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Title: Sr. Communications Manager, Resilient Water Systems
Location: This position can either be remote, or hybrid in an EDF office.
Program Overview
The Climate Resilient Water Systems workstream is a part of the People and Nature team and is dedicated to developing water policy and management solutions that balance water supply and demand and increase the resilience of water systems that support communities and ecosystems. The team has established a reputation as a trusted and credible partner with diverse stakeholders, governments, and water agencies; expertise in groundwater challenges and solutions; and as an advocate for transformational change in water policy and practices that incorporate ecosystem and environmental justice goals. The Climate Resilient Water Systems team currently is focused within California, the Colorado River Basin, and Texas, with active exploration of new work in other domestic U.S. and international locations.
Overall Function
The Senior Communications Manager, Resilient Water Systems is responsible for supporting with the development and implementation of communications strategies to achieve the goals and objectives of the Climate Resilient Water Systems (CRWS) initiative’s state and federal advocacy and engagement work, including earned, social, and paid media; digital media including edf.org and relevant blogs; thought leadership activities; and content development. Additionally, they will distill complex policy and economic issues into simple, accurate, and compelling narratives that advance policy and market change. This position serves as a strategic and innovative thinker with a demonstrated ability to develop and execute on communications strategies for significant, measurable impact.
The Senior Manager supervises a Senior Specialist focused on legislative, regulatory, and conservation efforts related to both surface and groundwater, and additional supervisory responsibilities may emerge in the future. This position reports to the AVP Communications, People and Nature and works closely with the leadership of EDF’s CRWS global initiative, including the VP and AVP, Climate Resilient Water Systems, as an integral part of People and Nature’s Climate Resilient Water Systems team.
Key Responsibilities
- With the guidance of the Sr. Director Communications, People and Nature, develop strategies, messages, talking points, news stories, and tactics on a systematic basis for feature coverage that advance People and Nature’s resilient water system management goals.
- Create, edit, and proofread compelling relevant written, digital, and video materials to advance the Climate Resilient Water Systems team’s, People and Nature, and EDF’s objectives.
- Conduct media outreach and develop and implement response strategies through various channels (earned media, digital, blog, speaking engagements, etc.), regularly monitoring and facilitating media response to breaking news and political/legislative events.
- Oversee management of owned channels including blogs, newsletters, and other accounts.
- Participate in advancing EDF DEI goals in which people from all backgrounds and experiences feel connected, included, and empowered to address the environmental and organizational challenges in alignment with EDF values.
- Coach, support, and manage a team and continually build team skills to help achieve strong communications results in alignment with CRWS strategies.
- Plan and execute events such as press conferences, panel discussions, and in-person meetings with journalists, thought leaders, and other influential stakeholders.
- Establish and maintain strong strategic relationships with identified and relevant journalists and media outlets.
- Provide CRWS staff with training and advice for communications opportunities, as applicable.
- Prepares summaries and analyses of media coverage as needed.
- Additional relevant duties as assigned.
Qualifications
- 8+ years of communications and marketing experience required, preferably in a political or issue advocacy context. Direct experience in water resources, natural resource management issues, or environmental media issues preferred, with experience in western U.S. water issues and policy being a plus.
- Bachelor’s degree required. A Master’s degree in a related field is preferred and may substitute for up to 2 years of relevant experience. The degree requirement may be waived altogether for a candidate who can successfully demonstrate commensurate professional experience along with excellence in their past roles.
- Experience pitching to and developing strong relationships with top-tier media, with a track record of producing regional and national media coverage required.
- Attentive to detail and strong organizational, strategic public relations, and media judgment skills.
- Experience managing a blog, including blog promotion strategy and implementation or online community-building.
- Experience building thought leadership and executive visibility for key leaders within a high-performing organization.
- Experience managing a team with strong interpersonal, team management, and mentoring skills.
- Advanced verbal, writing, editing (including video editing), and presentation skills, with the ability to influence stakeholders with non-environmental backgrounds.
- Ability to strategically implement communications initiatives across multiple platforms, project teams, and time zones for maximum impact in the environmental and policy space.
- Proactive with a strong ability to anticipate logistical needs, quickly resolve issues or conflicts, work well under tight deadlines, and think ahead to meet the needs of staff for successful results.
- Demonstrated self-awareness, cultural competency and inclusivity, and ability to work with colleagues and stakeholders across diverse cultures and backgrounds.
- Must be willing and able to travel up to 10% of the time.
Hiring Range
We offer a strong total rewards package encompassing competitive salary, robust benefits, and professional development opportunities consistent with a modern global organization.
The pay range for this role is 97,000 – 106,000 USD which takes into account factors such as candidate experience, skills, training, internal team equity and local norms.
Environmental Defense Fund is an equal opportunity employer where an applicant’s qualifications are considered without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, genetic information, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other basis prohibited by law.
