Join our team!

Communications and Marketing Coordinator
Condition: Full-time, Exempt - Professional, Weekdays with some evening and weekend work
Location: Twin Cities Metropolitan Area with limited travel throughout Minnesota
Salary Range: $52,000 - $70,000 Annually
Start Date: As soon as possible, start date negotiable, open until filled

Background - About Freshwater

Freshwater Society is a nonprofit organization that seeks to inspire and empower people to value and preserve our freshwater resources. Founded in 1968, we were the first freshwater biology research lab in North America. Over the last fifty years, the organization has shifted focus from exclusively research to incorporate education and public policy work. Collective action and sound physical science remain the heart of Freshwater’s mission.

Today, Freshwater works to tackle many complex water issues in Minnesota and downstream that threaten water quality, public health, and quality of life. As everything that happens on land impacts water, we engage in this work through a variety of programs that align to build community, professional, political, and science leadership and capacity.

In alignment with our mission, we strive to activate our organizational values in our internal and external operations:

  • We value safe and reliable water for all Minnesotans and everyone downstream.
  • We value equity and inclusion of diverse perspectives in shaping our shared water future, and seek to rectify the historical and continued exclusion of marginalized communities in the making of water policy and budget decisions.
  • We value community-led solutions that foster equitable and durable change.
  • We value science and evidence-based principles as a basis for our advocacy and action.
  • We value convening collaboratively and serving as a catalyst for constructive dialogue and change.
  • We value teamwork, transparency, integrity and shared leadership.
  • We value sustainability in our operations (reducing water use and energy consumption, reaching carbon-neutral impact and zero waste production).

Position description

Freshwater’s programs, services, and products are key to inspiring and empowering people to value and preserve water. Keeping our current and future supporters aware of and engaged in our work requires clear and timely engagement, creativity, consistent feedback, and a commitment to honor the time and perspectives of those engaged.

Freshwater relies primarily upon western science in our work to protect water, though we aspire to work toward including traditional ecological knowledge from Indigenous people – the communications and marketing coordinator will need to support these values. Freshwater seeks to continually adapt and improve our communication and marketing tools and methods to remain a trusted and preferred source of research, policy, engagement and systems change programs for water protection and restoration.

We are seeking a candidate for our team who will coordinate the communication and marketing of Freshwater’s programs, products, and services, including:

  • Social media
  • Educational events such as conferences, symposia, and the Moos Family Speaker Series
  • Newsletters and blog posts
  • Fundraising opportunities such as the annual Freshwater Benefit and giving campaigns
  • Media releases
  • Video
  • Research reports and white papers
  • Freshwater’s website
  • The Minnesota Weatherguide Environment Calendar and Almanac

Scientists, researchers, policy makers, community members and governmental officials access and use Freshwater communications for many differing purposes to protect and restore water. Therefore, maintaining standards for accuracy, documentation/reference, evidence-basis and sources of information is extremely important for a variety of audiences and purposes.

Position Responsibilities

  • Develop an annual communications and marketing plan for approval by the Executive Director
  • Contribute to the development of Freshwater events, programs, and partnerships
  • Collaborate with other staff members to build integrated approaches and systems to address complex communication and marketing challenges
  • Coordinate the creation and publication for all print and online materials
  • Ensure Freshwater brand consistency and visual impact in all visual presentations (including print, video, etc.)
  • Manage all aspects of the annual Weatherguide Calendar production, including the photography contest, outreach to photographers, review and selection of around 125 photographs (5,000 submitted for 2021), and the marketing and sales program (including the Minnesota State Fair Weatherguide Calendar promotional sale)
  • Solicit feedback and input from Freshwater team members, Board members, Freshwater members, partners, and others to understand their needs and perspectives, and design processes and tools in response to the input

Experiences and skills required:

  • Ability to communicate clearly in writing for a wide range of audiences
  • Ability to organize a marketing and sales campaign
  • Experience coordinating and producing content for social media at an organizational scale
  • Ability to edit written content and give constructive feedback to team members
  • Experience coordinating events with presenters/lecturers
  • Commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion, including racial justice and intercultural relationships and competence
  • Commitment to individual and team-based growth and development
  • Outcomes-oriented, creative problem solver
  • Strong organizational, planning, and time management skills
  • Comfortable in a collaborative environment, with the ability to also work independently and be self-guided
  • Proficiency with Microsoft Office—including Word, Excel, and PowerPoint—as well as graphic design software such as InDesign.

Preferred qualifications

  • Three years of relevant experience in communications, marketing, graphic design or related field
  • Experience in environment and natural science communications
  • Experience in nonprofit communications
  • Experience writing about scientific and technical subjects for a variety of audiences
  • Ability to create marketing and communications plans, and experience successfully implementing these plans
  • Ability to evaluate nature photography
  • Experience coordinating website content at an organizational scale
  • Experience building relationships and coordinating with the press
  • Ability to communicate proficiently in at least one language beyond English

To apply:

Please submit the following as a part of your application by email:

  • Cover letter - please answer the following questions as a part of your cover letter:
    • What intrigues or excites you about this position and/or working at Freshwater?
    • What would you hope to contribute to this work?
    • What would you hope to learn from this work?
  • Resume
  • Three references, including a minimum of one from professional experiences
  • Two examples of relevant work (writing samples, marketing plans, etc.)

Applications are due by 4:30 pm on July 22, 2022 to:
John Linc Stine, Executive Director
JLStine@freshwater.org