Bayou City Waterkeeper seeks Communications Manager

Bayou City Waterkeeper (BCWK) seeks a Communications Manager. As our first full-time communications staff member, the Communications Manager will join our growing, interdisciplinary, and highly collaborative team working toward water justice across the Lower Galveston Bay watershed.

Job Description
The Communications Manager will work closely with our staff and partners to execute our communications plan, plan and execute communications strategies, think strategically and creatively about how to message around water justice, incorporate storytelling into content, help shape media coverage on legal and policy developments, integrate different communications touchpoints to reach target audiences, and support the Executive Director in development. The Communications Manager will report directly to the Executive Director and periodically hire and supervise 1-2 communications and development fellows and interns.

Responsibilities
Communications and Narrative Strategy, Planning, and Management
● Develop and manage external communications strategies, in close collaboration with staff and partners.
● Manage the communications calendar, working with staff and partners to clearly set expectations and deadlines.
● Work with staff and partners to develop and execute narrative strategies to shift public perceptions and understanding of water pollution, wetlands loss, flooding, the role of natural and nature-based strategies to address flooding and climate risks, and related infrastructure failures and health and safety risks.
● Manage water justice communications project in collaboration with partners, with goal of creating compelling storytelling, interaction, narrative shift, and community powerbuilding.
● Identify opportunities to amplify community members’ narratives, through short-term public media campaigns, coalition campaigns, and creative content creation.
● Manage narrative strategies to ensure that they align with BCWK’s strategic goals, mission, and values.
● Track the impact of our communications strategies.

Writing, Editing, Production
● Write and edit for a variety of formats and for diverse audiences, including: annual report, press releases, op-eds, short form articles, advocacy newsletters, web copy, digital media, collateral materials.
● Support staff in producing research papers, presentations, fact sheets, videos, press materials, and organizational marketing materials.

Website, Digital Communications, and Social Media
● Oversee website, managing workflow from staff. Coordinate with consultants on website updates.
● Oversee content for external-facing email newsletters and related communications. Work with staff who will assist with content, formatting, and distribution.
● Create social media strategy with a goal of growing and deepening our social media presence.
● Define analytics for tracking social media impact.

Media and Press Relations
● Facilitate media outreach and incoming media requests.
● Coordinate with staff to develop pitches, writing press releases, and other materials for press.
● Develop and maintain relationships with media contacts.

Development Support
● Support Executive Director in planning, outreach, and messaging for annual Tributary and Folks & Oysters events.
● Support Executive Director in grant writing and reporting.
● Support donor communications and the launch of donor campaign.

Qualifications & Requirements
Research shows that women and people of color are more hesitant to apply for a job because they may not meet all of the qualifications listed. The candidate hired may not precisely meet all of these qualifications, but will show the desire and capacity to grow into the role and fit within our small, close-knit team. If you feel passionate about our efforts and believe you have the skills to contribute to the growth of our organization, we want to hear from you.

Highly competitive candidates will have some combination of:
● A Bachelor’s degree, or equivalent combination of education and experience.
● A minimum of 3 years of communications experience. Strong background in social justice movements, politics, or community organizing a plus.
● Commitment to and knowledge of water, environmental, climate, and/or environmental justice issues. Familiarity and experience communicating about water quality, flooding, infrastructure, and/or climate issues is a plus, or a willingness to quickly learn and develop knowledge on these issues.
● Creative, strategic thinking. You love thinking through strategies of how to reach people and move them to action and are creative in considering new approaches to make change.
● Experience working with the media and establishing strong relationships with reporters.
● Excellent communication and writing. You will play an integral role in crafting messages that engage target audiences and ensure that materials adhere to overarching narratives. You’ll need to be able to package complex legal and technical issues for a range of platforms, moving with ease between talking points, press releases, op-eds, web copy, and digital campaign emails that move people to get more involved.
● Familiarity with a variety of content production and experience overseeing projects that use video, audio, illustrations, and other kinds of multimedia to advance an issue. You think creatively about how to use different types of content to reach the broadest audiences.
● Commitment to supporting impacted communities and strong commitment to racial justice, anti-racism, and understanding of and commitment to using anti-racist lens in advancing justice, equity, diversity, inclusion, and accessibility.
● Strong organizational skills. You are self-driven and have excellent time management skills. You can move from drafting a rapid response press statement, to ensuring digital campaign components are designed and delivered on time, to tracking the budget for a communications project. You feel confident shifting priorities in a fast-paced environment, including managing several communications efforts at once.
● Collaborative team player. You enjoy learning together with your teammates and helping others to succeed in their work as well. You bring a collaborative attitude to engaging with other team members and external stakeholders alike.
● Spanish fluency is a plus.
● A love for our region.

Schedule/Location
We allow for flexible work schedules so our staff can be responsive to community needs and balance work and personal responsibilities. Our standard week is 36-40 hours. Occasionally, more than a regular week, including some evenings and weekends, will be necessary. Some local travel is required. Our staff meets in person for our weekly staff meeting and throughout the month for in-person meetings with partners, for field work, and special events. Otherwise, our work is virtual. Given the place-based, community-centered nature of this work, the Communications Manager must live within the Lower Galveston Bay watershed.

Salary & Benefits
$60,000-65,000. Benefits include: unlimited paid leave, paid holidays, and paid parental leave; subsidized group healthcare, dental, and vision coverage; BCWK-funded IRA contribution; and negotiable flex hours. This is a full-time, at-will, exempt position.

Application Instructions
For equal consideration, please send a resume and letter explaining your interest to careers@bayoucitywaterkeeper.org with subject line “BCWK Communications Manager” by April 21.

About Bayou City Waterkeeper
Bayou City Waterkeeper is a water justice organization working across the Lower Galveston Bay watershed that encompasses greater Houston, for more than two decades. With law and science, we work with local communities to build power, fill gaps in regulatory enforcement, and push back against water injustices and irresponsible development. Our key program areas are Clean Water, Protecting Wetlands, and Just Climate Transitions. Learn more on our website.

Our Values
Recognizing the complexities of our watershed, the challenges we face to protect our waters from the harms of urban development and industrial activities, and the importance of being responsive to the needs of the communities we serve, our work is guided and informed by five values:
● Interconnectivity: Collaborate across disciplines and create multiple ways to engage
● Fluidity: Embrace movement and adaptability in our work
● Bold action: Have hard conversations, disrupt dysfunctional systems, create new frameworks, bring together unconventional allies, and move data and research into action
● Justice and equality: Call out and act to undo inequities in our watershed
● Regeneration: Embrace water as a site for healing, joy, celebration, reflection, and growth

Our core values lead us to seek a broad range of perspectives and backgrounds to achieve our mission and maintain an inclusive environment where all staff are valued and respected. As an equal opportunity employer, we are committed to employment practices that ensure that employees and applicants for employment are given equal opportunities without regard to race, color, national origin, ancestry, sex, age, religion, physical or mental disability, medical condition, veteran status, marital status, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, genetic information or any other factor that is not related to the position.