Please read the "How to Apply" section carefully and submit all relevant documents to be considered for this role.
One of the key barriers to widespread adoption of climate-smart eating is the perception of it. All too often, people believe sustainable food culture is not for them: elitist, flavorless, expensive, or too difficult. We will not reach global climate goals in the short timeline given to us by scientists unless we make the sustainable food movement enticing, accessible, and culturally relevant to the majority of the world’s population. At FCL, we are working to accomplish this. In doing so, we aim to build an equitable, nutritious, and sustainable food system for all that respects people’s core needs, values, and cultural diversity.
Food for Climate League is a trailblazing, female-led 501(c)3 nonprofit working to make climate-smart eating the norm. Climate-smart eating is plant-forward, regenerative, and respectful of resources; it celebrates diversity, improves human nutrition, connects communities, is affordable and accessible to all, and preserves our shared planet. Honored on Fast Company’s 2022 list of World Changing Ideas, we collaboratively create toolkits, programs, and campaigns—founded in original behavioral science research—to help make climate-smart eating accessible, enticing, and culturally relevant to the masses. By connecting the dots between sustainable food culture and people's unique needs, values, and cultures, we can shift the perception of climate-smart eating and drive engagement.
Our organization is looking for a Strategic Communications Lead who can help us tell our story, disseminate our existing tools and materials to those who can use them, and connect us to a broader ecosystem of organizations and individuals passionate about a sustainable food system. The Strategic Communications Lead will help Food for Climate League refine our public stories—be it through social media, our website, op-eds, or newsletters—, broaden our ecosystem and amplify our impact.
The negative impacts of climate and nutrition access disproportionately impact the most marginalized people in society, including people of color, people from working class backgrounds, women, and LGBTQ people. Because we believe that these communities must be centered in the work we do, we strongly encourage applications from people with these identities or who are members of other marginalized communities.
Roles & Responsibilities
- Own communications strategy: the development and dissemination through various channels: website, social media, op-eds, events etc.
- Develop marketing and branding strategy including communications materials, and social media management
- Develop and implement communications strategies that effectively communicate impact and increase the organization's visibility
- Identify relevant organizations (emerging food brands, associations, NGOs, coalitions, etc.) to collaborate with through mutually beneficial content to reach broader audiences
- Analyze impact data to adjust and improve communications strategies
- Manage website and social media
- Manage and develop a comprehensive social media presence
- Create a comms calendar of events for organization, including conferences and notable holidays to plan content for
- Assess user journey and update website design
- Analyze user data and adjust design accordingly
- Promote work of partners, Advisors, and Directors to build a sense of community
- Support communications to funders and potential funders
- Draft quarterly newsletters/updates for funders
- Develop and/or update all funder-facing materials; develop materials to sell FCL services
- Develop and/or update supporting materials, outreach materials and other written donor/prospect communications
- Support Executive Director in developing the Annual Impact Report
- Write and send bi-weekly Snippets reports to the Board of Directors and Board of Advisors, with support from the Project Manager
- Look for new avenues of sharing FCL’s work.
- Research award opportunities
- Serve as key relationship manager with PR firm to strategize op-eds, story pitches, speaking engagements, or media interviews for Directors
- Research and vet speaking opportunities for Directors to promote FCL
- Time permitting, complete or assist in the completion of research and writing projects in support of the endeavors of FCL. May include but not limited to promotional materials, reports, and publications.
Required Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree in marketing, advertising, public relations, communications, business, or related field;
- 2-3 years of highly relevant, full-time work experience;
- Strong design skills and experience working with Squarespace and Canva;
- Ability to assess campaigns and channels and identify and act on insights;
- Outstanding attention to detail and organizational skills;
- The ability to work independently to solve problems;
- Strong proofreading and editing skills;
- Excellent organizational and time management skills including the ability to manage multiple channels and prioritize responsibilities with professionalism and efficiency;
- Demonstrated ability to craft strong social media and email text and graphics;
- Demonstrated graphic design experience and knowledge of graphic design programs;
- Interest in engaging audiences too often ignored by traditional sustainability campaigns and brands, including people of color, and those belonging to rural, low-income, and Indigenous communities;
- Ability to work independently to manage one’s time and meet deadlines; and
- Commitment to working collaboratively with a small team of motivated individuals.
Preferred Qualifications
- Knowledge of food systems issues, and the connection between food, agriculture, and the climate crisis;
- Knowledgeable of human-centered design, equity-centered design, and behavioral design;
- Experience working in nonprofit organizations;
- Experience communicating research findings to a lay audience; and
- Excitement about building a sustainable and healthy future for people and the planet.
In the first 3 months the Comms Lead will…
- Become expert in FCL’s past and present work and outline communication needs for all stakeholders
- Design a comprehensive social media strategy with practical structures for execution
- Develop a newsletter strategy and draft the first newsletter
- Develop a project update “Snippets” newsletter and reporting systems for Advisors and Directors and send out the first Snippet
- Begin plans for a website refresh
- Collaborate with our PR partners
- Copyedit team materials
- Begin to update key FCL pitch decks for potential funders and collaborators
Systems to be used include…
- Canva
- Squarespace
- Hootsuite
- Asana
- Slack
- ConstantContact or MailChimp
- GSuite: Docs, Gmail, Calendar
How to apply: Please include a cover letter outlining why this position is of interest at this point in your career, what prior experiences (personal or professional) qualify you for this work, and why you are personally interested in food and climate issues. Please also include a resume and writing sample (e.g. article, blog post, social media calendar, marketing deck). Please upload this as a single document. Please provide details of two references and indicate whether we can contact them now.
Contact: Gesina Beckert, Gesina@foodforclimateleague.org. Please put “Strategic Communications Lead” in the email subject line.
- Compensation: $35K-$40K depending on experience and qualifications
- Location: Virtual, must be based in the US with a valid work permit.
- Hours: Up to 20 hours a week
- Benefits:
- All federal holidays off
- PTO
- Sick days
- Parental leave
- Personal leave
- Floating holidays
- This position also offers:
- A chance to be at the table with visionary leaders and contribute to pioneering work to help catalyze a global cultural shift toward climate-beneficial eating as the norm.
- Mentorship from a world-class team of female food leaders in different countries, with different skill sets, and a combined track record of effecting widespread change toward healthier, more sustainable food for all.
- Access to the inside dialogue, challenges, innovations, and insights of some of the largest, most influential food companies in the world.
- Up-close experience with the process of growing an early-stage venture.