Senior Associate, Communications

About the Organization

ClimateWorks Foundation is a global organization committed to our mission: to end the climate crisis by amplifying the power of philanthropy. Since our founding in 2008, we have awarded over $1.3 billion in grants to more than 600 organizations advancing climate solutions around the world. We helped grow the field of climate philanthropy to where it stands today, establishing infrastructure, global networks, and momentum for continued growth. Through our Global Programs and Services, we equip philanthropy with global knowledge, networks, and solutions to drive climate progress.

• Scaling solutions: Our collaborative Global Programs — focused on solution areas including carbon dioxide removal, cooling, industry, transportation, and more — produce results that are bending the greenhouse gas emissions curve. From the U.S. to Europe, China, Brazil, and beyond, we collaborate with a diverse community of funders, NGOs, and climate leaders to accelerate just and equitable climate solutions.

• Guiding and supporting funders: Our Global Services provide funders with comprehensive resources to assess, build, evolve, and execute high-impact climate-giving strategies. Our Global Intelligence service equips funders and the climate community with climate insights to pinpoint opportunities for impact and philanthropic insights to help identify investment priorities. We facilitate Global Collaborations that enable funders to increase individual and collective impact. Our Global Grantmaking services enable funders to invest in climate solutions around the world.

• Fostering collaboration, exploration, and growth: Our collaborative approach and commitment to learning ensures that we continuously explore innovative ideas and emerging opportunities — all with the aim of scaling philanthropy-supported initiatives to help end the climate crisis.

As experts in climate science, public policy, economic and social analysis, and strategic philanthropy, ClimateWorks’ staff understands the multi-faceted challenges and opportunities of climate change. We are researchers, strategists, collaborators, and grantmakers who care passionately about our mission. For more information, please visit www.climateworks.org.

 

About our Team

Climate change is one of the defining issues of our time – impacting our health, our safety and our livelihoods now and for generations to come. Despite growing awareness and increased public mobilization on this issue, we are not yet on track to contain this threat. But we can be. Humanity has the solutions and the pathways to end this crisis, and collectively we can make this decade be the one for climate action.

Sounds compelling? We think so too. The Marketing and Communications team at ClimateWorks Foundation has a key role to play in building awareness, generating funder interest, and promoting philanthropic collaborations that can help end the climate crisis. We’re a small but mighty team, working to expand the organization’s impact, outreach, and engagement to funders, partners, and grantees globally.

  About the Job

We’re looking for a senior communications associate who is passionate about working to end the climate crisis and create a safe, equitable, and sustainable future. This role reports to the associate director of program marketing and communications.

In this role, you will be assigned a portfolio of programs, acting as the primary communication thought and action partner for program directors and teams who are working in areas like zero-emissions transport, clean industry, and sustainable finance. You will help position our programs as top investments for philanthropy and support them by strategically using communications to achieve their vision and programmatic goals. In doing so, you are helping them to realize the greatest potential impact of their work.

You will develop and implement thoughtful, compelling, and results-oriented communication strategies and plans. You will build deep, supportive relationships with program teams; provide excellent ongoing communications counsel; and help teams deliver on their communications ambitions in smart, effective ways. These relationships provide important direction for this position and, in turn, allow you to meaningfully contribute to program teams and wider foundation communications.

Specifically, you will help tell the story of the important work our team leaders, grantees, and partners are doing in this climate fight. As a natural storyteller, you’ll use your expertise with communications strategies and tactics, such as web, email, social media, and earned media, to elevate program work and deepen partner and funder engagement. As an easy and confident public speaker, you will help plan and lead workshops for program staff (and sometimes for grantees) and build the overall communications awareness and capacity of teams. As a superior writer, you will produce and edit key communications materials (including one-pagers, web copy, blogs, opinion pieces, fact sheets, newsletters, and messaging materials) that advance the communications strategies of program teams.

Moreover, you will coordinate with the wider Marketing and Communications team on content production and media engagements, and with the development team to support our fundraising efforts.

We are looking for someone who can bring fresh, bold ideas and perspectives, through their work or lived experiences, to help frame and establish new narratives and tell stories that can inspire action on climate change.

    Essential Responsibilities

• Build deep relationships with program teams and act as their primary communications partner
• Develop marketing and communications strategies and plans that support programmatic and fundraising goals
• Coordinate with the fundraising team to align communications strategies with fundraising goals around key moments and initiatives
• Project manage deliverables for all communications engagements and products outlined in the communications plans, including email, impact stories, reports, announcements, and initiative launches
• Develop content and storytelling efforts that demonstrate impact, showcase our expertise, expand our influence, and highlight the work of our grantees; ensure effective marketing and distribution of content to target audiences
• Research and write key communication materials, including messaging, fact sheets, speeches, and other marketing materials that communicate the foundation's work
• Work to strengthen the communications capacity of program staff by developing, enhancing, and delivering key learning tools, resources, and workshops
• Assist with prepping and supporting program staff for media interviews, speaking engagements, and more
• Assist program teams with the selection of communications consultants and help manage these relationships.
• Analyze and share success metrics across platforms (email, social, web) to drive continuous improvement
• Help maintain the ClimateWorks content calendar
• Help define tools and processes to manage workflow across teams

 

Required Qualifications

• 5-7 years relevant work experience, including marketing campaign management, content development, and social media marketing, at least partly at a non-profit organization
• A proven ability to think strategically, analyze critically, and to translate ideas and insights into action through coherent and viable strategies and plans
• Excellent writing and editing skills with a proven ability to translate complex concepts into succinct, clear, accessible language for multiple audiences
• Strong project management skills, attention to detail, and demonstrated ability to set priorities and complete tasks in a timely manner
• A proven track record of using messaging to support programs/sales and building a digital presence
• Enthusiastic and natural team player with strong communications skills and the ability to work with cross-functional, virtual, and diverse teams to develop plans and drive results
• Past experience with marketing tools and systems including web content management, CRM, email/marketing automation
• A commitment to a diverse, inclusive, and equitable work environment
• A passion for working to end the climate crisis in an equitable and just way

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience working with foundations and non-profits whose primary audience is funders
• Experience with Salesforce, Pardot and Google Analytics
• BA in communications, journalism, or related field preferred

 

Compensation

ClimateWorks offers an excellent benefits package and a competitive salary that is commensurate with experience (geographic differential applied based on location).

Salary Range: $80,000 - $95,000 annually ***ClimateWorks strives to create an equitable culture of transparency and fairness.

  Location

ClimateWorks Foundation is based in the San Francisco Financial District. This position is classified as US-Flexible. Exceptional candidates can work from the SF office or from other locations, geographic differential applied to compensation based on local cost of labor.

  Commitment to Racial and Social Justice

At ClimateWorks Foundation, we are driven by our vision of creating a thriving planet for all living beings for generations to come. We aim to foster an inclusive workplace that values diverse lived experiences and emphasizes the voices of marginalized people — especially Black, Indigenous, and People of Color — who are most vulnerable to climate impacts, and whose voices, ideas, and leadership are crucial to winning the climate fight.

To ensure that we are making meaningful progress, we have made a set of diversity, equity, and inclusion commitments across all dimensions of our work to further our mission and realize our vision. For more information, please visit: Fostering Racial and Social Justice in Pursuit of our Mission

  Equal Employment Opportunity

Equal employment opportunity and having a diverse staff are fundamental principles at ClimateWorks Foundation and as such we are committed to creating a diverse and multi-cultural work environment. We strongly encourage and seek applications from women, people of color, and bilingual and bicultural individuals, as well as members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender communities. We are committed to providing equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants without regard to race (including traits historically associated with race), ethnicity, religion, color, sex (including childbirth, breast feeding, and related medical conditions), gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, ancestry, citizenship status, uniform service member and veteran status, marital status, pregnancy, age, protected medical condition, genetic information, disability, or any other protected status in accordance with all applicable federal, state, and local laws.

This policy extends to all aspects of our employment practices including, but not limited to, recruiting, hiring, discipline, termination, promotions, transfers, compensation, benefits, training, leaves of absence, and other terms and conditions of employment.

ClimateWorks Foundation is committed to complying with all laws protecting qualified individuals with disabilities, as well as employees’ religious beliefs and practices. This policy extends to all aspects of our employment practices including, but not limited to, recruiting, hiring, discipline, termination, promotions, transfers, compensation, benefits, training, leaves of absence, and other terms and conditions of employment. ClimateWorks Foundation will provide a reasonable accommodation for any known physical or mental disability of a qualified individual and/or employees’ religious beliefs and practices, as required by law.

If you require an accommodation, please notify Human Resources. Once ClimateWorks Foundation is aware of the need for an accommodation, it will engage in an interactive process to identify possible accommodations.

  Application Process 

All qualified candidates are encouraged to apply as soon as possible. To be considered for this position, interested candidates must submit a resume and cover letter. This position will remain open until filled.

Employment at the ClimateWorks Foundation is at-will.

  Benefits ClimateWorks offers an excellent benefits package: Healthcare Plans:

Multiple options available through Kaiser & UHC

• HMO - 100% coverage for employee and dependents
• POS - Employee pays difference beyond HMO coverage (3 out of 4 POS options are at 100% coverage for employee and dependents)
• Dental –100% coverage for employee and dependents
• Vision – 100% coverage for employee and dependents

Fertility Benefit

• Fertility care through Carrot Fertility. Access to on-demand doctor-approved content, pregnancy support, and virtual chats with medical, legal, and regulatory experts.

Disability Benefit (long and short-term)

Life Insurance (3x base salary up to $750k for employee only)

PTO

• 20 days (1st year)
• 25 days (2nd - 8th year)
• 30 days (9th year)

Holidays

• 11 Observed and 2 floating

401k Plan

• After 6 months of service, CWF automatically contributes 9% of gross earnings per pay period to retirement fund*
• After 6 months of service, CWF matches 100% of employee contributions up to a max of 6% of gross earnings per pay period*