Communications Manager
The Communications Manager supervises all aspects of the Mountains to Sound Greenway Trust’s communications program to promote our work, and to expand public support for and public engagement in the newly designated Mountains to Sound Greenway National Heritage Area. The Communications Manager is specifically responsible for developing and implementing branding and communication strategies for the Greenway Trust, the new National Heritage Area, and related Greenway initiatives. The Communications Manager supervises a Communications Coordinator and works closely with colleagues and partners to produce, curate, and share compelling stories with our large and growing audience.
The right candidate has a passion for developing authentic brand and communications strategies that help boost the impact of a mission-driven organization. This position is ideal for a creative, collaborative, and mission-driven person who embraces both strategy and implementation, and who relishes the challenge of being part of a small organization with big stories to share. The Communications Manager is a full-time position with professional development opportunities within the organization.
The Mountains to Sound Greenway Trust has a unique and influential voice in the region’s environmental community as a coalition-based organization that bridges differences and emphasizes common ground. The Greenway Trust partners closely with a wide array of government, business, nonprofit, and citizen groups who span the region’s geographic, political, and social spectrum. Our voice and actions reflect our values as an organization: trusted, inclusive, collaborative, positive, pragmatic, and impactful.
PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES
- Design and implement a brand and communications strategy for the Mountains to Sound Greenway Trust, including promotion of the new Greenway National Heritage Area. Provide leadership for planning and implementation of a new interpretive plan.
- Design and implement complementary communications strategies to promote other major Greenway initiatives and programs such as Savor Snoqualmie Valley, Upper Yakima Basin collaborative work, environmental education, and habitat restoration.
- Supervise Communications Coordinator: Guide and oversee work of the Communications Coordinator who produces much of the Greenway’s communications content. Provide mentorship for professional development.
- Lead Communications Program, including:
- Content creation and publication schedules: With support of the Communications Coordinator, ensure stories are created, curated and distributed through digital and print channels according to an editorial calendar and brand guidelines.
- Manage external communications support: Manage relationships and contracts for external communications support, e.g., public relations firms, freelance writers/photographers.
- Cultivate strong media relations: Work with the media to strengthen the Greenway Trust’s reputation for thoughtful, positive leadership. Maintain strong press contacts and increase coverage of Greenway stories.
- Use analytics to adapt and refine communications strategies: Establish appropriate performance measures for Greenway communications and, with support from the Communications Coordinator, ensure accountability for desired results.
- Serve as a brand champion and steward: Ensure consistent branding and communications styles across all programs and platforms. Provide clear internal standards, parameters, and training for staff, volunteers, and coalition members. Refine and enforce design guidelines.
Other Responsibilities
- Promote membership and donations: Ensure that branding and communications strategies support and amplify the work of other staff, including the Executive Director, Development Director and board leaders to encourage membership and financial support of the Greenway Trust.
- Serve as spokesperson and ambassador: Represent the Greenway Trust at outreach and community events as needed.
- Build and maintain communications partnerships: Work with peers in partner organizations to identify and act on opportunities for joint or cross-posted communications content.
- Other tasks as assigned.
REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS
- Passion for mission: Passion for the mission of the Greenway Trust and its values of being trusted, inclusive, collaborative, positive, pragmatic, and impactful.
- Brand development and communications strategy: Experience developing brand and communications strategies that raise awareness of and support for an organization’s work.
- Communications program management: Experience leading or doing multiple essential functions of a communications program, such as producing content, distributing content through digital and print channels, maintaining editorial calendar, and tracking/reporting on analytics and metrics.
- Organization and initiative: Strong organizational skills and personal initiative, with demonstrated ability to prioritize and deliver on multiple tasks, and to set and meet deadlines.
- Leadership and Teamwork: Experience as both a leader and a team member, and ability to work with a wide range of individuals and organizations in a variety of settings.
- Communications: Effective personal and professional communications skills, especially writing and editing skills, and ability to communicate complex issues for general audiences.
- Technology: Proficiency with Microsoft Office, website management (WordPress preferred), and social media platforms.
- Willingness to learn: About issues that the Greenway Trust works on, about partners we work with, and how to use specialized technology tools (e.g., Salesforce, Campaign Monitor, Form Assembly, Adobe Creative Suite).
DESIRED QUALIFICATIONS
- Bachelor’s degree or equivalent work experience in communications, marketing, public relations, journalism, public policy, or related field.
- Proficiency in additional language(s) (written/spoken) a plus.
REPORTS TO | Executive Director
COMPENSATION
The expected salary range for this position is $52,000-$65,000 and includes excellent medical, vacation, transit, and retirement benefits.
WORK SCHEDULE
Full-time position, works Monday – Friday, including occasional weekends and evenings.
WORK LOCATION
The primary work location is at the Greenway Trust office in downtown Seattle with travel as needed to sites throughout the Greenway for meetings, presentations, and events.
TO APPLY
Email cover letter, resume, references, and any materials you wish to share that are related to your qualifications to: apply@mtsgreenway.org.
The Greenway Trust is committed to providing equal opportunity for all employees and applicants without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, sex, age, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity? disability, political affiliation, personal appearance, family responsibilities, matriculation or any other characteristic protected under federal, state or local law. Each person is evaluated on the basis of personal skill and merit.
ABOUT THE MOUNTAINS TO SOUND GREENWAY TRUST
The Mountains to Sound Greenway Trust leads and inspires action to conserve and enhance the landscape from Seattle across the Cascade Mountains to Central Washington, ensuring a long-term balance between people and nature. Our coalition of community members, businesses, government agencies, and donors is joined together by the ethos that when we have meaningful connections with our natural surroundings, we are healthier and happier, our communities are stronger and more equitable; our lives are better.
Nearly thirty years of collaboration and hard work have tested and strengthened the vision of the Mountains to Sound Greenway. We have proven to this region and the rest of the nation that collaborative conservation, pursued by a broad-based and inclusive coalition of partners, can effect positive change. The Greenway Trust is committed to leveraging continued positive change as the coordinating entity for the newly designated Mountains to Sound Greenway National Heritage Area. Learn more: www.mtsgreenway.org