Media Director

Salary: $81,000
Job Type: Full Time
Location: Other
Publish Date: Posted March 21, 2023
Applications have closed

The Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance (SUWA), Utah’s largest conservation organization, has an immediate opening for a Media Director based in its Salt Lake City office.  Interested applicants should send a cover letter, resume including 3 references, and a 2-page writing sample (original work) to Michelle Martineau, HR Director, at hiring@suwa.org. The deadline to submit your application is April 21st, 2023. Please include your name and the words “Media Director” in the subject line.

About the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance (SUWA)

SUWA is a non-profit organization dedicated to defending and protecting the wilderness at the heart of the Colorado Plateau and in Utah’s West Desert for all.

 

We act with integrity, transparency, loyalty and respect to each other and our mission.    

We’re proud to work for SUWA in no small part because our work matters. It matters for the canyons and mesas we seek to protect, as part of addressing the loss of nature and the extinction crisis, and in mitigating the harm from climate change.

 

We are the best at what we do: defending and protecting the redrock wilderness.  Where feasible, we offer flexible work hours and considerable paid leave.  But we also step up to do what is necessary to protect the redrock.

 

Description

The Media Director works closely with the Executive Director, Legislative Director, Legal Director and Wildlands Director to advance SUWA’s goal of protecting Utah wilderness.

 

Qualifications

To effectively perform this role, the applicant must possess strong communication and writing skills, enjoy working in teams, and be self-motivated and committed to the preservation of wilderness. Experience in environmental/wilderness advocacy is a plus, but not required.

 

ESSENTIAL DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES

  • Promote integrity, honesty, and ethical conduct on all matters across all levels of the organization. Be a champion of the organization’s values, mission, and vision.
  • Direct and manage the communications team and build team skills to achieve strong results through various channels (website, email, social, etc.).
  • Manage media relations and requests. Develop and maintain media contact lists and relationships.
  • Collaborate with our DC, wildlands, and legal teams to develop, implement, and oversee communications strategies, messages, talking points, and tactics that advance SUWA’s short- and long-term goals, including media outreach, digital communications, and collateral development.
  • Set the media strategy to help meet SUWA communication objectives with attention to reaching broader and more diverse audiences, enhancing brand recognition, and achieving advocacy goals.
  • Supervise production and dissemination of content across multiple communication channels, including, but not limited to, press releases and advisories, media statements, op-eds, paid/earned media, website content, and social media content.
  • Manage video assets and coordinate TV and radio ad campaigns, working with consultants and filmmakers as needed.
  • Guide rapid response to breaking news.
  • Prepare expert/advocacy staff for interviews, helping to develop an internal media training program.
  • Take advantage of emerging messaging opportunities (e.g., track what‘s trending in media/social media and plug into new/evolving issues as appropriate).
  • Collaborate with other environmental groups in joint/coalition outreach efforts.
  • Translate SUWA’s work into compelling stories that can be used externally.
  • Develop and maintain a budget for the communications team and all paid media campaigns.
  • Performs other functions as necessary or as assigned.

 

TRAINING & QUALIFICATIONS
The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skills, and/or abilities required.  Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

  • 5+ years of relevant experience, or a combination of education, experience, and training that provides the desired knowledge, skills, and abilities.  There is no formal education requirement.
  • Excellent communication, presentation, and interpersonal skills.
  • Ability to serve as a knowledgeable resource to the executive management team that provides organizational leadership and direction.
  • Exceptional time-management, planning, and administrative skills.
  • High level of diplomacy, sound judgment, and discretion when dealing with members, potential members, and staff.
  • High degree of energy, self-motivation, and flexibility.   
  • Strong work ethic with a professional, positive attitude.
  • Commitment to achieving the organization’s goals and objectives.
  • Ability to think strategically and interact with all levels of the organization.
  • Ability to perform multiple tasks effectively with a focus on timeliness and responsiveness.
     

Location: SUWA’s Salt Lake City office (Moab location negotiable). We work a hybrid schedule with at least 3 days per week in the office.

Salary DOE: Starting base salary for five years direct experience is $81,000. We also provide an annual $2,500 retention bonus for completion of a full calendar year and a 403b contribution of 3.5% of salary for total cash compensation of $86,400.

Benefits:

  • 15 days of paid vacation time (increasing yearly with tenure up to 20 days)
  • 12 paid sick days annually
  • 14 paid holidays, including a year-end office closure
  • Employer-paid medical, vision, and dental benefits
  • 2-month paid sabbatical every 5 years
  • Flexible work days, depending on position
  • Parental, bereavement, jury duty, and other leave
  • Cell phone subsidy and travel reimbursements
  • Access to outdoor gear pro deals
  • $500 “take care of yourself” reimbursement 

 

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at SUWA

We are committed to the idea that our commonalities greatly outweigh our differences, and that the redrock is for everyone. Our mission is to protect the redrock for the wonder and enjoyment of all future generations, both human and non-human alike.

 

The lands we work to protect are the ancestral homelands of many Tribes, including those that were forcibly removed at the hands of the U.S. government in an effort to exterminate their cultures, languages, and ways of life. These injustices are still felt today, but the quest to erase the Tribes failed: indigenous communities continue their traditions and remain an integral part of the landscape and our community. We are committed to working toward understanding this history; to expanding present-day common ground, collaboration, and reconciliation with our Tribal neighbors; and to advocating that Tribes receive a seat at the table when others would exclude them.

 

The environmental movement has a regrettable history of excluding and oppressing marginalized people. We know that the redrock, humanity, and the future of the planet itself depend on working together to solve our greatest common threat: the climate crisis. As we face the challenges of the 21st century head-on, we recognize we can only do so by including, involving, and elevating Tribes, communities of color, people of diverse economic backgrounds, faith communities, the LGBTQ+ community, and the tapestry of experience that weaves together our common humanity. We are committed to doing this both within our staff and through our daily work to protect the redrock.

Job Benefits

  • Health Insurance
  • Mental Health Resources
  • Pet Friendly
  • Retention Bonuses
  • Retirement
  • Wellness

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