a core team to produce content that is engaging and powerful
• Demonstrated ability to collaborate as part of a small tight-knit team. Ability to work independently and with minimal supervision.
• Experience working in movement coalitions, and with climate, environmental, energy, and/or other social justice movements.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience working within Southern media markets
• Demonstrated understanding of regional and statewide (NC) environmental and climate justice issues
• Web and print design and video production skills
• Experience in navigating C3 and C4 communications

Employment Terms & Conditions

NCCJC is an Equal Opportunity Employer: we encourage BIPOC, Women, and LGBTQIA+ people to apply.