Director of Strategic Communications

Position Type: Full-time salaried

Location: Montpelier, VT – an office/work-from-home hybrid system

Northeast Wilderness Trust (NEWT) conserves forever-wild landscapes for nature and people. NEWT safeguards more than 65,000 acres of wildlands across New York, Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine, Massachusetts, and Connecticut. Northeast Wilderness Trust is the only regional land trust focused exclusively on wilderness conservation and rewilding across the northeast United States. 

A new position, the Director of Strategic Communications, will work closely with the Executive Director and be instrumental in designing and implementing a comprehensive marketing and strategic communications strategy. The primary charge of this position is to elevate the profile of Northeast Wilderness Trust and champion the wilderness cause to a wide audience, including media, policy makers, donors, and the general public. This is a unique opportunity to lead the creative direction and messaging of a mission-driven organization focused on conserving nature for nature’s sake. 

Northeast Wilderness Trust’s office is located in downtown Montpelier, Vermont. This job is an opportunity to work in the country’s smallest capital city with an energetic, passionate, and growing staff of wilderness advocates, affectionately known as “NEWTs.” 

What You Will Do:

• Develop, implement, and manage comprehensive marketing, communications and outreach plans (web-based, digital, print, social, public relations) with the objective of elevating Northeast Wilderness Trust’s brand, reputation, profile, and mission effectiveness.
• Manage relationships with media across six states and national outlets, draft and coordinate press releases, and create regular opportunities for earned media.
• Manage and help grow the Communications and Outreach Team.
• Ensure brand quality and consistency across all channels working with internal and external team members and contractors.
• Track and communicate industry trends to support brand positioning.
• Develop reporting tools and metrics to analyze and disseminate results from brand initiatives and campaigns.
• Manage and deliver the Annual Report and other printed communication.
• Supervise the Outreach Manager, who focuses on digital communication and events.
• Identify exciting ways to tell the story of NEWT’s work.
• Lead efforts to advertise, promote, and ensure the NEWT’s outreach programs and events are well attended.
• Proofread all NEWT communications for external audiences.

What You Will Bring to the Wilderness Trust:

• A passionate commitment to wild nature.
• At least seven years of communications, public relations, and/or marketing experience.
• Extensive experience managing people and a communications program.
• Exceptional writing skills.
• Ability to thrive in a fast-paced, mission-driven, and team-oriented work environment.
• An ambitious, self-starting, and can-do attitude.
• Curiosity to learn and be engaged with multiple perspectives across New England and New York.
• Exceptional organizational and time management skills to meet deadlines, manage multiple long-term and short-term tasks simultaneously, and be self-starting.
• Ability and willingness to travel as needed across the region and carry a valid driver’s license.
• Willingness to work outside of position’s prime focus and collaborate with other NEWTs on other organizational priorities.

Benefits:

Northeast Wilderness Trust offers a range of benefits including: health, dental, and vision; 401k plan, life insurance, generous paid time off, parental leave, flexible scheduling; and sabbatical leave. Salary range is $60,000-$80,000.  A moving/relocation stipend is available. 

Northeast Wilderness Trust is an Equal Opportunity Employer dedicated to diversity, equity and inclusion. We recognize that diverse teams make the strongest teams and we encourage people from all backgrounds to apply.