The International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) is an award-winning independent think tank working to accelerate solutions for a stable climate, sustainable resource management, and fair economies. Our work inspires better decisions and sparks meaningful action to help people and the planet thrive. With offices in Winnipeg, Geneva, Ottawa, and Toronto, IISD’s staff of more than 250 experts come from across the globe and from many backgrounds.
The Position
The Communications Officer will oversee all of IISD’s digital communication channels, working diligently to ensure a consistent and cohesive voice across these platforms. They will do so in close collaboration with communications professionals throughout the institute while coordinating and managing the editorial content calendar and implementing audience growth strategies with the support of the Senior Communications Manager.
Responsibilities
Creative Content
- Coordinate production of a wide array of written communications materials, including website content, press releases, articles, social media posts, newsletters, and other supporting content that make IISD’s work accessible to both expert and non-expert audiences. This work includes drafting and editing content.
- Collaborate with IISD’s program communications teams on a regular basis to ensure alignment on key messaging and amplification of programmatic expertise in broader, organization-wide communications activities; coordinate and manage the shared editorial calendar.
- Track current events related to sustainable development and communicate these to colleagues, identifying opportunities for further work and/or public engagement.
Public Engagement and Social Media
- Maintain and update lists of newsletter subscribers within platforms such as MailChimp; draft, edit, and distribute newsletters; help to inform and execute an email outreach strategy.
- If needed, conduct event-related outreach and oversee post-event follow-up (i.e., uploading webinar recordings to YouTube, sending thank-you emails, etc.).
- Inform social media strategies and manage all active social media accounts, ensuring posts are relevant, timely, engaging, and targeted to the needs and interests of key audiences. This includes drafting and/or editing posts, organizing promotions, tracking trending topics and hashtags, and regularly monitoring the feeds of partner organizations to identify opportunities for cross-promotion.
Digital Strategy
- Working within content management systems such as Drupal or WordPress, upload and edit content for IISD website, adhering to IISD guidelines and adhering to search engine optimization (SEO) best practices.
- Working closely with IISD’s digital leads, use analytics software to monitor, assess, and report on website traffic and engagement with our digital content, advising where appropriate on opportunities to improve.
- In collaboration with IISD’s design team, manage the production of digital content, including Twitter cards, posters, videos, invitations, simple infographics, presentations, and other conference or workshop materials; retouch and resize images as needed.
- Working with the Senior Communications Manager, create and update a digital communications strategy. This strategy should inform newsletters, social media, website content, webinars and events, Google Analytics, and digital advertising.
Internal Processes
- Ensure brand coherence and compliance with existing IISD communications practices.
- In collaboration with the Senior Communications Manager, support internal communications processes, such as writing the internal newsletter, managing the internal calendar, etc.
- Manage internal processes related to the development and dissemination of communications products, including coordinating feedback from internal and external stakeholders, approvals, and copy editing.
- Maintain strong relationships with program staff to gain a deeper understanding of their research and policy objectives in order to translate their work into key messages that resonate with priority audiences. Provide editorial guidance to IISD’s experts so they have the necessary skills to communicate their work through different channels and act as public ambassadors for IISD.
Required Skills and Qualifications
- 2–5 years of relevant professional experience in communications—ideally at a think tank, non-governmental organization, governmental institution, etc.
- Bachelor’s degree in journalism, communications, public relations, or another relevant discipline.
- Demonstrated interest in issues related to sustainable development and international governance.
- Excellent English verbal and written communication skills; other languages are an asset.
- A high level of computer literacy: must be able to work in Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and MS Teams.
- Basic competence in graphic design software like Adobe Photoshop and InDesign.
- Familiarity with digital communications tools, such as Mailchimp and Sprout Social.
- Experience and comfort working with online content management systems and website monitoring tools (especially WordPress, Drupal, and Google Analytics).
- Strong interpersonal and organizational skills.
- Self-starter, able to work independently as well as within a team.
Location: Ottawa or Toronto
Term: Full-time
Salary: $52,900–$62,900 CAD (based on experience)
Start date: As soon as possible
Closing date: October 22, 2023
Application Procedure
All submissions must be in English.
Applications will only be accepted through Bamboo HR.
- A CV (no longer than two pages)
- A one-page letter of motivation
- IISD Voluntary Self-Identification Questionnaire (optional)
Candidates must hold appropriate work authorization for the location they apply for.
Only those candidates we wish to interview will be contacted. Resumes will be kept on file for one year.
IISD has implemented a COVID-19 Vaccination Policy that requires employees who are required or choose to be at an office or participate in in-person team events or in-person meetings/events to be fully vaccinated. Anyone unable to be fully vaccinated, either because of a sincerely held religious belief or a medical condition or disability that prevents them from being fully vaccinated, can request a reasonable accommodation.
IISD is committed to fostering a more equitable and sustainable world and welcomes candidates who uphold our values of diversity, equity, and inclusion. In addition, to correct the conditions of social injustice and disadvantage in employment around the world, we encourage candidates from historically marginalized groups, including women, Indigenous Peoples, people with disabilities, people from different racial and ethnic backgrounds, and those who identify themselves as 2SLGBTQIA+, to apply for this position. Preference will be given to the equity-deserving groups during the hiring process. We offer reasonable accommodations in our recruitment process and seek applicants' advice on how best to accommodate their needs. Please self-identify and answer our employment equity questionnaire on our applicant tracking system when you apply.
IISD does not discriminate on the basis of age, gender, caste, ethnicity, religion, colour, disability, marital status, pregnancy, gender expression or identity, sexual orientation, or any other legally protected status.