Address
Form of workJob Description
Salary Range:
- $65,000.00 To 80,000.00 Annually/
Position Summary:
Western Resource Advocates (WRA) is hiring a Communications Manager to join our team. The Communications Manager will support marketing and communications efforts and strategy across the organization and its programs. This role will uphold the organizational brand while increasing WRA’s ability to influence decision makers, donors, partners, reporters, and others to accomplish the organization’s mission and objectives. This position will be primarily responsible for guiding and executing a broad range of public relations activities targeted to key audiences across WRA’s programs and states that advance specific organizational and policy priorities. Specific duties include implementing communications strategies with staff and coalitions to help advance policy outcomes; crafting effective and persuasive audience-centric messaging and communications materials; supporting with writing and fulfilling communications elements in specific grants; facilitating earned media opportunities in collaboration with staff; and contributing content, feedback, and ideas to other marketing and communication efforts.
About Western Resource Advocates:
WRA fights climate change and its impacts to sustain the environment, economy, and people of the West. We respect the different needs of diverse people and partner with them to develop a shared vision for progress-one that advances communities while protecting biodiversity.
Our team of policy experts, scientists, economists, and attorneys has a 30-year history of working where decisions are made, sweating the details, creating evidence-based solutions, and holding decision makers accountable. This on the ground work with policymakers and other advocates advances clean energy, protects air, land, water, and wildlife-and sustains the lives and livelihoods of the West.
Location:
This position may work remotely in our seven-state region, in one of our six offices, or a hybrid of the two. Our seven-state region includes Arizona, Colorado, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming. WRA has offices located in Boulder, CO; Carson City, NV; Denver, CO; Phoenix, AZ; Salt Lake City, UT; and Santa Fe, NM. Access to a major airport is required, as this position involves some travel.
Responsibilities And Activities:
Programmatic Communications:
Western Resource Advocates (WRA) is hiring a Communications Manager to join our team. The Communications Manager will support marketing and communications efforts and strategy across the organization and its programs. This role will uphold the organizational brand while increasing WRA’s ability to influence decision makers, donors, partners, reporters, and others to accomplish the organization’s mission and objectives. This position will be primarily responsible for guiding and executing a broad range of public relations activities targeted to key audiences across WRA’s programs and states that advance specific organizational and policy priorities. Specific duties include implementing communications strategies with staff and coalitions to help advance policy outcomes; crafting effective and persuasive audience-centric messaging and communications materials; supporting with writing and fulfilling communications elements in specific grants; facilitating earned media opportunities in collaboration with staff; and contributing content, feedback, and ideas to other marketing and communication efforts.
About Western Resource Advocates:
WRA fights climate change and its impacts to sustain the environment, economy, and people of the West. We respect the different needs of diverse people and partner with them to develop a shared vision for progress-one that advances communities while protecting biodiversity.
Our team of policy experts, scientists, economists, and attorneys has a 30-year history of working where decisions are made, sweating the details, creating evidence-based solutions, and holding decision makers accountable. This on the ground work with policymakers and other advocates advances clean energy, protects air, land, water, and wildlife-and sustains the lives and livelihoods of the West.
Location:
This position may work remotely in our seven-state region, in one of our six offices, or a hybrid of the two. Our seven-state region includes Arizona, Colorado, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming. WRA has offices located in Boulder, CO; Carson City, NV; Denver, CO; Phoenix, AZ; Salt Lake City, UT; and Santa Fe, NM. Access to a major airport is required, as this position involves some travel.
Responsibilities And Activities:
Programmatic Communications:
- Work closely with policy and Government Affairs staff to develop and execute communications campaigns related to specific WRA priorities and utilize communications strategies and tactics to achieve policy and advocacy objectives.
- Create targeted communications materials, including messaging, press releases, and op-eds to shape narratives, influence decision makers, and advance policy priorities.
- Collaborate with partnering organizations and coalitions throughout the region to shape and implement successful shared strategies.
Branding:
- Act as a WRA brand ambassador internally and externally to educate staff and create buy in around the brand’s importance and the organization’s overall marketing and communications efforts.
- Support the development of messaging in digital communications, such as blogs, emails, and advocacy actions, as well as print collateral around specific priorities.
- Assist policy and Government Affairs staff with developing talking points, fact sheets, public comments, articles for publication, grant materials, and other content, as needed.
- Support the President and Development team with storytelling and donor communications efforts, as requested.
Earned Media:
- Facilitate earned media opportunities in collaboration with program staff and provide interview coaching, messaging guidance, and logistics support.
- Cultivate and maintain relationships with key reporters across WRA’s states and keep up-to-date media lists.
- Contribute story ideas, opportunities, ideas, content, and feedback that illustrate the impact of WRA’s work for broader marketing and communication efforts.
Required Qualifications:
Any equivalent combination of education, training, and experience, which provides the required knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform the essential functions of this position, will be considered.
For example, the requisite experience, knowledge, skills, and abilities would include:
For example, the requisite experience, knowledge, skills, and abilities would include:
- A minimum of three to five years of relevant experience.
- An understanding of or a willingness to learn the politics and landscape surrounding the issues WRA works on at the national level and across our seven-state region.
- Strong communication skills - written, verbal, interpersonal and presentation skills, including the ability to communicate articulately, persuasively, and effectively with varied audiences.
- Aptitude for translating complicated technical concepts into accessible written and spoken content.
- Ability to build relationships and collaborate effectively with a variety of internal and external stakeholders.
- Success in garnering earned media coverage and cultivating long-lasting relationships with journalists.
- Experience working effectively and diplomatically with coalitions and partner organizations to advance shared objectives.
- Strong organizational and prioritization skills, with excellent attention to detail and follow through.
- Ability to stay nimble and organized while managing multiple projects and competing priorities.
- Interest in continuing to build WRA’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion work into our marketing and communication practices.
- Genuine passion for the mission and work of WRA.
Physical Requirements:
Prolonged periods of sitting at a desk and working on a computer. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. Some travel is required.
Salary And Benefits:
The salary range is $65,000 -$80,000 annually; salary depends on relevant experience and new staff rarely start at the top of the range. WRA’s excellent benefits package includes a 401(k) retirement plan with up to 5% matching and health, dental, vision, and life & disability insurance with 100% of premiums paid by WRA. Annually, staff receive seventeen days paid vacation leave to start, twelve paid sick days, one paid volunteer day, twelve paid holidays, and WRA is closed for Winter Break between Christmas Day and New Year’s Day for additional paid time off. Employees are eligible for up to twelve weeks of parental leave, and after five years, staff are eligible for up to twelve weeks of paid sabbatical leave. Position is full-time exempt.
Deadline To Apply: Open Until Filled with priority review beginning on Tuesday, February 20, 2024.
Diversity and inclusion are a critical component of our business strategy, mission and vision. We welcome candidates from an array of backgrounds and experiences to join our team. Learn more about our commitment here: https://wraoldsite.wpengine.com/#commitment-to-diversity.
Western Resource Advocates is an equal opportunity employer (EOE) and does not discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment on the basis of race, color, religion, gender, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, national or ethnic origin, age, disability, marital status, amnesty, or veteran status.
Apply To Be WRA’s Communications Manager!
Thank you for your interest in the Communications Manager position with Western Resource Advocates. You will need to upload the following in PDF format:
- Cover letter describing your relevant qualifications and the reason for your interest in WRA and this position;
- Resume; and
- Writing Sample
Please direct any questions about this position or application process to hiring@westernresources.org.
