Director of Communications

About Triangle Land Conservancy (TLC)

TLC is an accredited and highly-respected land trust, having protected over 25,000 acres in the rapidly growing Triangle region of North Carolina. Since 1983, TLC has conserved land to safeguard drinking water, support family farms and the local food economy, protect important natural habitat, and connect people with nature. TLC operates a hybrid workplace and is headquartered in vibrant downtown Durham. This is an exciting time to work at TLC as we are seeing a dramatic increase in the use of our public nature preserves and growth in community support for our mission. Since 2018, TLC has doubled the pace of conservation in the Triangle and is conserving over 1,200 acres annually in addition to monitoring and stewarding TLC-conserved lands in perpetuity, hosting numerous public events and education programs, providing volunteer opportunities, and cultivating future leaders. Learn more at triangleland.org

Position Summary

The Director of Communications develops creative marketing, communication, and public relations strategies to advance individual program initiatives and position TLC as a regional and national land trust leader in the fields of conservation, natural resources stewardship, ecosystem services, and healthy, livable communities. This position requires exceptional ability to identify and craft campaigns around the unique elements of each particular program or project while ensuring consistency of messaging and strategic alignment with TLC’s brand and mission.

As a member of TLC’s Senior Leadership Team, the Director of Communications serves as a subject-matter expert within the organization and takes an active role in defining and implementing our strategic direction and communicating our vision. Working with the Executive Director and appropriate Board Committee(s) to evaluate results, the Director of Communications will oversee a new communications division and will be accountable for effectiveness of TLC’s marketing, communications, and media relations programs. This position reports to the Executive Director and supervises the TLC communications team (two employees).

Key Responsibilities

Strategic Communications Planning and Implementation

• Lead and direct implementation of a comprehensive strategic communications plan that drives alignment around TLC’s mission and informs how we engage with audiences to increase public and private funding, membership, and community engagement.
• Craft compelling content with staff, volunteers, board, and community members around the unique elements of each TLC program or project while ensuring consistency of messaging and strategic alignment with TLC’s brand and mission.
• Steward TLC’s brand voice and maintain brand integrity across the organization’s communications, marketing, fundraising and program outreach.
• Track and evaluate engagement across all communications and marketing initiatives and make data-driven decisions on strategy in partnership with TLC’s leadership and Board of Directors.
• Create annual budgets and work plans for the communications division, ensuring compliance across all efforts.

Organizational and Department Leadership

• Serve as a partner and collaborator with the other TLC senior leaders to uphold and model our values-led culture, live into our mission, and achieve our goals.
• Serve as subject matter expert on the Sr. Leadership team to implement TLC’s strategic priorities.
• Accountable for overall effectiveness of TLC’s marketing, communications, and public affairs efforts.
• Build and leverage connections to ensure that influencers, including elected officials, know and support TLC’s work and that the goals are well-positioned and embraced by the region.
• Ensure that TLC staff and board are engaging the right people, at the right time, with the right message, to advance our mission and specific program initiatives.
• Lead a team of communications, marketing, and design professionals, including supervising staff and managing contracts with third-party vendors and consultants.

Print and Digital Media

• Lead all aspects for production of TLC’s print and digital communications including, by not limited to, newsletters, annual report, preserve signage, social media, and program outreach materials.
• Manage timebound production schedules that include working with graphic designers, staff, volunteers, committee and board members, and vendors.
• Maintain strong relationships with local printing companies (including mail services) and graphic designers who will assist with projects.
• Develop and monitor strategies for promoting TLC events, fundraising efforts, and other initiatives inclusive of, but not limited to, print and electronic promotional materials.
• Oversee and manage all aspects of TLC’s website to ensure a robust and active online presence.
• Track, interpret, and report print and digital media analytics to make data driven decisions.
• Administer Google Analytics and Ads account.
• Implement best practices for website management, social media and other digital communications and marketing strategies.

Press and Public Affairs

• Design and execute an earned media strategy to raise awareness of TLC locally and regionally while developing relationships with members of the press, state and local governments, influencers, and community leaders.
• Expertly write and edit ad copy, press releases, and media alerts.
• Pitch stories to local media to increase TLC’s profile in the community and with elected officials.
• Provide support to the Executive Director for public speaking engagements and TLC events as needed.
• Ensure TLC’s active participation in environmental coalition groups like Land For Tomorrow.

Skills and Qualifications

• 7+ years managing communications, marketing, public relations or similar work in a complex and dynamic environment, preferably in nonprofit settings
• 4+ years in communications focused capacity directly managing specific aspects of this work (print media, digital media, social media, public affairs, press, graphic design, website, advertising, etc.)
• Strong leadership track record with 3+ years in a supervisory role
• Demonstrated proficiency with key communications technologies, such as Adobe Creative Cloud, content management systems, email marketing platforms, Google Ads, social media platforms and donation/e-commerce processing.
• Experience managing production of digital content and print publications
• Understanding of copywriting, graphic design, layout, and publishing
• Established media relationships, a plus
• Excellent verbal communication and presentation skills and impeccable writing and copy-editing abilities
• Superb organizational and project management skills
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office/Office 365 and project management software
• Commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging, fostering an inclusive and collaborative work environment.
• Reliable transportation and ability to travel to in-person meetings and TLC worksites.

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

TLC is an equal opportunity employer that recruits, hires, trains, and promotes individuals without regard to color, race, religious belief, sex, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, national or ethnic origin, disability, veteran status, or age. People of color, LGBTQ people, people with disabilities, and members of other historically disenfranchised populations are strongly encouraged to apply.

We strive to ensure our hiring process, including the submission of the application, meets your needs. To submit an application to this post, you will need to upload a resume and answer a few questions (using open text and multiple choice answers). If there are accommodations that would help you in submitting the application, please email hrATtriangleland.org. For accommodations needed during the interview process, we have a section to indicate this in the application (no need to email).