Job Title: Associate Press Secretary
Department: Communications
Location: Remote/Flexible
Reports To: Associate Regional Communications Director, Beyond Coal
Supervises: None
Context: At the Sierra Club, we believe in the power of togetherness. Together, we remain committed to the fight for a healthy climate built on a foundation of environmental, racial, economic, and gender justice – a future where all people benefit from a healthy, thriving planet and a direct connection to nature. As the climate crisis and deeply entrenched systemic racism all fuel inequity, we will continue to fight for a bold, transformational agenda that recognizes the interconnectedness between our planet, our humanity, and our democracy. By recognizing that our destinies are tied, we continue to name that all things are fundamentally connected, and the overlap between ecology, race, gender, and representative government will move to either advance our collective humanity or to oppress it.
Sierra Club is comprised of staff across the country and a network of local chapters that support our grassroots engagement. We are also proud to be a unionized employer, with two labor unions representing more than half of our employees.
Scope: The Associate Press Secretary position is an ideal position for a creative media-relations expert who inspires and craves collaboration, improves tactics based on results, and is skillful at creating narrative strategy and inspirational storytelling. The ideal candidate has experience working with value-driven organizations, and a passion for dismantling white supremacist oppression, racism, and colonialism in the fight for a more equitable planet.
The Associate Press Secretary plans, coordinates, and executes media strategies related to our efforts to move the world beyond all fossil fuels and toward 100 percent clean energy. The Associate Press Secretary is responsible for writing long-term and rapid-response media outreach tools to position the Sierra Club and promote its national and regional campaigns. This position is responsible for using a diverse array of media communications tools in order to ensure timely and accurate messaging and materials with a clear, consistent tone and message. The Associate Press Secretary provides strategic media assistance to the Sierra Club’s local, regional and national campaigns, develops relationships with regional and national reporters and producers, pitches stories, and provides Sierra Club’s viewpoints to members of the media.
The Associate Press Secretary works on a team designed to advance the Sierra Club’s portfolio of clean energy for all initiatives. The Associate Press Secretary researches and prepares reports for team meetings, generates releases for media, assists with placement of advertising, organizes and coordinates press conferences and other media events along with tracking and reporting on media coverage, while using up to date data to draft messaging, and writes other materials for use with various audiences.
The ideal candidate should have a solid grasp of Sierra Club’s legacy of conservation work, a personal commitment to and knowledge of social justice, and a passion for advancing progressive social change. They will also have the ability to articulate and reinforce the intersections of Sierra Club’s legacy work, present challenges and opportunities, and the future we want to build centered on justice and equity in all spheres of life.
Job activities include but are not limited to:
The successful candidate must have the following skills and experience:
The strongest candidates will also demonstrate the following experience, skills, and competencies:
Compensation and Benefits
The salary range for this position is $65,000 – $70,000 based on a region 1 work location. A lower starting salary may apply based on location.
This position is represented by a collective bargaining unit and is subject to the terms and conditions of the contract between Sierra Club and Progressive Workers Union or Sierra Employee Alliance, depending on location.
The Sierra Club offers a competitive salary package commensurate with skills and experience plus excellent benefits that include medical, dental, and vision coverage, and a retirement savings 401(k) plan.
This is a category 5 exempt, represented position.
Sierra Club is a 501(c)(4) non-profit organization. Sierra Club employees are not eligible to participate in the Federal Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) Program.
Sierra Club values the expertise and talents of foreign nationals. Sierra Club sponsors both nonimmigrant and immigrant visas when certain criteria are met, based on immigration laws and organizational needs. Such sponsorship is at the discretion of the Department Head and Sierra Club Human Resources in consultation with the employee’s manager. The Sierra Club cannot guarantee the approval of a visa petition. The Sierra Club is an equal opportunity employer committed to workforce diversity.
To Apply
This position does not have an undergraduate education requirement. If you choose to include your education history, please remove your schools from your resume. You may leave your degree (e.g., “B.A. Philosophy”), but please remove any undergraduate and graduate school names.
This anonymous process is aimed at opening this opportunity to more candidates, reviewing applicants on performance assessments and mitigating bias in the decision-making process.
Lastly, we are intentionally not asking for a cover letter, so please do not send one in with your application.
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