Communications Specialist, Canada

Change.org; Canada; Hybrid; CAD 85,000 - 93,000; Full time

Job summary

Change.org is seeking a Communications Specialist to expand our brand across Canada by engaging francophone and centre-right media, and activating petitions that resonate with francophone and conservative audiences. You will lead bilingual media strategies, pitch French and English outlets nationwide, and develop press materials without translation review.

The role focuses on conservative outreach and elevating Change.org Canada's credibility.

Qualifications

• 5+ years in journalism, PR, or advocacy with conservative-aligned campaigns.
• Experience building media relationships across French-language and English outlets.
• Proven ability to create bilingual press materials and pitches.

Responsibilities

• Lead end-to-end communications on Francophone-originated or conservative campaigns.
• Develop and execute bilingual media strategies across Canada.
• Identify petitions to amplify and pitch to journalists.
• Manage inbound French-language media inquiries and provide press materials.

Skills

Earned media

Journalist relations

Bilingual comms

Conservative outreach

Job description

Change.org is searching for a Communications Specialist to expand the Change.org brand through earned media in French-language and conservative media markets by creating new relationships with French-language and centre-right media outlets and activating petition campaigns that are of interest to francophone and conservative audiences.

As a key member of our Communications Team, you will develop and execute bilingual media strategies, pitching French-language and English national outlets across Canada with a particular focus on growth in the francophone media ecosystem. You will build and maintain relationships with journalists, identify petitions to amplify, position petition starters for earned media opportunities, and conduct media prep to get them ready for interviews. You will serve as the team's lead on all French-language communications, managing inbound French-language media inquiries and producing bilingual press materials without requiring translation support.

A core part of this role is building Change.org Canada's credibility and reach with conservative and centre-right audiences - through advising the team on conservative influencer outreach, developing conservative media relationships, and proactive pitching into target media ecosystems. You will report to our Communications Manager.

Change.org is the world’s largest platform for democracy.

At a time when dissatisfaction with democracy globally is at an all-time high, we’re investing heavily in using AI to build an operating system for modern democracy. This includes our platform for giving people greater voice, a personalized voter guide for elections, and a new product which aims to bring people across the political spectrum together to identify shared solutions.

To realize this vision, we're building a team at the intersection of technology and civic engagement — bringing together top talent focused on giving citizens a direct voice, strengthening accountability, and building stronger, more resilient democracies.

Key Outcomes:

Establish active relationships with French-language journalists across outlets such as: ICI Radio-Canada, La Presse, Le Devoir, TVA Nouvelles, and La Presse Canadienne

Lead end-to-end communications on Francophone-originated or conservative-reach campaigns, including identifying and amplifying quality petitions

Produce bilingual press releases, media advisories, and journalist pitches to Canadian Press Style standard in both French and English, without requiring translation review

Develop and maintain a conservative outlet database (National Post, Postmedia regional, Francophone conservative press)

Build a shortlist of francophone petition starters, conservative influencers and credible validators that the Canada team can activate for future campaigns

The most important core competencies for the role are:

Earned media and journalist relations, with demonstrated ability to pitch and place stories in both French-language and English national media

Bilingual written and verbal communication (French/English) at a professional standard

Conservative audience framing and media ecosystem fluency, including familiarity with the values, tone, and outlet preferences of centre-right Canadian audiences

Campaign storytelling in the journalistic tradition: ability to identify the news hook, the relatable hero, the clear ask, and shape a narrative that travels

Media strategy and timing: you know when to pitch, who to call first, how to sequence a campaign across earned, social, and email

Increasingly strategic with AI: You should be comfortable using AI tools to accelerate research, drafting, and pitch personalization. You do not need to be an AI lead, but passive resistance to AI tooling is disqualifying.

5+ years in one or more of: journalism (news or broadcast, French or bilingual), communications at a PR agency with francophone or bilingual clients, or advocacy communications with a conservative-aligned organization or campaign. A background that combines media and communications experience is the ideal.

Interested? Great! Here's what you should know:

This is a full time role based in Canada, where we are able to hire folk from the following locations: Ottawa/Ontario, New Brunswick, British Columbia and Alberta.

Our compensation philosophy is based on pay equity. All of our salaries are determined before we launch a role – they are based on a predetermined salary scale, the level on that scale and the cost of labour for that location. The annual salary of a Communications Specialist is between $84,500 and $92,500 depending on location.

Benefits and perks also vary based on location.

Our evaluation processis as follows:

• Task/assessment
• Team Interviews
• Executive Interview
• Reference Checks

We recognize that people assess their qualifications differently, and you may not meet every requirement listed.

Change.org is an open platform designed to serve people across the full range of viewpoints. We expect all candidates to have thought about whether it’s a fit for you to work at a genuinely open platform like this, in which you will regularly be exposed to opinions and campaigns which are in sharp contrast to your own values and/or beliefs.

We are an equal opportunity employer and consider all qualified applicants without regard to race, colour, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity [or expression], national origin, protected veteran status, disability, age, or any other status protected by law.

We are committed to providing reasonable accommodations for candidates with disabilities throughout our recruitment process. If you need assistance or an accommodation, please let your recruiter know.

Professional-level English proficiency is required for all roles. While we are a global company, we ask that all resumes and application responses be submitted in English.

We take pride in our benefits offerings

All benefits listed are offered globally. Additional benefits vary by country of employment.

Quick Stats

Change By the Numbers

2007

Year Founded

150

Team Members

15

Countries

95%

Employees who are proud to work at change.org

Working Together

Life at Change

01

Embedding
DEI

Change.org has a mission to cultivate a dynamic and inclusive workplace culture where every employee feels valued, connected, and inspired to contribute their best. We aim to enhance engagement through meaningful interactions, continuous development opportunities, and fostering a sense of community and belonging.

02

Bonding
& Traveling

Connecting is a non-negotiable, and we invest in onboarding retreats called Ready for Change that bring us closer and help us better understand ourselves, the business, and others. We also love our EOY parties and departmental get-togethers throughout the year.

03

Building
Community

There are four Community Resource Groups (CRGs)—API, Women/Nonbinary, Latinx, and LGBTQIA+—that hold regular meetings. Past CRG events have included panels, speaker series, cooking classes, happy hours, and all team call presentations.

04

Constantly
Communicating

We hear from leadership through monthly C Team reports, departmental Town Halls, and transparency updates on our All Team Calls.

Our Values

Values Guide Our Every Move

We match the size of the problem we are addressing by being radically ambitious, with an urgency to make progress in driving systemic impact.

We take responsibility

We each take responsibility for bringing our best selves to work, building a great culture, and owning the outcomes needed to achieve our mission.

We are open to a wide diversity of perspectives from our colleagues and users, and are actively curious about what we might learn about others, our work, and ourselves.

We are courageously candid

We are committed to courageous, constructive, and candid communication in order to get the best out of our individual and team performance.

We build connection

We value and invest in interpersonal connection and understanding to build trusting relationships, effective teams, and a healthy organizational culture.

Awards

Celebrating our Culture

Hiring

Our Talent Philosophy

We’ve intentionally designed each step of our hiring process to optimize for efficiency, transparency and fairness.