Communications Specialist

We’re looking for a strategic, creative professional to coordinate and support communications for policy advocacy campaigns and produce engaging social media content.

About FMR

FMR is a leading nonprofit that protects, restores and enhances the Mississippi River and its watershed in the Twin Cities region. Our focus is the metro area, but our impact is often regional or national.

Our goals are to:
• improve water quality,
• conserve important lands,
• engage people in learning about and taking action to protect and enhance one of the world’s greatest rivers,
• inspire widespread commitment to this natural wonder flowing through our communities, and
• protect our river’s unique scenic, natural, cultural and recreational qualities.

FMR has an annual budget of $5.2 million and employs a dedicated, professional staff of 26 who work to improve the health of the river through policy advocacy, education and engagement, land conservation and restoration and other disciplines. Over more than 30 years, FMR has established deep relationships and credibility with thousands of local residents, landowners, neighborhood organizations, volunteers, government agencies and elected officials.

With a well-known and respected brand, a seasoned and effective staff, a strong Board of Directors, and an ever-growing base of support, FMR is poised for continued success. The workplace culture at FMR is collaborative and collegial, and staff share a love of the river and dedication to our mission.

Our office is located in St. Paul’s West Side community, in a historic building across the street from Harriet Island and the river. We enjoy a pet-friendly workplace and a hybrid working arrangement (Tuesdays and Wednesdays in the office; Mondays, Thursdays and Fridays anywhere you choose). 

FMR believes that the Mississippi River connects us all, and that social and environmental issues are woven together. As we work toward restoring habitat and the river’s waters, we will also work toward a riverway that is safe, healing and accessible for everyone. We strive to be culturally competent, welcoming and inclusive of all people and are committed to using our resources and influence to redress structural inequality where it intersects with the health and vitality of the Mississippi River.

We encourage interested applicants from all backgrounds to apply.

The position

This position plays a key role in building our power and ability to improve the Mississippi River’s health long-term.

The Communications Specialist will help develop and implement strategic communications campaigns to grow and strengthen our base of members, volunteers, advocates and partners/partnerships.

They will be responsible for social media for all of FMR and play a lead role in highly targeted long-term advocacy campaigns, particularly media outreach, content marketing and network-building around “next-gen” agricultural practices and partnerships to improve water quality. 

They will work closely with the FMR Communications Director, the Communications Department and the Communications Team comprising staff from each FMR program area. They will also participate in meetings with the FMR Water Program and with our Forever Green partners.  

The position is right for a team-oriented strategic thinker and creator who relishes the opportunity to inspire everyday people and decision-makers alike to take action to protect and restore the Mississippi River. 

Applicants with nontraditional backgrounds are encouraged to apply.

Responsibilities

• Create and coordinate social media posting and targeted advertising for all of FMR
• Plan strategic long- and short-term advocacy campaigns with program staff and partners; lead reviewer of advocacy-related content
• Write special interest briefs or short articles for earned media, partner sites and FMR.org
• Serve as primary editor/reviewer for the FMR Water Program content that relates to  agriculture and legislative communications
• Lead and support content for various list-serves and e-newsletters, internally and for collaborative endeavors
• Create and refine materials such as flyers, posters and presentations
• Document select events for promotional purposes
• Compile and organize visual assets (graphics, photos, etc.)
• Assist with video production, including shooting live video for social (occasional), some in-house editing of simple videos as well as supporting professional videographers
• Assist with communications-related analytics to assess ROI as needed
• Support and cultivate relationships with reporters and other members of the media
• Track related media impressions and update related webpages
• Participate in regular meetings with relevant teams: the FMR Communications Team (weekly), monthly FMR Content Communications and Department meetings, weekly FMR Water Program meetings, and biweekly Forever Green Partnership Communications Team meetings. 
• Participate in staff and partnership development activities (monthly staff meeting, monthly staff lunch, annual outing and retreat at FMR, plus select Forever Green internal events)
• Additional duties as assigned
       

Required qualifications

• Three to five years of relevant experience    
• Excellent short, medium and long-form writing skills; able to create well-paced and highly engaging content for a lay audience
• Demonstrated ability to communicate complex topics simply and effectively
• Well-developed project management, organization and collaboration skills
• Well-developed analytical skills; ability to ask questions to plan strategically 
• Demonstrated grasp of design principles; able to make on-brand assets utilizing existing templates
• Comfortable working with databases and spreadsheets
• Strong appreciation for ROI and analytics
• Strong appreciation for evidence-based and inclusive, accessible practices
• The ability to handle uncertainty and incorporate feedback from multiple perspectives
• The ability to pivot quickly while exercising sound, values-based judgment and balancing competing priorities
• Able to adapt to rapidly evolving software, media and forums
• Ability to work occasional Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday evenings and Saturday mornings 
• Ability to manage moderately strenuous physical tasks such as lifting and loading tripods, displays and other communications supplies and equipment
• Reliable transportation is required to locations throughout the Twin Cities, including areas not served by transit (mileage and parking costs for work-related travel will be reimbursed).
       

Additional desired qualifications

• Experience in Meta Business Suite, social media scheduling tool (e.g. Later), EveryAction or another CRM, Canva, Adobe Creative Cloud suite (esp. InDesign), video editing software (Canva, Insta or more), or ArcGIS StoryMaps
• Experience working with:
      - volunteer or freelance photographers, writers and videographers
      - reporters and new media 
      - committees, coalitions, advocates or organizers
       

Salary and benefits

This is a full-time position. The salary range is $60,000–$65,000 commensurate with experience (benchmarked against the Minnesota Council of Nonprofits Salary & Benefits Survey). Benefits include health, dental and short-term disability insurance; a retirement plan with employer match; and generous paid vacation, sick, personal, holiday and sabbatical leave.