Chief Communications Officer

Summary

Join the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) as their Chief Communications Officer, a remote position responsible for advancing UCS's image, reputation, and priority campaigns among key audiences. This role involves managing a team of communications directors, collaborating with the Development Department on fundraising strategies, and ensuring the organization's messaging aligns with best practices. The ideal candidate will have extensive experience in nonprofit communications, particularly in an advocacy setting, and a proven track record of success in online/offline content creation, issue messaging, digital engagement/marketing, and earned media. This position offers a competitive salary, excellent benefits, and a rewarding work environment.

Requirements

• Position requires comprehensive background nonprofit communications in an advocacy setting
• Demonstrated track record of collaboration with fundraising function is essential
• Must have outstanding verbal and written communication skills, editing ability, and experience in development and implementation of media and digital campaigns
• Position must have excellent interpersonal skills, strong management skills (people, process, and project), including strategic planning
• Work requires at least 10-15 comparable and relative experience as a journalist or communications professional
• Must be able to remain in a stationary position for long periods of time
• Continuously operate a computer and must have the ability to control a mouse and keyboard
• Communicate in verbal and written formats with internal staff and external constituents
• Schedule is typically 9-5, with an expectation of some work on weekends, nights, holidays to meet deadlines or contend with urgent issues
• Moderate travel is required (5-10%)
• For in office roles, UCS employees must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19
• Employees are considered fully vaccinated as defined by the CDC
• All new hires who will be reporting to an office location must provide notice of their vaccination status and vaccination documentation, on or before their first day of work
• For all others, UCS strongly encourages full vaccinations among its employees, up to and including booster shots, even if working remotely
• All new employees must comply with the mandatory vaccination requirements outlined in UCS policies as soon as practicable
• The Union of Concerned Scientists will notify candidates for employment of the requirements of this policy before the start of employment

Responsibilities

• Manage broad communications team to ensure communications plans advance UCS mission, achieve campaign successes, and reach organizational goals
• Manage five communications directors (comm strategy, creative, editorial, digital marketing, and media) to deliver on campaign and brand goals
• Ensure communications staff structure and team skills are optimized (consistent with available resources) to deliver on these goals and ensure collaboration and integration across team structures and channels
• Revise plans as external and internal circumstances change
• Coordinate with the Development Department on strategies, messages, and products to market the organization to potential members and strengthen relations with current contributors
• Stay abreast of message research in UCS issue space and ensure organization messaging aligns with best practices
• With Director of Digital Engagement, ensure UCS recruits, cultivates, and retains a robust pool of online supporters for campaign engagement, science network recruitment, and fundraising acquisition
• With Media Director and Director of Strategic Campaigns, troubleshoot campaign specific messaging challenges and opportunities
• Define key performance indicators, monitor metrics, and revise plans as circumstances and resources change
• Scan environment for emerging opportunities and deploy resources to leverage these moments to build organization stature, issue visibility, and potential member engagement
• Represent the department before the UCS board, senior management, and others
• Define and enhance the organization’s image, reputation, and credibility among key audiences
• Ensures brand consistency in messaging, tone and imagery across UCS materials providing input and final review of all conceptually new communications products
• Proactively prepares for and advises program organizational leadership, and campaign staff during any crisis (external or internal)
• Sets up crisis staffing structures as needed, and vets all external facing material
• Ensure that UCS adhere to 501(3)c standards in internal and external communications, raising concerns and troubleshooting staff questions (involving Chief of Staff and legal advice when needed)
• Periodical audit and evaluate brand to ensure they sufficiently differentiate UCS vis a vis peer organizations, accurately reflect organizational identity, meet the current needs of the organization
• Provide input and review of key organizational publications (annual report, Catalyst, monthly eNewsletter, UCS Topline Messages, Best of UCS, etc.)
• Works to promote a culture of effective communications, as well as equity and inclusion within the communications team and across the organization
• Provide communications staff with avenues to for input into communications strategy, policies, and procedures, as well as professional development to improve communication department function, advance staff careers, and promote retention
• Ensure that department staff are informed about decisions and important organizational developments
• Ensure that new and existing staff have adequate training and guidance to be effective representatives of UCS in public facing situations including, but is not limited to, public speaking, media interviews, social media, and formal written documents with wide circulations
• Provide written and presented communications guidance across a variety of channels and situations
• Provide review and coaching for presentations to the Board, NAB, and other venues as requested
• Ensure position-specific communications orientations to all new staff
• Working with the JEDI office, ensure that all communications projects and guidance promote both equity and inclusion inside and outside the organization
• As a member of UCS's Executive Team, provide input and advice on organization-wide matters
• Assess external trends in the communications field and their implications for organizational communications and marketing
• Advise Executive Team and Program Directors on project selection and partnership where there are implications for organizational standing, credibility, and reputation
• Raise issues of internal/external concern or opportunity that have implications for UCS reputation and recommend a course of action to UCS president or appropriate member of the Executive Team
• Advise on internal communication from members of the Executive Team and Program Directors
• Provide input into significant organizational operational and budget decisions
• Maintains understanding of UCS issues and positions
• Maintain awareness of role as representative of UCS; ensure activities and statements enhance organization’s reputation and credentials among press, public, and private sectors; promote UCS; advance organizational objectives; and enhance funding opportunities
• Promotes a positive work culture based on organizational values of diversity, equity, and inclusion
• Manages the entire department, including final decision making in all department hiring, structure of department staff and deployment of staff resources
• Ensures equitable performance evaluations, promotion, and compensation within department, as well as troubleshoots staff performance issues (with assistance of P&C as necessary)
• Responsible for hiring, assigning work, directing, managing, and evaluating the performance of the Director of Communications Strategies, Creative Director, Editorial Director, Media Director and Director of Digital Marketing
• Meets at least bi-monthly to discuss needs and support their work
• May directly supervise other communication staff as needed
• Meet regularly with department staff for planning, coordination, discussion of communications issues, sharing ideas
• Ensure that department staff is informed about decisions and important organizational developments
• Hire and supervise consultants/vendors for special communications projects
• Negotiate contracts; establish and communicate project specifications and deliverables; audit and review work for quality standards

Preferred Qualifications

• Highly desirable to have a breadth of experience in online/offline content creation, issue messaging and messaging research, as well as digital engagement/marketing and earned media
• Comparable training and/or experience can be substituted for degrees when appropriate

Benefits

• For those who meet all position requirements, the salary range is $230,000 to $240,000
• UCS offers excellent benefits and a rewarding work environment
• CA Resident Only, we offer a 12% salary differential