Climate Communications Associate

Schmidt Entities; New York (NY); On-site; USD 70,000 - 110,000; Full time

Job summary

Schmidt Sciences seeks a Communications Associate to bridge complex climate research and accessible narratives. The role requires strong writing, collaboration with researchers, and strategic content development across the Climate Center portfolio.

You will draft materials, coordinate messaging, and help elevate grantee voices while partnering with staff to maintain consistent branding and an impact-driven storytelling approach.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in communications, journalism, climate science, environmental science, energy policy, or related field.
• 3 - 5 years of professional experience in communications.
• Experience pitching stories to the press.
• Strong working knowledge of climate modeling, carbon cycle science, energy transition pathways, and computational tools.
• Ability to translate complex topics into clear, compelling narratives for non-expert audiences.
• Experience using AI tools to enhance day-to-day workflows and productivity.
• Experience managing websites and social channels.
• Portfolio demonstrating science or climate storytelling.

Responsibilities

• Lead development of unified narratives for Schmidt Sciences’ climate portfolio.
• Partner with staff on positioning, messaging and presentation support.
• Highlight grantees’ voices through profiles and features.
• Draft and edit press releases, website content, reports, blogs and newsletters.
• Translate complex climate research into accessible language for media and public audiences.
• Pitch stories to journalists, podcasters and influencers.
• Draft content calendars and post to Schmidt Sciences’ social channels.
• Maintain consistent tone and branding across communications.
• Collaborate on multimedia storytelling, including video and explainer materials.
• Monitor communications metrics and adapt strategy accordingly.
• Explore digital tools and AI to strengthen communications.
• Stay informed on climate research trends and grantee publications.
• Manage inbound communications requests and support the team.
• Collaborate with colleagues across programs; travel as needed.

Skills

Writing & editing

Project management

Media relations

Content strategy

Climate storytelling

Education

Bachelor’s degree in communications or related field

Tools

Adobe Creative Suite

CMS platforms

Social media tools

Job description

Schmidt Sciences is a nonprofit organization founded in 2024 by Eric and Wendy Schmidt that works to accelerate scientific knowledge and breakthroughs with the most promising, advanced tools to support a thriving planet. The organization prioritizes research in areas poised for impact including AI and advanced computing, astrophysics, biosciences, climate, and space—as well as supporting researchers in a variety of disciplines through its science systems program.

About the Climate Center

The Climate Center at Schmidt Sciences supports fundamental science, decision-relevant tools and global research networks to deepen understanding of our interconnected Earth system and to bend the carbon curve toward a sustainable future for humanity and nature. Its work brings together interdisciplinary research, observations, and modeling to better account for feedback across the land, atmosphere and oceans and to evaluate mitigation strategies.

The Role

Schmidt Sciences seeks a Communications Associate to help our growing Climate Center bridge the gap between complex technical research and accessible, impactful narratives. This hands‑on role requires both strong communications skills and a meaningful working knowledge of climate research topics and related sciences. The ideal candidate combines deep experience in science or technology communications with technical fluency in climate sciences, Earth systems, decarbonization and climate modeling research. They are equally comfortable collaborating with leading researchers and shaping public-facing narratives that inform, inspire and build trust. Working closely with the communications team, the Communications Associate will support the development of messaging and content that elevates the work of Schmidt Sciences’ and its grantees, with an emphasis on the Climate Center. Reporting to the Communications Director, the Communications Associate will play a central role in developing strategy and executing content across Schmidt Sciences’ climate portfolio.

• Lead the development of clear, unified narratives for Schmidt Sciences’ climate portfolio of programs
• Serve as a thought partner to climate program staff on positioning, messaging and presentation support
• Highlight the voices and work of climate grantees through profiles, interviews, and feature stories
• Draft and edit high-quality written materials including press releases, website content, reports, blog posts, newsletters, op-eds, social posts, speeches and explainer materials
• Translate complex climate, modeling and scientific research into accessible language for diverse audiences including media, and the public
• Pitch stories to journalists, podcasters and other influencers in the climate and public sector
• Draft and develop content, calendar and post to Schmidt Sciences social media channels
• Ensure consistency in tone, brand, and messaging across communications
• Collaborate on multimedia storytelling efforts for the Climate Center, including video, audio, interactive features and short‑form explainers
• Monitor and analyze communications performance metrics to evaluate effectiveness and inform strategy
• Identify opportunities to innovate using digital tools, data visualization or emerging AI technologies to strengthen communications
• Maintain an active understanding of trends in climate research across academia and industry to ensure messaging remains timely and credible
• Monitor climate grantee publications and Schmidt Sciences‑funded research for amplification on owned media channels
• Manage incoming communications requests from internal teams and external partners for the climate institute, ensuring accuracy and adherence to brand standards
• Provide general project support to the communications team as needed
• Collaborate closely with colleagues across programs
• Some national or international travel will be required

• Bachelor’s degree in communications, journalism, climate science, environmental science, energy policy, or a related field
• 3 - 5 years of professional experience in communications
• Previous experience pitching stories successfully and working with the press
• Strong working knowledge of climate modeling, carbon cycle science, energy transition pathways, and computational tools
• Demonstrated ability to translate complex technical topics into clear, compelling narratives for non-expert audiences
• Strong track record of collaboration with researchers, scientists or technical subject matter experts
• Excellent writing and editing skills
• Experience using AI tools to enhance day-to-day workflows and productivity
• Experience managing websites, digital content platforms and social channels
• Familiarity with analytics tools and audience engagement metrics
• Strong project management skills and ability to coordinate multiple initiatives simultaneously
• High attention to detail, strong organizational skills and ability to thrive in a fast-paced environment

• Experience working in philanthropic, academic, research or technology-focused institutions
• Emerging network of connections at publications, social media channels and other domains that cover climate news
• Experience with data analysis or visualization tools
• Design sensibility and working knowledge of creative tools such as Adobe Creative Suite or audio/video editing software
• Portfolio demonstrating science or climate storytelling
• Interest in or exposure to both academic and industry climate research environments
• Experience with analytics, audience engagement metrics or performance tracking

This is an exempt position.

Schmidt Sciences, is an Equal Employment Opportunity employer that proudly pursues and hires a diverse workforce. We do not make hiring or employment decisions on the basis of race, color, religion or religious belief, ethnic or national origin, nationality, sex, gender, gender-identity, sexual orientation, disability, age, military or veteran status, or any other basis protected by applicable local, state, or federal laws or prohibited by Company policy. We strive for a healthy and safe workplace and strictly prohibit harassment of any kind.