Communications and Outreach Coordinator

Job Title: Communications and Outreach Coordinator

Department: NJ Chapter

Location: Remote in NJ, Proximity to Trenton Chapter Office Preferred.

Reports To: Chapter Director

Supervises: N/A

Context: At the Sierra Club, we believe in the power of togetherness. Together, we remain committed to the fight for a healthy climate built on a foundation of environmental, racial, economic, and gender justice – a future where all people benefit from a healthy, thriving planet and a direct connection to nature. As the climate crisis and deeply entrenched systemic racism all fuel inequity, we will continue to fight for a bold, transformational agenda that recognizes the interconnectedness between our planet, our humanity, and our democracy. By recognizing that our destinies are tied, we continue to name that all things are fundamentally connected, and the overlap between ecology, race, gender, and representative government will move to either advance our collective humanity or to oppress it.

Sierra Club is comprised of staff across the country and a network of local chapters that support our grassroots engagement. We are also proud to be a unionized employer, with two labor unions representing more than half of our employees.

Scope: The Communications and Outreach Coordinator is responsible for coordinating and executing the Chapter's communications plan with the Chapter Director and other staff, including earning media coverage, elevating our social media presence, producing our monthly newsletter and other chapter-wide communications, and assisting with fundraising efforts. The Communications and Outreach Coordinator assists chapter staff and volunteer leaders at the Chapter and Regional Group level, in outreach to the general public, donors, and to public officials in the shaping and implementation of public policy.

Job activities include but are not limited to:

1. Coordinate the New Jersey Chapter's media strategy. This includes press release distribution, pitching stories to media, news monitoring, and maintaining clip reports and media lists, among other duties.
2. Develop timely content to inform and encourage action. Write press releases, edit the Chapter e-Newsletter, create and send action alerts, create content and graphics for social media.
3. Manage the Chapter's social media presence. Work collaboratively with volunteers including Group leaders, and staff, to post on social media sites including Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Instagram. Oversee engagement levels and adjust as needed. Present engagement reports for monthly Communications Committee meetings.
4. Coordinate digital communications across staff and volunteers. This role will serve as a central point of contact for digital communications and technologies for NJ Chapter staff and volunteers. This includes creating guides and arranging training for volunteers as necessary. This also includes participating in volunteer committees like the Communications Committee and the Sierran Editorial Board.
5. Help coordinate Chapter and regional group media events. In coordination with other staff, organize semi-regular Chapter events, including social events, volunteer orientations, donor cultivation events, volunteer appreciation events, and trainings.
6. Oversee consistent and complementary messaging. With Chapter Director and other staff, ensure messaging, style, and formatting is consistent with and complementary to messaging of the programs and initiatives of other Sierra Club entities.
7. Recruit and support volunteers. Work with volunteer leaders and staff to identify, recruit, organize, and support volunteers. This includes developing and implementing a volunteer outreach and onboarding process.
8. Help facilitate chapter fundraising. Work with volunteer Fundraising Coordinator to assist with Chapter fundraising, including cultivating donors, sending fundraising communications, writing grants, and helping plan donor appreciation events.
9. Maintain constituent database and chapter communications lists. This includes press lists, email subscription lists, print newsletter subscription lists, and more.

The successful candidate must have the following skills and experience:

• Understanding of, and interest in, current environmental and environmental justice issues. This position requires an ability to quickly become familiar with, and summarize for others, various types of subject matter. These can range from legislative policy issues, to new technologies, to watershed and water quality issues, and more. This may involve working with Sierra Club subject matter experts, staff and volunteers, as well as reading and research.
• Strong written and oral communications skills. Clear and concise writing for press releases, action alerts, social media copy as well as grant proposals, communication to volunteers, donors, media, and legislators. Clear and considerate communication with staff, volunteers and other stakeholders.
• Computer software and digital communication tools. Digital tools include Constituent Relationship Management (CRM) online tools, social media, websites, databases, word processing, Google Suite, analytics programs, and graphic design software. Salesforce and Drupal experience is a plus. The ability to learn new software is a must.
• Ability to work cooperatively as well as independently. You must be self-motivated yet be able to work well with our staff and our volunteers. The staff plays a vital role in empowering our volunteers. You must be able to meet deadlines and sometimes work under pressure.
• Experience in communications or a closely-related field. Demonstrated familiarity with digital communications and technologies. Demonstrated ability to implement communications strategies in a professional or academic setting.
• Equity Analysis and Practice. You are aware of your group identities and how they have shaped your life and experiences at work. You have an analysis of how racism and other forms of oppression in society impact relationships, systems and culture. You bring experience and skills for working effectively with colleagues across group identities and position/role.

The strongest candidates will also demonstrate the following experience, skills and competencies:

• Demonstrated familiarity with major New Jersey Chapter issue areas (energy, water, and parks & wildlife).
• Experience drafting and editing digital and paper newsletter communications.
• Experience onboarding, training, and managing volunteers and interns.
• Ability to interact positively with community members, volunteers, staff, and the public.
• Multilingual skills are a plus.
• Be able to travel within the state as needed, with valid driver's license, satisfactory driving record, and proof of auto insurance.
• Experience with event planning preferred.

Compensation and Benefits

The salary range for this position is $62,000-65,000, commensurate with experience and ability.

This position is represented by a collective bargaining unit and is subject to the terms and conditions of the contract between Sierra Club and Progressive Workers Union.

The Sierra Club offers a competitive salary package commensurate with skills and experience plus excellent benefits that include medical, dental, and vision coverage, and a retirement savings 401(k) plan.

Sierra Club is a 501(c)(4) non-profit organization. Sierra Club employees are not eligible to participate in the Federal Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) Program.

Sierra Club values the expertise and talents of foreign nationals. Sierra Club sponsors both nonimmigrant and immigrant visas when certain criteria are met, based on immigration laws and organizational needs. Such sponsorship is at the discretion of the Department Head and Sierra Club Human Resources in consultation with the employee's manager. The Sierra Club cannot guarantee the approval of a visa petition. The Sierra Club is an equal opportunity employer committed to workforce diversity.

To Apply

This position does not have an undergraduate education requirement. If you choose to include your education history, please remove your schools from your resume. You may leave your degree (e.g., "B.A. Philosophy"), but please remove any undergraduate and graduate school names.

This anonymous process is aimed at opening this opportunity to more candidates, reviewing applicants on performance assessments and mitigating bias in the decision-making process.

Lastly, we are intentionally not asking for a cover letter, so please do not send one in with your application.

We are accepting applications until June 3, 2022.

Explore, enjoy and protect the planet.