Communications Officer

About

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. We shine a light on what can be achieved when governments, businesses, non-profits, and communities come together. IISD’s staff of more than 270 experts come from across the globe and from many disciplines. With offices in Winnipeg, Geneva, Ottawa, and Toronto, our work affects lives in more than 100 countries.

About the Position

We are seeking a dynamic and experienced Communications Officer with a talent for making complex ideas accessible to wider audiences. You are a strong organizer and multi-tasker with excellent writing and editing skills, proficiency in digital media, and a keen interest in and knowledge of sustainable development issues, ideally those related to food, agriculture, and/or trade. You will report to ELP’s Communications Manager and be supported by a team of communications specialists. You will work regularly with IISD’s project managers, researchers, and other experts devoted to agriculture and sustainability standards.

Responsibilities:

Creative Content

• Coordinate the production of a wide array of written communications materials, including press releases, articles, social media posts, newsletters, and other content that make IISD’s work accessible to both expert and non-expert audiences. This may include drafting and editing content.
• Inform, project manage, and implement communications plans for a broad range of projects, reports, campaigns, and events. This includes cooperating with internal and external stakeholders, ensuring timelines are adhered to, monitoring and evaluation, and reporting.
• In consultation with a communications manager, help to shape new communications strategies.
• Regularly share program work and collaborate with IISD’s core communications team to ensure alignment on key messaging and amplification of programmatic expertise in broader, organization-wide communications activities. Contribute to a shared editorial calendar.
• Communicate with IISD’s donors to show how their support has made an impact.
• Track current events related to specific workstreams 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.
• Conduct event-related outreach and oversee post-event follow-up (i.e., uploading webinar recordings to YouTube, sending thank-you emails, etc.).
• Inform the social media strategy and manage all active social media accounts, ensuring posts are relevant, timely, engaging, and targeted to the needs and interests of key audiences. This may include 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.

Media Outreach

• Engage with journalists and influencers, with a focus on relationship building, to secure targeted coverage for IISD research and initiatives in key outlets. Build media lists; maintain and update databases of media contacts.
• Draft, edit, and disseminate press releases, media briefings, and email pitches for reporters and editors. Draft or support other staff in writing and placing op-eds, letters to the editor, etc.
• Facilitate media training for IISD experts in advance of speaking to the press.
• Conduct media monitoring on a regular basis for assigned areas of work. Provide reports on media coverage and digital performance using Agility PR, Google Analytics, and other available platforms.
• Support media training for IISD experts in advance of speaking to the press.

Digital Strategy

• Working within content management systems such as Drupal or WordPress, upload and edit content for websites, adhering to IISD guidelines. Review program-relevant pages on IISD websites and micro-sites for timeliness and updates as needed.
• Working closely with IISD’s digital project manager, 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.

Internal Processes

• Ensure brand coherence and compliance with existing IISD communications practices.
• 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:

• Bachelor’s degree in journalism, communications, public relations, public policy, or a related social science discipline. A master’s degree is preferable but not required.
• 3–5 years of relevant professional experience in journalism, public relations, or corporate communications, preferably related to public policy.
• Excellent English verbal and written communication skills, other languages are an asset.
• A demonstrated understanding of issues related to sustainable development. A background related to agriculture, trade, and/or sustainability standards is an asset.
• A high level of computer literacy; must be able to work in Word, Excel, and PowerPoint (InDesign and Photoshop are an asset).
• 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.

Position Details

Location:  Canada, where IISD has offices in Winnipeg, Ottawa, or Toronto. Remote locations will be considered in EST and CST time zones.

**Candidates must have the authorization to work in Canada during the time of their employment with IISD. IISD is not able to sponsor work permits.**

Salary: $50,000–$62,000 CAD Annually (based on experience and location)

Term of employment: Full-time

Duration: Indefinite

Application deadline: April 9, 2024

Start Date: immediate opportunity

Application Procedure

Applications will only be accepted through Bamboo HR. Please include the following:

• A CV (no longer than two pages)
• A cover letter (one page)
• IISD Voluntary Self-Identification Questionnaire
• All submissions must be in English.

Only those candidates we wish to interview will be contacted. Resumes will be kept on file for one year.

Selected candidates will be asked to submit a written test and be interviewed by IISD.

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.

Keywords

CommunicationsPublic RelationsSustainable DevelopmentAgricultureTradeSustainabilityMediaSocial MediaDigital StrategyJournalismPublic Policy