US Senior Communications Specialist

350.org is looking for an experienced, skilled and strategic Senior U.S. Communications Specialist. The Senior U.S. Communications Specialist will serve on the U.S. Communications-Digital team and will lead on the day-to-day media implementation of 350.org's U.S. communications strategies in support of 350’s global campaigns. This is a fast-paced job which often requires juggling multiple tasks simultaneously, often tackling several issues in parallel.  This role includes developing and implementing traditional communications strategy across all key US campaigns, engaging in key mobilizations, and collaborating with 350.org staff and partners to get the story of our work out to the public.

About 350.org

350.org is building a global grassroots movement to stop the fossil fuel industry from destroying our climate. Our online campaigns, grassroots organizing, and mass public actions are led from the bottom up by thousands of volunteer organizers in over 188 countries. 350.org works hard to organize in a new way—everywhere at once, using online tools to facilitate strategic offline action. We want to be a laboratory for the best ways to strengthen the climate movement and catalyze transformation around the world. The values that guide and drive our work are listed here.

In the US, 350 fights for a just and equitable world by stopping the fossil fuel industry from continuing to destroy our climate. We do this by building a powerful multiracial movement to confront and isolate the fossil fuel industry.

Our Commitment to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

350.org is an equal opportunity employer. 350.org strives to be an inclusive and collaborative group of people who bring a variety of approaches to the work we do. We are committed to the principles of justice, and we try to build a safe workplace where everyone is treated fairly and enjoys working together. We value new perspectives, ideas of all sorts, and different ways of working. Diverse perspectives and experiences improve the way 350.org carries out our work – including what we decide to work on and how creatively/effectively we do that. We strive to make staff positions accessible to all potential team members, regardless of race, national origin, ethnicity, age, disability, assigned gender, gender expression or identity, sexual orientation or identity, religion or creed, veteran status, marital or parental status, and genetic information. We also strive to include team members in communities most impacted by climate change or impacted by other kinds of environmental, social, and economic injustice.

About the US Senior Communications Specialist

We’re looking for a creative, driven, flexible, and self-sufficient Senior U.S. Communications Specialist to help drive bold, effective campaigns in the United States with an eye towards building long-term grassroots power.

The role of the Senior U.S. Communications Specialist is to provide regional insight and support when crafting our narrative and messaging, proactively seeking new opportunities to communicate our core messages, handling media requests and journalist relations, and speaking on behalf of the organization. This is a fast-paced job which often requires juggling multiple tasks simultaneously, often tackling several issues in parallel. 

We’re looking for someone who thrives on a team but can work independently remotely; is comfortable using communications strategies in advocacy work, is able to keep up with the fast pace of rapid-response campaigning; has some understanding of the climate crisis and US politics; is excited to work in coalitions with a diverse range of partners; is an excellent writer with acute attention to detail; is a quick learner, and able to think outside the box and craft compelling content and communications materials under short time-frames. 

And finally, we’re looking for someone who is committed to building a better world, and with the talent and heart to deliver.

Is that you?

Specific responsibilities include:

• Media materials: develop media materials such as press releases, media packages, op-eds, narrative and messaging documents, as well as supports on multimedia and social media materials where possible/relevant
• Manages communications work at the regional level, including developing communications strategies and implementing them on a specific communications project
• Media engagement: monitor media, identify media opportunities and engage with climate and political trends in the media 
  • Responsible for regular media tracking, media analysis on an ongoing basis to assess specific campaign pushes and vis-a-vis regional comms goals
  • Media relations: identify relevant media contacts, cultivate relationships with regional journalists, pitch stories relevant to campaigns, and further develop and maintain media contacts lists
• Management: oversee short term communications contractors, or interns if necessary
• Internal collaboration: collaborate departmentally and interdepartmentally to develop alignment between 350.org’s global and regional communications 
  • Works closely with the Communications-Digital Associate Director, staff members of the U.S. regional comms-digital team, and wider communications team to implement regional day-to-day communications work, aligned with regional and global strategies
  • Actively participates in shaping communications department-wide plans; owns role-specific deliverables; engages in department and team-wide calls; works collaboratively with other departments in 350.org (actively engages in organization-wide and cross-department processes, as needed); and lives into our shared agreements, values, principles and communications norms
• Public Engagement: support and represent 350.org’s overall mission in the media and in public venues or other networks to strengthen climate change communications

Required Qualifications

• Job knowledge

• • • At least three (3) years of experience in communications, advocacy campaigns, and professionally practicing some of the following competencies
      • Understanding of 350.org’s campaigns and theory of social change
      • Proficiency maintaining spreadsheets and databases
      • Comfortable communicating and pitching journalists
    • Excellent teamwork, problem solving, program planning and management skills
      • A resilient and flexible team player who can handle a fast paced, high pressure, highly collaborative team culture
      • Skilled at managing processes of research and policy development with external consultants, specifically in support of campaign strategies
    • Ability to manage self and others with proven mentorship ability

• Communication

• • • Strong aptitude for communication, facilitation and training skills to help guide, inspire, consult and coordinate with remote and diverse teams from different regions
    • An excellent communicator with first class writing and collaboration skills in English and respective regional languages

• Public engagement

• • • Understanding of the regional media landscape, willingness to do research and become knowledgeable on publications and outlets for environmental and climate change news
    • Working knowledge of the current regional and global debates on climate change and climate justice and strong interest in working on these issues
    • Familiarity with climate and social justice issues
    • A people-person who can build relationships with the 350.org staff and volunteer network, partners and coalitions, and members of the press

• Ability to integrate diversity, equity and inclusion in day-to-day work

• • Strong interpersonal skills and experience working collaboratively across cultures and timezones
  • Experience in an international and/or multi-cultural environment and comfort working remotely with colleagues in multiple time-zones via video conference calls, and other online tools
  • Willingness to be available non-traditional hours, during busy work periods such as mobilisations or key campaign moments and to seize media opportunities

Desired (but not required) skills and experiences

• Minimum 3 years of experience doing communications for a nongovernmental organization, nonprofit or campaign
• Experience collaborating with diverse constituencies, preferably groups advocating for climate actions and solutions
• Experience writing press releases/statements and communications plans
• Experience building local to national or national to international campaign strategies
  • Experience in audience engagement through digital media and social media channels 
• Experience developing and running communications trainings for groups of staff, local groups and volunteers
• Experience working in a fast paced environment
• Experience and competency working in multicultural groups
  • Experience working and living in multiple countries
  • Multilingual
• Able to travel internationally on occasion 
• Familiarity with Meltwater, Salesforce, Airtable, Google Suite, Slack, and Zoom or similar systems

Position Type: Full Time

Application Deadline: This job is open until filled, or the hiring manager determines that they can no longer accept applications.

Location:  Priority locations for this position including New York City and Washington D.C. This position can be performed remotely in the following states: CA, CO, GA, MD, MA, ME, MT, NY, NC, PA, VT, VA, WA, or Washington, DC.

Work Environment: This role is a remote working opportunity in a fast paced, high pressure, highly collaborative team culture. Attendance at global climate summits, forums, or actions will occasionally be requested, based on geographic location,work capacity needs, with health and safety considerations taken into account. 

Travel: This role may require occasional travel. 

Start Date:  Late July/August 2022

Compensation: Tier 2.1 USD 80,000

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If you have suggestions for us on how to do this better, we really value your input and strongly encourage you to write to us at jobs@350.org with the subject line ‘Hiring Feedback’.