Communications Officer

ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability USA, Inc. is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Women, Black, Indigenous and People of Color, veterans, and members of the LGBTQ+ and other underrepresented groups are strongly encouraged to apply.

About ICLEI 

ICLEI-Local Governments for Sustainability (ICLEI) is the first and largest global network of more than 2,500 local and regional governments devoted to solving the world’s most intractable sustainability challenges. The worldwide network is active in 125+ countries, focused on influencing sustainability policies and driving local action across five key pathways: low emissions, resilient, equitable, people-centered,  nature-based, and circular development.

As the USA Office of the global ICLEI network, ICLEI USA develops and delivers leading-edge tools and resources, including its state-of-the-art emissions-management tool, ClearPath Climate Planner, to support local governments in their climate change efforts. Our standards, tools, and programs credibly, transparently, and robustly reduce greenhouse gas emissions, improve lives and livelihoods and protect natural resources in the U.S. communities we serve. ICLEI USA and our network partners are working to keep 1.5 ℃ alive through a data-driven approach and focus on just and equitable communities.

About Our Members

Local government members (cities, counties, towns, and Tribal nations) are the core of our organization.  This network of government professionals are the catalysts for a movement toward deep reductions in carbon pollution and tangible improvements in sustainability and resilience. For over 35 years, ICLEI USA has partnered with our members to reduce emissions and become healthier, stronger, and more prepared.

About You

You’re deeply committed to solving the climate crisis and recognize the inequities in our society and believe that effective communication is essential to addressing both. You have a track record of producing crisp, engaging, and fact-checked communications products — such as case studies, data visualizations, social media posts, blog posts or videos — and consider the audience in your storytelling. You have an interest in local government sustainability and climate action and the way in which cities and counties engage residents and businesses. You have working knowledge of climate communications or might be a graduate student studying climate communications, communications, or marketing and excited about where your education will take you, especially with experience at an organization like ICLEI USA.

The Opportunity

We are seeking a full-time Communications Officer to support ICLEI USA and our member governments with engaging content, new visualizations of ICLEI USA data, and an improved online presence under the supervision and guidance of the Senior Communications Officer. Regular deliverables include digital design tasks and/or content-development tasks as well as other assigned duties.

Job Responsibilities 

ICLEI USA works with more than 500 cities, towns, and counties to measure, track, plan, and implement climate and sustainability goals. Our Communications Pillar is oriented around telling the story of our member governments, both individually and as a network, and of our organization. 

• Support updates to www.icleiusa.org. We seek to update our website, hosted on WordPress and supported by the Divi Builder development console. Under the supervision of the Senior Communications Officer, the Officer would complete these tasks and others as requested:

• Upload blogs to CityTalk USA, resources, and project sheets
• Update pages 
• Upload media resources
• Co-create resources, such as blogs and video content 

• • Contribute to ICLEI USA Resources and Network Communications. Over our nearly 35-year history, ICLEI USA has produced guidebooks, case studies, templates, and much more. Many of these remain industry standards but need a design update. The Officer will refresh these resources in ways that are engaging and appealing, often using Canva and Adobe Indesign/Illustrator for design. Working under the direction of the Senior Communications Officer, the Officer will contribute to and draft:
    • Twice-monthly newsletter (using MailChimp)
    • Regular blog posts (about twice per month) plus social media posts several times per week, including creating social graphics for Twitter, Instagram or Linkedin 
    • Case stories highlighting ICLEI cities and the organization (about monthly)
    • Update ICLEI templates, including slide decks, member support materials
    • Assist with reporting to the ICLEI global organization
    • Engage with press and media outlets to tell the story of local government action

• Design final Reports for Fee for Service Projects

From greenhouse gas inventories to climate action plans, the Officer will support the development of high-quality products for our members. Under the supervision of the Senior Communications Officer, the Officer will:

• Transfer content into templates (Canva, Google Docs, etc)
• Design graphics to communicate data
• Develop templates for future fee for service projects 
• Ensure formatting and branding are consistent
• Support writing and editing 

• Track impact

You’ll keep the ICLEI USA Communications Pillar updated through a quarterly brief on city-scale sustainability issues, trends, and research and provide analytics tracking for ICLEI communications, including social media reach, newsletter opens, and website traffic data.

Location

This is a fully remote position available to those legally authorized to work in the United States.

Position Requirements:

• Bachelor’s degree in Communications, Marketing, or Science Communication with a strong interest in climate and sustainability communications
  • Preferred at least 3  years of communications experience
• Experience with or aptitude for graphic design, use of publishing software, and/or content development (Canva, Illustrator, InDesign experience preferred)
• Excellent writing and verbal communications skills. Journalistic experience is a plus.
• Experience with newsletter development; experience with MailChimp is preferred
• Experience with website management; experience with WordPress is preferred
• Ability to manage multiple projects and meet deadlines in a remote, collaborative work environment.

Desired Qualifications

• Experience with ADA compliance in digital content to ensure accessibility for all user.
• Experience with HTML coding for website management and making basic updates or adjustments to website content.
• Experience with video editing or multimedia content creation is a plus.

Indicators of Success

1 Month

• Completed onboarding and gained familiarity with ICLEI USA’s mission, tools, and processes.
• Uploaded initial website content, created a social media post with visuals, and contributed to a newsletter draft.
• Established communication routines with the Senior Communications Officer.

2 Months

• Published regular blog and social media posts and delivered initial design updates for resources.
• Created templates for new communications deliverables.
• Began tracking and reporting communications metrics.

6 Months

• Consistently delivered newsletters, blogs, and social media updates on schedule.
• Completed two design refresh projects and created graphics for fee-for-service reports.
• Presented a quarterly communications brief with insights and analytics.
• Made significant updates to the ICLEI USA website.

1 Year

• Built a portfolio of engaging content, refreshed resources, and well-designed reports.
• Improved ICLEI USA’s online presence, increasing website traffic and social media reach.
• Demonstrated leadership by implementing a new communications strategy or tool.
• Established a streamlined process for metrics tracking and analytics.

Compensation and Application Process

This is a virtual position, reporting to the Senior Communications Officer, and is open to individuals legally authorized to work in the United States. The salary range for this position is $65,000 – $70,000, depending on the applicant’s experience and location. We offer a benefits package, including an organization dental and health plan, Simple IRA with 3% employer match, a generous paid-time off policy,  and the opportunity to work with leading global city climate action experts. This position offers opportunities for growth, professional networking, and learning.  ICLEI USA honors a “quiet Friday” work environment to provide team members with focus time. Our offices are closed the last two weeks of December and major holidays.

 

To apply, send a cover letter, resume, two writing samples, and two design samples to ICLEI USA (iclei-usa@iclei.org) by Dec 16, 2024, using the subject line: “Communications Officer”. Interviews with potential candidates will be scheduled on a rolling basis. The position has an anticipated start date of early January 2025.

Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Equal Employment Opportunity

ICLEI is an equal opportunity employer.  We celebrate the diversity of our team, which is critical to our success. Studies from Harvard Business Review and others have shown that women, people of color, and other under-represented groups are less likely to apply for jobs unless they believe they are able to perform every task in the job description. Therefore, ICLEI encourages you to think broadly about how to apply your experience and skills to the role.