350.ORG U.S. Communications Specialist Salary in the United States

Location: Priority locations for this position including New York City and Washington D.C. (Preference to work at least part-time out of our Brooklyn or Washington DC offices.) Applications for this  position will be considered as well from: CA, CO, GA, MD, MA, ME, MT, NY, NC, PA, VT, VA, WA, or Washington, DC. 

Job Summary:

350.org is looking for an experienced, skilled and strategic U.S. Communications Specialist to serve on the US Communications team, as well as be part of 350’s global communications team. The role of the U.S. Communications Specialist is to develop and execute strategies for 350.org’s national campaigns through traditional media work, as well as to implement national communications strategies in alignment with global communications objectives. The focus of this role will be on developing and implementing media, communications, and messaging strategy for iconic campaigns against major fossil fuel projects (like the Keystone XL and Line 3 pipelines), and other Keep It In The Ground (KIITG) campaigns and relevant mobilizations, supporting rapid response moments and coordinating communications for federal policy issues such as the Green New Deal, and other political priorities this election year and beyond. The individual in this role will be collaborating with 350.org staff and partners to capture relevant national media moments using narratives and outputs aligned with 350’s regional and global strategies, support raising the voices of local communities in the U.S. that have been affected by climate change, and in fighting for climate justice. 

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 U.S. Communications Specialist

We’re looking for a creative, driven, flexible, highly responsive, and savvy Communications Specialist to help drive bold, effective communications and media strategy for campaigns in the United States with an eye towards telling inspiring stories about communities at the forefront of fighting the fossil fuel industry and pushing bold climate action. 

We’re looking for someone who thrives on a team but can work independently remotely; who is highly communicative and detail oriented; who is able to lead initiatives as well as take direction from others; who understands the media landscape and can think creatively about how to pitch new angles to journalists to amplify 350’s campaign work and mission. 

The ideal candidate is an outstanding media relations professional, with a deep understanding of the U.S. national media landscape. 2020 being a major election year with fast developing news for some key 350.org campaigns, the ideal candidate should be somewhat familiar with climate issues. We need someone who is comfortable and excited by the fast pace of rapid-response campaigning and has interest and some understanding of climate change, US politics, and a desire to connect the dots between the climate crisis and issues of social and racial justice. We’re looking for someone who is able and excited to work in coalitions with a diverse range of partners when necessary; 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 media pitches under short time-frames. 

Finally, we’re looking for someone who is eager to contribute new ideas to help expand the climate movement through storytelling and media work; who is committed to building a better world, and with the talent and heart to deliver.

Is that you?

Duties and Responsibilities in this role include:

Prepare and execute media strategies - develop and implement strategic media and digital communications plans for specific campaigns and national events

Media relations and management of media relationships: identify relevant media contacts, cultivate relationships with national journalists, and further develop and maintain media contacts lists, and further develop and maintain media contacts lists

Prepare media materials and content - develop media materials such as press releases, opinion pieces, blog posts, media packages, news memos, as well as multimedia materials where possible/relevant; coordinate and write media responses including rapid response communication

Plan media and public engagement - monitor media, keep current with relevant policy pertaining to climate and the fossil fuel industry, identify digital and media opportunities in the United States and engage with issues relevant for 350.org’s work and broader context and support; coordinate media events and actions with 350.org network and partners; represent 350.org’s overall mission in public venues or other networks to strengthen climate change communications

Collaborate across 350.org’s teams -  work with the national, regional, and global campaigns’ team in addition to the communications teams at the global and regional level.

Identify media & communication opportunities - Identify cross-movement media opportunities and help elevate climate justice messaging within broader messaging frameworks on racial justice, indigenous rights, social justice and more.

Work independently and collaboratively - collaborate departmentally and interdepartmentally to develop alignment between 350.org’s global and national communications 

Internal collaboration: collaborate departmentally and interdepartmentally to develop alignment between 350.org’s global and national communications

Public Engagement: support and represent 350.org’s overall mission in public venues or other networks to strengthen climate change communications

Key outputs include:

• Day-to-day implementation of regional communications work
• Campaign-specific communication plans 
• National press releases, statements, media packets, new memos, and regionally-specific talking points
• Updated media contacts lists
• Updated media tracking sheets 
• Relevant media and spokesperson trainings 
• Weekly digest of top climate news items in the nation

Required Qualifications

• At least three (3) years of experience in media relations and communications in the U.S.
• Knowledge of the U.S. media landscape; strong media contact networks a plus

• Excellent verbal and written communications skills, with fluency in English
• Ability to write for a variety of audiences and platforms
• Strong interest in working on issues pertaining to climate change and climate justice 
• Experience with intersectional communications work such as racial justice, gender justice, Indigenous rights a plus
• Candidate demonstrates understanding of the role that racial inequity plays in our society and in movement-building, and demonstrates an ability to communicate this effectively in external media outputs and resources. 
• Commitment to 350-US vision to become a multiracial organization with a multiracial base and to effectively manage across differences.
• Highly organized, and able to manage multiple projects at once without sacrificing quality

Preferred Qualifications: desired, but not required, skills and experiences

• Working knowledge of the current global debates on climate change, energy, and climate justice; and how these connect to other issues of justice and equity 
• Journalistic experience
• Experience working remotely
• Experience working in nongovernmental organization or nonprofit sector
• Experience with data collection and media analysis
• Experience with political reporting and pitching
• Professional experience in multicultural, multi-racial, and/or international environments
• Experience and competency working in multicultural groups
• Fluency in Spanish a plus, but not required 
• Able to travel internationally and nationally  on occasion
• Proficiency in Meltwater, Salesforce, Airtable, Google Suite, Slack, and Zoom or similar systems a plus

Position Type: Full Time

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

Start Date:  March - April

Compensation: $65,100

Location: Priority locations for this position including New York City and Washington D.C. (Preference to work at least part-time out of our Brooklyn or Washington DC.) Applications for this  position will be considered as well from: CA, CO, GA, MD, MA, ME, MT, NY, NC, PA, VT, VA, WA, or Washington, DC.