Position Summary
In the three years since it was founded, the Environmental Data and Governance Initiative (EDGI) has made a significant contribution to tracking and analyzing changes to federal environmental data and identifying infrastructures for a more just environmental governance. We’ve informed over 200 news articles, testified in Congress, and organized nation-wide networked public events. As we go forward, we are looking for a communications professional to help increase the effectiveness and public impact of our work. You will help develop and implement EDGI’s communications strategy, build relationships with partners and agencies, and communicate our work to policy-makers and the wider public.
This is a part-time contract position for 20 hours/week. The position will run from Sept 1, 2019 to April 30, 2020, with the possibility of renewal subject to funding.
About EDGI
The Environmental Data & Governance Initiative (EDGI) is an international network of caring and committed members, primarily volunteers, from more than 30 different academic institutions and 10 non-profit or grassroots organizations, as well as a broad spectrum of other work and life backgrounds. We analyze federal environmental data, websites, institutions, and policy with the aim of improving environmental data stewardship and promoting environmental health and environmental justice. We work in collaboration with other organizations and communities concerned about climate change, science policy, good governance, and environmental and data justice.
EDGI Working Groups:
- Monitor changes to tens of thousands of web pages across U.S. federal agencies (such as the Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Energy) to trace how environmental data, information, and their presentation change.
- Interview long-time federal employees to provide a human and nuanced perspective on impacts of the current administration on agencies.
- Run public campaigns on and analyze environmental, energy, and climate policy and regulation, focusing on changes in agencies’ governance of scientific information and data.
- Develop community-driven processes for archiving, stewarding, and sharing data (especially environmental data), with the aim of building just and sustainable relationships between data and communities.
- Recognize the many conflicting justice concerns that data manifests and aim to bring together research communities to struggle together across these differences with a commitment to intersectional justice.
About the Position
Purpose
As Communications Coordinator, you will develop and implement EDGI’s communications strategy, seeking out new spaces and opportunities for building and strengthening relationships with public and nonprofit organizations, as well as policy-makers. You will work hand-in-hand with EDGI’s working groups to communicate their work to a broad audience. You will work in collaboration with volunteers to develop and maintain EDGI’s social media presence through its website, blog, Twitter, and Facebook.
Job Duties and Responsibilities
- Collaboratively develop and implement the organization’s communications plan; regularly propose, integrate, and evaluate new communications strategies/ideas.
- Maintain an understanding of EDGI issues, mission, and values in order to help craft and implement strategic communications plans for specific projects.
- Consult with working groups to develop specific communication strategies relevant to their projects.
- Cultivate and maintain relationships with partner organizations, institutions, and policy-makers.
- Proactively engage news media on environmental data and governance issues; serve as initial contact for major media inquiries.
- Collaboratively draft, edit, proofread, and publish blog posts in a time-sensitive manner and in keeping with EDGI’s communications protocol.
- Develop content material (such as press releases, op-eds, FAQs).
In collaboration with volunteers:
- Increase EDGI’s visibility and proactivity on social media, particularly Twitter, Facebook.
- Develop a communication calendar based on upcoming events and the activities of each working group along with any relevant external events and news.
- Edit and maintain website content for a general audience.
- Extend existing databases (e.g., media tracking database).
- Keep membership current with EDGI news.
Location
Fully remote, with opportunity to travel as needed.
Term
The Communications Coordinator will work approximately 20 hours per week. This is a contracted position without employment benefits (as a contractor with our fiscal sponsor, Public Lab) from Sept 1, 2019 to April 30, 2020, with the possibility of renewal subject to funding. The first month of the contract will be considered a trial period.
Salary: $ 35/hr.
Qualifications and skills we are looking for
- Bachelor’s degree in communications, journalism, or related field preferred, but candidates with significant agency, policy, and/or non-profit experience and degrees in natural or physical sciences, environmental studies, citizen science, public health, public policy or other relevant fields will be considered.
- Three or more years of experience in communications and advocacy roles.
- Experience in audience engagement through social media.
- Knowledge of the environmental and climate change media landscape and strong contacts with media networks.
- Knowledge of, and contacts within, environmental policy and advocacy networks.
- Working knowledge of the current global debates on environmental and climate justice and citizen science, and strong interest in working on these issues.
- Non-profit experience.
- Excellent written and verbal communication in English. Spanish is a plus.
- Experience with data collection and media analysis.
- Experience in remote collaboration and communication; comfort working remotely with colleagues in multiple time-zones via Slack, Zoom, and other online tools.
Personal / interpersonal:
- Strong organizational skills with the ability to multitask and meet deadlines.
- Ability to take initiative and anticipate team needs, working without a manager.
- Comfort working both independently and in teams; able to lead initiatives as well as take direction from others.
- Ability to work collaboratively and non-hierarchically.
- Adherence to policies and procedures; support for EDGI’s mission, vision, and values, which include justice; environmental and human health; intersectionality; anti-facism, anti-racism, and anti-oppression; accessibility; participatory knowledge-making; and responsivity and proactivity.
Application Process
We will begin considering applications on July 22nd, with an anticipated start date of September 1st. Please email applications to edgi.hiring@gmail.com by 11:59 pm on July 21st, 2019 with:
- A resume or CV.
- A cover letter outlining why you are a good fit for the position.
- Digital Portfolio of your communications work. We’d love to hear about one (or more) successful communication campaign you worked on, including its goals, strategy, and metrics for success. Specific example materials such as tweets, graphics, or reports are encouraged. Please highlight how you were involved and why you consider it a success.
Shortlisted candidates will be asked for contact information for three references. Interviews will be held in early August. The position will remain open until filled.
EDGI strives to acknowledge and reduce barriers for members of equity-seeking groups through fair hiring practices and enaction of its values. We expect everyone to follow our Code of Conduct and principles of friendliness, respect, empathy, and open communication.
EDGI is a distributed collaboration operating under the fiscal sponsorship of the non-profit, Public Lab, with volunteer members across North America.
Public Lab is committed to a diverse, multicultural work environment. We encourage people with different ability sets, people of color, and people of diverse sexual orientations, gender expressions, and identities to apply.