Communications Lead

Organization Summary

Osa Conservation’s (OC) mission is to conserve the globally significant terrestrial and marine biological diversity of the Osa Peninsula of Costa Rica by implementing ecosystem stewardship, enhancing scientific understanding, providing education, and training, and creating sustainable economic opportunities.

We believe in a holistic approach to conservation, one grounded in a systematic understanding of the ecological, social, and economic relationships that shape environmental problems. Our work (carried out by a team of ~100 staff) is founded in science and supported by strategic partnerships, well-informed decision-making processes, and a strong commitment to improving lives through protecting nature. We recognize that for conservation to succeed, it must be coupled with science, community engagement, and strong systems of support upon which to collaboratively build a more sustainable future.

Role description

The Communications Lead will create and execute communication strategies that amplify Osa Conservation’s work, ensure alignment with organizational priorities, and elevate the organization’s profile across platforms. This role translates field content into compelling stories for global and local audiences, builds relationships with journalists and partners, and ensures that all outputs are accurate, professional, and impact-driven. The Communications Lead is responsible for Osa Conservation’s communications strategy resulting in high-quality outputs across media platforms.

Responsibilities

• Strategic Communications
  • Develop and maintain a strategic content calendar to effectively communicate Osa Conservation’s successes in relation to global, local, national and international conservation issues.
  • Liaise with external live virtual event organizations to host live events from the Osa Conservation Campus.
  • Create and publish a strategic monthly newsletter to share key updates, engage donors and past visitors, and drive online donations.
  • Support fundraising efforts by organizing media for grant reports and proposals, as needed.
  • Create visually compelling presentations and reports for donors and collaborators to communicate Osa Conservation’s success (eg; annual report).
  • Support the launch and promotion of strategic programmatic and/or fundraising campaigns.
  • Promote Osa Conservation’s scientific publications utilizing creative content.
  • Position Osa Conservation as a thought leader by placing op-eds, expert interviews, and features in high-impact outlets.
  • Build and maintain strong relationships with national, regional, and international journalists, influencers, film crews, and media outlets to maximize coverage.
  • Lead bi-weekly media meetings to strengthen the team’s capacity for conservation storytelling, reaching ≈ 30 staff members, interns, volunteers, etc.
  • Organize Osa Conservation’s media archive on a monthly basis.
  • Lead the creation of a revenue-generating annual Storytelling Workshop hosted at Osa Conservation including workshop design, recruitment, promotion, and execution
• Webpage
  • Maintain and update a user-friendly Osa Conservation website
  • Lead the development of a rewilding-focused website
  • Establish and generate a strategic blog plan for the Osa Conservation website
• Social Media
  • Manage and implement OC’s content calendar weekly, which will include regular posts on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn. On some occasions this content will overlap between platforms but will need to be adapted to platform style.
  • Oversee and enforce media protocols (including content suitability, post standardization, and formatting) across all internal and public platforms.
  • Measure impact of social media by analyzing metrics and producing a quarterly report.
  • Work with HR to track staff engagement with social media.
  • Serve as representative of OC by upholding the highest level of professionalism at all times and properly communicating the organization’s mission.

Skills needed

• Strong writing and editing skills in English (Spanish proficiency desirable).
• Demonstrated expertise in communications strategy implementation including media relations, press outreach, and social media management.
• Proven ability to design and implement cross-programmatic communications strategies that align diverse initiatives under a cohesive organizational narrative.
• Strong strategic thinking skills with the ability to identify and leverage communications opportunities across research, conservation, and community-focused programs.
• Strong writing and editing skills, with experience producing high-quality content for varied audiences (donors, journalists, social media).
• Skilled in developing and maintaining partnerships with media outlets and strategic collaborators.
• Ability to translate complex technical and scientific information into compelling, accessible narratives.
• Bachelor’s degree in communications, journalism, international relations, or related field.
• Ability to work in rugged field conditions and adapt creatively.

Strong writing and editing skills in English (Spanish proficiency desirable).