Communications Manager (Arctic)

Responsibilities

• Develop long-term, proactive communication strategies and plans to reach priority audiences and achieve intended impact across paid, owned, and earned media.
• Coordinate work and monitor progress towards TWS metrics, milestones, and outcomes. Ensure content lives in one central location that can be accessed by the full team.
• Review and offer strategic input and counsel on broader narratives, priorities and plans, including leading the development of communications outreach for initiatives focused on Alaska and other state(s).
• Lead narrative creation and messaging oversight for the Arctic, Western Arctic and Ambler Road campaigns as well as place-based campaigns in Western states. This includes creating overarching narratives, press statements, talking points, memos, reports, and other communications resources.
• Ensure messaging is consistent across channels, position TWS as a thought leader, and supports paid, owned, and earned media goals.
• Work closely with digital colleagues to support the development of compelling, audience-focused content for websites, email, membership communications, social media, and other digital platforms, ensuring alignment with campaign narratives, messaging strategies, and organizational goals.
• Execute both national and local media relations related to portfolio of work including hosting media events, pitching stories, drafting releases, and shaping of narrative with journalists.
• Cultivate new reporter relationships that reach and influence target audiences. Shares contacts with other communicators as appropriate.
• Prepare and train TWS and partner spokespeople for interviews, events, and testimony, and develop speeches, talking points, written testimony, and other materials that advance campaign priorities.
• Coordinate media relations and external communications with relevant TWS teams to ensure alignment on messaging, priorities, and opportunities.

Requirements

• Minimum 5 years’ experience in communications, content creation, external affairs, public relations, and/or marketing.
• Strong understanding of the Alaska's politics, people, and landscape preferred.
• Track record working successfully in teams representing a rich mix of talent, backgrounds, and perspectives.
• Strong experience working with members of the press and a solid understanding of the media landscape, both local and national media.
• Strong understanding of social media and writing, and producing content for digital audiences.
• Strong understanding of the legislative process at the state and federal level.
• Proven ability to evaluate and analyze legislation and/or other policy solutions for understanding and alignment with organizational positions and values.
• Excellent written and verbal communications skills, including the ability to translate complex policies succinctly and clearly for a public audience and decision makers.
• Proven ability to develop strategies and tactics to achieve an advocacy goal.
• Strong understanding of holistic, behavior-change communications and the ability to strategically design communication plans that are comprehensive and impactful to targeted audiences.

Preferred

• Strong understanding of the Alaska's politics, people, and landscape preferred.
• Experience working with coalitions focused on environmental and/or social justice issues preferred.

Benefits

• The Wilderness Society offers a competitive salary and benefits package, including health, dental, vision, life and disability insurance, and pet insurance; sick and vacation leave; a sabbatical program; and a retirement plan with employer contribution subject to certain limits and requirements.