Media Associate - Natural Resources Defense Council, Inc.

Overview

NRDC is a non-profit environmental advocacy organization. We use law, science, and the support of 3.1 million members and online activists to protect the planet's wildlife and wild places and to ensure the rights of all people to clean air, clean water, and healthy communities. NRDC was founded in 1970 and our people helped write some of America's bedrock environmental laws, including the Clean Water Act and many of the implementing regulations. Today, our team of more than 700 lawyers, scientists, economists, policy advocates, communications experts, and others work across the United States and the globe from our offices in Beijing; Chicago; New Delhi; New York; San Francisco; Santa Monica; and Washington, D.C. 

NRDC is seeking a Media Associate to work with the Communications team in our Washington or New York office. 

Position Summary 

The Media Associate will work across the media team to support media content creation and distribution for regional and national policy initiatives, including drafting messaging materials, developing outreach lists, crafting project timelines and plans, and coordinating associated internal and external communications as relevant.   

Responsibilities

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable qualified individuals with disabilities to perform the following essential functions:  

• Draft, edit, format, produce and distribute press releases and other messaging materials, including blogs, op-eds, editorial board memos, and reports  
• Field inquiries from the press and general public by phone and email, efficiently and with a professional demeanor.  
• Coordinate digital, broadcast and print interviews.  
• Build and maintain press lists through Cision; posting releases on NRDC’s website.  
• Help craft outreach plans and timelines in partnership with media project leads.  
• Pitch stories and engage in follow up with reporters.  
• Track and analyze media coverage and compile reports; conduct research on overall media landscape and specific policy issues.  
• Help draft and circulate summaries of weekly press hits.  
• Schedule and facilitate meetings.  
• Develop strong relationships and drive collaboration with internal and external partners.   
• Provide day-to-day logistical support.   

The above list of duties is not comprehensive but generally demonstrates the types of matters under this position’s responsibility. Other duties may be assigned.   

Qualifications

Education & Experience Required:    

• Bachelor’s Degree  
• 1-3 years of relevant experience  
• And/or equivalent education or experience    

Skills, Abilities, Competencies 

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.   
• Excellent research and analytical skills.  
• Demonstrated ability to manage projects involving multiple people and deliverables, and to perform or quickly learn new tasks, systems, and technologies.   
• Ability to prioritize and efficiently execute many tasks, follow institutional procedures, and work independently with meticulous attention to detail.   
• Strong project management skills, with the ability to coordinate multiple projects and shifting requests in a fast-paced environment.   
• Excellent organizational skills and interpersonal skills.  
• Ability to work with a broad range of people on different projects.   
• Strict adherence to confidentiality requirements and discretion with sensitive information.   
• High proficiency with Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, Outlook), in addition to knowledge of or ability to learn relevant industry and NRDC specific software and platforms.   
• Competence with and commitment to diversity and inclusion; ability to be an effective partner with diverse colleagues, leaders and partners.  
• Ability to occasionally travel to other NRDC U.S. based offices, approximately 5% annually.  
• Commitment to NRDC’s mission, values, and DEI principles.  

Physical Demands 

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this position. The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of this position within the described work environment.  

Frequently: Perform desk-based computer tasks  

Frequently: Ability to interact and communicate with employees and others as necessary  

Frequently:  Attend planned meetings and collaborate with management and coworkers  

Occasionally: Ability to attend events and activities in the office or offsite   

Work is sometimes performed primarily in office. The noise level in the work environment is usually quiet in office settings and moderate in other situations. Hours of employment may sometimes require working flexible and/or longer hours, including nights and weekends, when necessitated by projects. The job includes work-related situations such as those involving challenging, important, urgent, time-sensitive, or multiple matters.  

The position you are applying for is part of the bargaining unit represented by The Washington Baltimore News Guild (WBNG / The Newsguild-CWA Local 32035).   

NRDC is committed to advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion, both in our work and in our workplace. We believe that celebrating and actively welcoming diverse voices and perspectives is essential to solving the planet's most pressing environmental problems, and we encourage applications from candidates whose identities have been historically under-represented in the environmental movement. 

We are an equal opportunity employer and do not discriminate in hiring or employment on the basis of race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, marital status, sexual orientation, national origin, citizenship, age, disability, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local law. Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.  

We offer competitive salaries, excellent benefits, and a supportive working environment. Salary is based on a nonprofit scale and is commensurate with skills and experience. Internal equity will be reviewed and considered to determine a final offer. For this position, the salary range is $65,000 to $75,000.  

Our offices are open and we are operating in a hybrid model. We offer NRDCers flexibility, and we ask them to come into the office and spend meaningful time there in collaboration with their colleagues. We call this purposeful presence. 

As a science-based organization, NRDC aims to do our part to help contain the COVID-19 public health crisis. For the sake of health, safety, and equity, we ask that people be vaccinated unless they have an approved medical or religious accommodation or other exemption in accordance with state and local law. We consider a person to be vaccinated two weeks after receiving one full course of a CDC-approved vaccine. In accordance with state or local law, new hires will be asked to attest to vaccination, those wishing to do so may request medical or religious accommodations or other exemptions via NRDC Employee Relations. NRDC treats all vaccine-related data confidentially, in keeping with local, state, and federal laws. 

To apply, visit www.nrdc.org/careers and upload your résumé and cover letter. Please mention where you saw this posting and upload any additional materials that showcase your abilities. Due to the high volume of applications, we will contact only those candidates we would like to interview. Please no phone calls, emails, or in-person résumé drop-offs. 

If you experience technical problems while applying or if you are a person with a disability and need assistance applying online, please reach out to iCIMS Customer Care at 1-800-889-4422. 

For more about NRDC, visit www.nrdc.org.