Communications Director Jobs

Communications Director

(Full-time, salaried)

Remote. Must be physically located in North America.

Reports to Executive Director

Position start date: September 2023

Salary: $70,000-$110,000 USD (please note that salary benchmarks are regionally specific)

Organizational Overview:

Wildlands Network is a growing nonprofit organization committed to reconnecting, restoring, and rewilding North America so that life in all its diversity can thrive. We have staff and board members in the United States, Mexico and Canada working with nonprofit partners, landowners, communities, elected officials, and government agencies to protect, maintain and restore wildlife habitat and movement corridors.

Wildlands Network is committed to recruiting, training, and retaining talented, diverse, and creative staff passionate about fulfilling our continental-scale mission.

Position Summary

Wildlands Network seeks a full-time, experienced Communications Director to join our leadership team.

Working closely with the Executive Director and senior leadership, the Director will be responsible for creating a strategic communications plan with clear short and long-term objectives designed to effectively project our organizational identity and increase project impact and fundraising goals by increasing brand awareness and multicultural audience engagement.

Aligned with this strategic plan, the Director will be tasked with leveraging project and program plans, activities and outcomes to create compelling narratives and tell engaging stories that speak to various target audiences, emphasizing transcending cultural barriers. The Director is expected to personally oversee multilingual content development in support of a strategic plan, including writing and editing, as needed.

The Communications Director will coordinate with the Development Director on an ongoing basis to support donor outreach, retention and recruitment. The Director will be responsible for co-developing and tracking supporter and donor engagement and acquisition metrics across platforms. The Director will also directly support and create written and visual materials for use with specific funder audiences.

The Communications Director will oversee content planning and deployment across digital and traditional media platforms (paid and organic). The Director will also support and help drive strategic partnership development in non-profit and for-profit sectors. A successful candidate will possess the insight, passion and relationship development skills to identify and cultivate aligned and diverse partners and media contacts in collaboration with the Executive Director and other staff members.

An ideal candidate will appreciate and excel in a hands-on, collaborative work environment in a rapidly growing, multinational and multicultural organization. The Director will be expected to work effectively with the entire Wildlands Network team to develop materials in multiple languages, drive communications-relevant partnerships, and execute external-facing projects relevant to Canadian, United States and Mexican audiences. Spanish and French language skills are preferred but optional for this position. Attention to nuances of geographical, cultural or other distinguishing communications preferences will be critical.

The Communications Director will manage and mentor a team of employees and contractors and will be tasked with overseeing hiring and contracting for the team, aligned with strategic planning and budgets. Humility, ability to calmly handle competing priorities, and a willingness to juggle strategic development with day-to-day tasks will be required.

Primary Responsibilities Include:

-Developing and implementing a comprehensive strategic communications plan aligned with the organization’s identity, vision and current projects;

-Creating compelling stories and storytelling frameworks across platforms and mediums to engage donors and other audiences in multiple languages;

-Consulting with program staff to assist with project communications strategy and identify essential narratives, timelines, and outputs aligned with the communications plan;

-Developing and tracking metrics to gauge communications program and project success and regularly reporting on those metrics;

-Managing and mentoring other staff, including direct reports, to build confidence and capabilities in communications skills;

-Writing and editing written materials and film scripts for tone and consistency with organizational identity;

-Identifying and cultivating specific audiences relevant to organizational mission;

-Identifying and cultivating partners (including corporate and influencer) to expand organizational identity awareness and diversify financial support;

-Selecting and managing communication platforms and vendors;

-Brainstorming and strategizing with Executive Director, Development Director and other senior staff on an ongoing and regular basis.

The requirements in our job descriptions are guidelines; if you have 75% of the qualifications listed, we encourage you to apply. We are committed to providing training and professional development opportunities to help the right candidate succeed. Using allows you to be considered.

Essential Qualifications:

-Experience in a communications or marketing leadership role;

-Experience in multicultural and multilingual communications

-Passion for wildlife conservation;

-Ability to learn and absorb information quickly;

-Knowledge or understanding of the non-profit sector in the United States;

-Extensive written and public speaking communications skills and experience;

-Demonstrated ability to develop and track progress toward objectives, including analyzing Return on Investment (ROI) and Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) relevant to the communications space;

-Team player interested in collaboration and creative co-development of ideas and projects;

-Comfortable taking risks and trying new things.

Ideal Qualifications:

-General knowledge of common wildlife conservation issues and critical political and community players/considerations;

-Spanish and French language skills;

-Proven track record of securing media or press attention to organizational priorities;

-Experience in direct donor communications and outreach;

-Event planning experience or interest.

Supplemental Information:

-Wildlands Network supports flexible scheduling but requires transparency and proactive communication about availability and may occasionally require meetings or discussion between 9 am-5 pm MT M-F.

-Travel may be required occasionally for team meetings and events.

-Must have or be willing to obtain a valid passport for international travel.

Benefits: Generous paid vacation, sick, family leave, and sabbatical policies; employer-sponsored health and dental coverage; access to a retirement account; budget allocation for ongoing professional development.

Job Type: Full-time

Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion: Wildlands Network is committed to increasing equity, diversity, inclusion, and justice in all elements of our work and with our partners to support the interconnected needs of wildlife and people in a rapidly changing world. We recruit, employ, train, compensate, and promote regardless of race, religion, creed, national origin, ancestry, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, gender identity, age, physical or mental disability, citizenship, genetic information, past, current, or prospective service in the uniformed services, or any other characteristic protected under applicable federal, state, or local law. We are proud to be an equal-opportunity employer. Applicants can learn more about Wildlands Network’s commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion at https://wildlandsnetwork.org/equity-diversity-and-inclusion/.

If you have a disability and require accommodation or assistance with our application process, please tell us how we can help by calling us at 385-229-4849.

To apply, please send a statement of interest and resume to [email protected]. Please, no calls or direct emails to other staff. To be considered, applicants must submit materials through this email account. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis and accepted through August 25^th. Due to the expected volume of applications and interest, only those candidates selected for an interview will likely be notified.