Associate Director, Communication

American Rivers • Washington, DC

5d • $65,000 - $73,200 • Remote

About The Position

American Rivers is a national conservation organization working to make every river clean and healthy for people and wildlife. We combine evidence-based solutions with enduring partnerships to safeguard the 4.4 million miles of rivers and streams that are essential to our nation’s clean drinking water, extraordinary wildlife, and the strength of our communities. For more than 50 years, our staff, supporters, and partners have been driven by a common belief: Life Depends on Rivers. The beauty of rivers is that they connect all people and communities – including within our organization. The life experiences, knowledge, innovation, and talent that different people bring to our work provides perspectives, experiences, and competencies which are critical to our effectiveness in protecting wild rivers, restoring damaged rivers, and conserving clean water for people and nature.

The Associate Director of Communications develops and executes communications strategies in close collaboration with our national and regional teams. This includes creative storytelling, media outreach, content development, and working with partners and coalitions to advance our river conservation and communications goals.

Requirements

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• 3 years of relevant experience in conservation, marketing, communication or journalism.
• Demonstrated ability to manage complex project timelines and coordinate multiple campaign efforts.
• Experience with digital content production tools.
• Interest and willingness to experiment with new tactics in the evolving communications landscape.
• Experience or interest in working with journalists at the local and national level.
• Ability and willingness to travel regionally and nationally, including occasional off-hours or field work as needed.
• Comfort prioritizing work in high-pace environments and willingness to meet regular, often variable deadlines.
• Candidates who are unsure if they meet all minimum qualifications or who have transferrable skills and experience beyond the conservation sector are encouraged to apply.

Responsibilities

• Develop and implement media and communications strategies to build support for healthy rivers and clean water among key audiences in the assigned regions.
• Lead storytelling efforts by developing and distributing content that supports our priority projects and public engagement efforts. This includes blogs, social media posts, newsletter content, action alerts, factsheets, photos, video, and other materials.
• Build and maintain strong working relationships with members of the media, coordinate spokespeople, draft press statements and talking points, respond to outreachand help implement rapid-response communications.
• Work closely with the broader communications and marketing team to ensure consistency of brand, voice, messaging, and coordination.
• Track and analyze metrics to evaluate communications and public engagement effectiveness and inform adjustments.
• Manage content calendars, deadlines, budgets for communications projects; support contract/consultant management as needed.

Benefits

• Health and Wellness: Medical, dental, vision, long-term and short-term disability, and life insurance.
• Financial Security: After one year of service, American Rivers begins contributing a 3% employer contribution. There is no vesting schedule for employer contributions as employees are 100% vested upon participation.
• Time Off: Four weeks of paid leave, eleven paid holidays, three floating holidays, and sick leave.
• At American Rivers, we are committed to supporting our employee’s well-being, professional growth, and financial security, ensuring they can thrive both at work and in life.
• At American Rivers, our core values drive everything we do – we Lead with Collaboration and Trust, Infuse Equity and Justice, Deliver Results, and Ensure Staff and Volunteers Thrive.
• We are committed to fostering a workplace where employees feel valued, supported, and empowered to make a difference. Our culture prioritizes work-life thriving through Focus Fridays (no internal meetings), professional development opportunities, a home office stipend and our comprehensive leave policies, including sabbatical leave (every seven years) and paid parental leave (six weeks w/ one year of service). We also ensure leadership stays connected to staff needs through an internal advisory group, fostering open communication and continuous improvement.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Director
• Education Level: No Education Listed