ABOUT THE COMMUNITY ENVIRONMENTAL COUNCIL:

For more than fifty years, Community Environmental Council (CEC) has catalyzed climate action on California’s Central Coast. From opening one the nation’s first community recycling centers and helping to pass California’s recycling law (the first in the nation), to pioneering hazardous waste collection and installing water bottle refill stations, to publishing the nation’s first carbon neutrality plans and Santa Barbara County’s Food Action Plan, CEC has always been on the leading edge of solutions to the climate crisis. That’s why in 2020 we were named California Nonprofit of the Year.

Over the last year, CEC has sharpened its focus to advance rapid and equitable solutions to the climate crisis. We added programs to better include communities traditionally left out or left behind on climate solutions. We grew our geographic reach, and are now actively engaging in Ventura, Santa Barbara, and San Luis Obispo counties.

The CEC Communications Team is the internal agency that tells the stories of this work across a broad range of mediums and audiences.We seek a dynamic, self-motivated, “Swiss army knife” communications professional to join our growing team in our new downtown Santa Barbara State Street headquarters–a community-centered Environmental Hub.

The Director of Communications and Marketing thinks strategically, oversees production details, and implements impactful communications that resonate with our audiences. In this position, you will produce high-quality content that engages our core constituents, and welcomes new audiences in. Main responsibilities will include developing and managing CEC’s outreach, leading the production of all print and digital material, and internal and external relationship management–with staff, vendor partners, volunteers, and more. The ideal candidate will be inspired by working for a purpose-driven organization and passionate about the environment and climate change action.

ABOUT THE POSITION:

The CEC Communications Team is the internal agency that tells the stories of this work across a broad range of mediums and audiences. The Director of Communications & Marketing (DCM) plays a lead role in defining communications and marketing strategies and maintaining cohesive messaging and brand fidelity across all CEC programs and departments.The DCM is responsible for the strategic development, day-to-day management, and administrative oversight of the Communications Department and is a member of CEC’s executive leadership team.

In consultation with the CEO/Executive Director, the DCM recruits and retains high caliber staff, consultants, and outside agency partners to drive progress on goals and objectives consistent with CEC’s mission and strategic plan. This includes developing and implementing equitable, inclusive, and effective strategic communications programs and projects across all programs; partnering with the development staff to ensure consistent and compelling fundraising campaigns; collaborating with the Director of Climate Justice on language access and language justice is prioritized and operationalized and, delivering meaningful mission-centered strategies across all program areas; focusing on a strong fiscal and organizational structure , and overseeing all matters relating to the department.

Primary Responsibilities:

• Create and implement an annual communications plan. Track metrics and benchmark against outcomes.
• Provide strategic direction on all communications planning, marketing, materials production (print and digital), media relations activities, social media planning, webinars/events, and website content development with professionalism and awareness of environmental, community, and equity issues.
• Develop communications plans and strategies that effectively demonstrate CEC’s progress/impacts against established metrics and showcase the critical importance of CEC’s work.
• Partner with the CEO/ED, Director of Climate Justice, and key community partners to develop and execute a language access plan to deliver on CEC’s program and project work relative to individuals who are non-English speaking or have limited English proficiency.
• Oversee CEC’s website and social media strategy, including audience targeting, content strategy, paid media, and search engine optimization.
• Collaborate with staff across all CEC programs and departments to develop effective communications strategies that meet stated objectives, and ensure appropriate messaging that builds and sustains CEC’s reputation across the Central Coast region.
• In partnership with the Director of Policy, develop content and execute effective policy outreach and action campaigns. This includes monitoring and reporting on success and recommending adjustments.
• Support the CEO/ED and Director of Development in the creation and execution of communications strategies to support fundraising campaigns and activities with a focus on ensuring brand and message consistency.
• Play a key role in the execution of Santa Barbara’s annual Earth Day festival, advising on communications strategies and overseeing execution of tactics that directly relate to CEC’s key role with the event.
• Lead development and distribution of annual Impact Report.
• Provide strategic leadership, oversight, coaching and guidance to marketing and communications teams, including contractors.
• Play a leadership role in marketing the Environmental Hub, ensuring it is utilized for mission-critical work, and its place in the community is elevated as a resource like no other in the region.
• Develop and manage an annual communications budget, with a focus on tracking expenditures, ensuring effective budget and resource utilization. Work with finance and department peers on budget planning and forecasting.
• Ensure the communications team is utilizing project management tools and file storage resources effectively and in ways that make collaboration more efficient.
• Share CEC’s work with the community, and engage with external partners and community members to improve CEC collaborations with the communities we serve.
• Attend meetings and public events, representing CEC in a positive, professional manner and collecting the data and insights gained so they can be acted on to better serve communities.
• Represent CEC in regional, state or national networks as necessary. May include participation in local government or stakeholder committees, including providing coordination support as needed.
• Attend meetings with consultants, Board, Board Committees, and President's Council gatherings as requested.
• Positively contribute to the culture of the organization with a focus on staff retention.
• Develop and steward strong relationships with vendor partners, and effectively manage budgets and deliverables.

Requirements

Minimum Qualifications:

• BA/BS in Communications, Journalism, Public Relations, or related field, a master's degree is preferred.
• Experience including planning and conducting marketing and communications campaigns for diverse audiences, across a range of communications platforms. Significant experience in a non profit setting is preferred.
• Experience working with diverse audiences, including developing effective communications to reach, engage, and inspire non-English speaking communities.
• Formal training in public relations, website, news, social media writing, and content creation
• Working knowledge of web and social media best practices, as well as current digital marketing trends
• Experience working with and interpreting website and social media analytics tools
• Proficient in Adobe Creative Cloud (Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign)
• Experience with graphic design (via InDesign, Canva, or similar)
• Excellent command of written and verbal English, strong editing skills, and an ability to communicate with a range of audiences
• Demonstrated ability to support planning and coordinating events
• Experience planning and managing complex projects within a project management system (such as Asana) and managing deliverables according to deadlines
• Collaborative style and strong interpersonal skills, including an ability to work in teams and with a range of stakeholders.
• Demonstrated ability to manage and retain high functioning teams that contribute positively to the culture of an organization.

This position will be based out of our office in Santa Barbara, CA.

CEC is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer and does not discriminate based on gender identity, sexual orientation, race, nationality, or physical ability.