Director of Communications & Digital Strategy

We’re looking for a highly-experienced persuasive communicator who’s an activist at heart, a clear thinker, and tech-savvy to boot. Here’s your chance to advance environmental justice while protecting human health and climate progress. The successful candidate will have a proven track record across multiple communication strategies and tactics aimed at winning hearts and minds and persuading decision makers.

Working for an organization dedicated to system change, you’ll articulate and advocate solutions through framing and messaging that resonates with targeted audiences. You’ll help press levers of change based on strategic analysis of vulnerabilities. We need someone who can creatively break down the complexity of the science and technology and translate our vision into short-term action opportunities to which everyone can relate.

About Us

Bend the Curve works to transform the petrochemical and plastics industry so that it no longer harms people and the planet. We aim to reverse the negative trends that result from using oil, fossil gas, and coal to supply the materials we use every day. We advance safer, sustainable chemistry in our materials economy to protect health, climate and justice.

Bend the Curve is a small but mighty nonprofit think/act tank. We provide technical assistance to frontline communities resisting industry harm. We deeply research chemical industry markets to identify solutions and leverage vulnerabilities. We develop campaigns to persuade brand-owners and policy makers to embrace safer alternatives. That places us on the cutting edge of advancing solutions at the local, national and global levels.

We value strategy, justice, and prevention. We connect the dots so that people see that the stuff we use every day can adversely impact workers and communities all along the upstream manufacturing supply chain. And then we work together to demand solutions.

Essential Duties & Responsibilities

Digital campaigns – Lead our online advocacy to persuade brand-owners to reduce their use of harmful plastics and toxic chemicals.

Social media – Manage our social accounts to help maintain fresh relevant content and boost engagement.

Boost content – Help draft, edit and amplify written and visual production of information and materials, including monthly newsletter.

Web sites – Maintain our web site and campaign microsites to optimize functionality and freshen content.

Media advocacy – Help pitch stories and content placement to editors and reporters in mainstream and online media outlets.

Manage contractors – Supervise communications-related contracts with vendors and consultants to ensure quality strategic and timely work product.

Planning – Develop project plans and budgets, and contribute to program planning and broader strategy development

Other Duties & Responsibilities

• Networking – Assist in publicly representing the organization in allied networks, and at conferences, meetings and other public gatherings.
• Fundraising – Assist the Director in preparing proposals and reports to funders
• Administrative – Effectively and timely engage with Tides Center, our fiscal sponsor, on their policies and procedures
• Other – Carry out other duties as assigned from time to time

Education & Experience Required

• Minimum of ten years of professional work experience across a variety of communications strategies and tactics with prior success in persuasion campaigns as an advocate, campaigner or organizer
• A directly relevant graduate degree may count as two years of experience
• A demonstrated commitment to social justice

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities

Knowledge: Must know the field of persuasive communication and be familiar with the changing media and social change landscape. Some knowledge of environmental public health, climate change, and/or environmental justice issues is needed or quickly grasped.

Skills: Must have truly outstanding writing, editing and storytelling skills; strong oral communications skills, and a very good graphic sensibility regarding effective visual media. Must be tech savvy on a variety communications-related programs and platforms and practiced at the art of persuasion.

Abilities: An ability to be personable but persuasive, to promote with humility, and to build relationships with people on the basis of where they’re at, not where we want them to be. Ability to plan and organize work, ability to listen and understand information that is presented, ability to solve complex problems, and think critically. Ability to effectively translate complex issues, including those steeped in science and technology, into relatable stories and actionable bites.

Organizational Relationships

The Director of Communications and Digital Strategy reports to the Director & Founder and works collaboratively with contractors, strategic partners, and advisers on a weekly or monthly basis to ensure effective persuasive communications across the organization.

Physical demands

• Must be able to travel domestically to meetings, conferences or other events by airplane and other means of transportation about 6 to 10 times per year
• Must be able to write and speak to be understood on various devices several times per week and occasionally in-person
• Occasional light lifting of documents, office supplies, and other material goods as necessary to maintain an effective office environment

Work environment

• This is a full-time remote position with an expectation that the incumbent will maintain an adequately equipped home or other office
• Core operating hours are from 9 am to 5 pm eastern time but may be adjusted by agreement to accommodate time zone differences or family schedules
• Active online communications must be maintained on a daily or weekly basis as needed with travel for in-person meetings required on about a quarterly basis
• Occasional evening or weekend work may be required when traveling or as necessary to accommodate external partner schedules

Bend the Curve, a project of Tides Center, is an equal opportunity employer. We strongly encourage and seek applications from women, people of color, and bilingual and bicultural individuals, as well as members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender communities. Applicants shall not be discriminated against because of race, religion, sex, national origin, ethnicity, age, disability, political affiliation, sexual orientation, gender identity, color, marital status, veteran status, or medical condition including acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) and AIDS-related conditions. Reasonable accommodation will be made so that qualified disabled applicants may participate in the application process. Please advise in writing of special needs at the time of application."

Generous benefits are provided through Tides Center, our fiscal sponsor, including fully-paid health insurance, paid vacation and holidays, employer contribution to retirement account, and much more.

This is a remote position that allows you to work from home on a flexible, family-friendly schedule.

You get to work on the cutting-edge of social change with amazing partners for health, climate and justice!

Highly proficient in English.

Fluency in Spanish would be welcomed but is not required