National Wildlife Federation Agricultural Communications Coordinator

Job Details

Description

Founded in 1936, the National Wildlife Federation has grown into America's largest and most trusted grassroots conservation organization with 52 state/territorial affiliates and more than six million members and supporters, including hunters, anglers, gardeners, birders, hikers, campers, paddlers, etc.  The mission of the National Wildlife Federation is to unite all Americans to ensure wildlife thrive in our rapidly changing world.  The organization's programs focus on conserving wildlife, restoring habitat and waterways, expanding outdoor opportunities, connecting children with nature, and addressing the causes and consequences of climate change.

We are seeking an Agricultural Communications Coordinator to join our team.  Our Sustainable Agriculture Program works with agricultural communities to break down the cultural barriers to adoption of sustainable agriculture practices. The program works from a ground-up approach, directly working with farmers and ranchers, as well as conservation outreach professionals. We provide communications and message training to better equip innovators with the skills to reach non-adopters. NWF works with other leading conservation organizations through coalitions and multi-stakeholder partnerships to advance support for sustainable agriculture production, sourcing and financing.

As our Agricultural Communications Coordinator you will contribute to NWF's efforts to advance agricultural sustainability through promotion of soil health and conservation systems. As part of the sustainable agriculture team, you will lead efforts to improve messaging delivery and engagement across the country through trainings, meeting facilitation, and development of communication guidance for farmers and conservation professionals. Your primary responsibilities will include conducting training workshops as part of the “Grow More” and “Conservation Champions” Programs, planning and organizing meetings, and increasing awareness of NWF programs and social science research through social and traditional media platforms. You will also assist in other tasks related to the sustainable agriculture program, including: fundraising, grant writing, developing factsheets, surveys, and other assigned projects.

You will report directly to the Conservation Outreach Manager, and work in conjunction with the rest of the Sustainable Agriculture team based in the Midwest and our broader agriculture team, based in the Midwest and Washington D.C. to develop and implement administrative and training assistance to support our programmatic efforts. The preferred location of this position is Ann Arbor, MI, however placement in New Orleans, LA or other regional office is possible.

In this roll you will:

• Assist in providing trainings and guidance to conservation outreach professionals and producers, including development of messaging and communications strategies
• Take the lead in managing the sustainable agriculture team’s web and social media presence to increase awareness of programs, establish the team’s leadership in sustainable agriculture outreach, and increase awareness of supporting research in the social and behavioral sciences to the public and agricultural community
• Write blogs, reports, op-eds and publications to increase understanding and awareness of programs and messaging approach
• Plan and schedule internal and external meetings, create agendas, gather information and resources for future meetings, attend meetings and take care of follow-up needs with partners
• Assist with developing communication guidance based in social science and behavioral change science for internal and external audiences
• Assist in other sustainable agriculture program tasks including developing factsheets, surveys, and other assigned projects
• Assist in grant writing and pursue fundraising opportunities for sustainable agriculture programs

Qualifications:

• Excellent public speaking skills and comfort in front of crowds
• Experience and comfort organizing and sharing stories through social media platforms
• Experience working with agricultural communities. Experience in southern agricultural systems and/or experience with historically underserved producer groups a plus.
• Written communication skills and ability to translate complex information into easily understood information
• Demonstrates awareness of group identities and consistently brings a high level of self-awareness and empathy to interactions
• Interpersonal communication skills; proactively builds and sustains robust, authentic, productive working relationships with colleagues and community partners across race and other group identities
• Ability to multitask and prioritize work
• Self-starter, ability to work independently within a team context
• Proficient in Microsoft Office Suite, Google Drive, Dropbox, and Zoom
• At least 2 years professional experience in communications, agriculture, outreach/education, and/or program implementation

This role includes regular travel (12-15 trips/year) that is required within the Mississippi River Basin, Great Lakes, and/or Washington, DC. This is dependent on COVID safety guidelines.

NWF Values:

Your actions are expected to reflect the staff values of the National Wildlife Federation: collaboration, mindfulness, empowerment, inclusivity, and mission focus.  Your competencies should include:

• Being motivated by values of equity and responsibility to those most marginalized;
• Consistently bringing a high level of empathy and social skills to work and interpersonal interactions;
• Being committed to deepening an environmental justice approach in policy priorities, program development and partner engagement;
• Actively seeks feedback, direction, and guidance from all team members and keeps staff informed of decisions that impact them;
• Being dedicated to advancing NWF’s internal equity transformation and compelling partners and allies to incorporate equity into their work; and
• Passion for and commitment to NWF's mission

Compensation and Benefits

This position pays $46,000 – $50,000 (commensurate with experience and skill set).  The starting salary will not be set outside of this range, so please consider this when applying.

The National Wildlife Federation values work-life balance and a family-friendly atmosphere.  Our paid time-off includes 3 weeks of vacation leave, open wellbeing leave, 10 paid holidays, 3 floating holidays, a week-long winter break, and additional leave options, per year.  In addition, our benefits package includes medical, dental, and vision insurance, company paid life insurance, AD&D, short- and long-term disability, 16 weeks of paid FMLA leave, 403b retirement plan with employer matching and annual contribution, adoption benefits, and flexible work options including telecommuting, non-traditional work hours, and compressed work weeks.  Applicants are invited to learn more about National Wildlife Federation’s benefits package at https://www.nwf.org/About-Us/Careers.

Application:

Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis.  Candidates should submit both a cover letter and resume. Applications will not be considered without both a cover letter and a resume. Please submit application by 10/31/2021.

For full job description and to apply, visit here. 

We strive to increase diversity, equity, inclusion and justice (DEIJ) in all elements of our work and with our partners to support the interdependent needs of wildlife and people in a rapidly changing world. We recruit, employ, train compensate, and promote regardless of race, religion, creed, national origin, ancestry, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, gender identity (including gender nonconformity and status as a transgender individual), age, physical or mental disability, citizenship, genetic information, past, current, or prospective service in the uniformed services, or any other characteristic protected under applicable federal, state, or local law. We are proud to be an equal opportunity employer. Applicants are invited to learn more about National Wildlife Federation’s commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion at nwf.org/equity.

If you have a disability and require an accommodation or assistance with our online application process, please tell us how we can help by calling us at 703-438-6244.

The requirements listed in our job descriptions are guidelines, not hard and fast rules, and if you have 75% of the qualifications listed we encourage you to apply.  Your experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work, which helps build the competencies, knowledge, and skills that translates directly to our openings.  Applying gives you the opportunity to be considered.

If selected for this position, a background check will be conducted.