Communications Associate - Veditum India Foundation

Indiawaterportal; North Dakota; Remote; USD 60,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job summary

An established industry player is seeking a passionate Communications Associate to join their team. This role focuses on enhancing audience engagement and online presence through strategic communication efforts, collaboration with various stakeholders, and building a robust network. Ideal candidates will have a strong commitment to environmental accountability and possess excellent communication and relationship-building skills. This remote position offers flexibility and the opportunity to make a meaningful impact in the environmental sector. If you're driven and eager to contribute to transformative projects, this role is perfect for you.

Qualifications

• At least 2 years of experience in the development sector.
• Strong alignment with environmental accountability goals.

Responsibilities

• Co-develop and implement communication strategies.
• Build and maintain networks aligned with organizational goals.

Skills

Community Management

Communication Skills

Social Media Management

Network Building

Content Creation

Education

Graduate/Postgraduate/Diploma

Tools

Google Workspace

Notion

Job description

Communications Associate - Veditum India Foundation

Veditum India Foundation is a not-for-profit research, media, and action oriented organization, working at the intersection of environmental and social justice. Our mission is to transform the environmental governance landscape of India, and our current work is centered on life in and around Indian rivers. Check out all work and projects at - www.veditum.org

About the primary project:

India Sand Watch (ISW) India Sand Watch is an environmental accountability project, protecting India’s rivers from unsustainable and destructive sand mining. At the heart of the project is an open data platform. This dynamic annotated archive is collaboratively built with local communities, partners and active citizens. The project combines public information with outputs from advanced machine learning models to create evidence, enabling informed media reporting, research, policy making and collective action. Check out the project at this link: www.sandwatch.in

The Role:

Communications Associate We are looking to hire a communications associate. This is a hands-on role, for a self-driven individual with at least 2 years of work experience in the development sector in India. The work extends across Veditum’s projects, with primary focus on the India Sand Watch Project.

Engagement Type: This is a full time role, only for Indian nationals based in India, starting as soon as the hiring process is complete (tentative start: April 2025). This is a remote / WFH position, and office hours are 10am to 6pm IST from Monday to Friday. There will be occasional additional commitments towards workshops (online + in-person, requiring travel) & networking events beyond 10am-6pm & on weekends too. We are flexible about working hours and days off, but flexibility follows performance & consistency. This position requires the individual to apply their own mind and take initiatives, and the ability to function independently within the guidelines of the organization’s vision. We have an expectation of at least 2 years of continuous engagement with the project. You may still apply if you are looking for a short term engagement, but we will give priority to those willing to come on board for a longer stay.

● We’re looking for someone with strong alignment with Veditum’s goal of environmental accountability, and who enjoys working with people / networks.

● All the work listed below will be achieved in collaboration with the team and guidance will be provided where required. You must however showcase strong self-drive and motivation.

● The work will be spread out in two overall categories:

○ Communications

○ Network weaving

As part of the communications work:

○ You will co-develop and implement communications strategies to increase audience engagement and grow the organisation’s online presence across various platforms.

○ You are expected to conceptualise, create basic outputs (using the organisation’s knowledge & content base), and manage outreach materials across platforms (social media / newsletters / blogs) to effectively communicate the organisation’s mission and initiatives.

○ You will work with the team towards retail fundraising campaigns.

○ You will have the responsibility to build the strategy & lead execution for Veditum’s archival material being translated into effective tools & outputs for educational and archival purposes.

○ You are expected to hold the space between the team and collaborators (designers, filmmakers, etc) for communications related work.

● As part of the network weaving work:

○ You have to show competence in and be comfortable with identifying potential partners, reaching out to individuals / organisations, and building and maintaining networks, in line with Veditum’s goals and targets.

○ You will work towards building a robust network for the organisation and project within spaces such as environmental departments / clubs of educational institutions, organisations, colleges, start-ups.

○ You will support the team in maintaining the organisation’s network database and communication with existing partners.

● Additionally, you are required to contribute to basic & essential tasks with the team towards organisation growth: network expansion, fundraising, workshops, administrative tasks and more.

● If river systems are a new domain, you will be required to undergo studies about river systems and sand mining. We will facilitate this learning process if you display exceptional potential in other required skills.

Key + Basic skills & requirements needed:

● Graduate/postgraduate/diploma holder and at least 2 years of work experience. Degree requirement is flexible.

● Basic knowledge and interest in environmental challenges / climate change, along with a strong alignment with Veditum’s goals and vision.

● Should be comfortable with basic tools such as Google Workspace, Notion, in making PPTs, and creating process documents.

● Experience and practical understanding of how social media platforms and other communication channels like email, newsletter, blogs, whatsapp function in a goal oriented manner for organisational / project efforts.

● Should be able to create / extract learning and communication outputs from Veditum’s existing material (including videos, text, photos, maps etc). Example: Creation of good quality basic graphics / infographics / video explainers for storytelling and outreach across communication channels.

● A practiced experience in community management + knowledge and network curation. This will require excellent relationship building & communication skills, and the ability to hold space for facilitating learning and collaboration.

● An understanding of India’s environment / climate / social sector landscape will be very useful.

Remuneration: The starting pay for this role is ₹40,000 per month (cost to company). Please note that there will be a 6 months probationary period. Approved expenses (including travel) will be taken care of by the organisation.

Hiring Process:

1. Interested applicants should write to [e-mail] with the subject line “Interested in Communication Role - Veditum (2025)”. Send your applications latest by 11:59 pm IST - 14th February 2025, and include the following in your email:
1. Your CV
2. Samples of relevant past work
3. A brief note on why this role interests you (feel free to send your note in written or video format)
4. A summary on proficiency with tools which may be relevant for this role.
5. Mention if you’re from a disadvantaged background.

1. After an initial screening, shortlisted applicants will be given a task.
2. Those who perform well on the task will be interviewed.
3. The final candidate will be selected based on the task and interview.

Other Notes:

- This position is open for Indian nationals only. You will be required to furnish proof, if selected.

- We are an equal opportunity employer.

Candidates from all backgrounds are encouraged to apply, and those from disadvantaged backgrounds will be preferred.

- In case of any further questions, please contact us at [e-mail] with the same subject line as mentioned above.

- The hired candidate should have their own computer.

Open House - In order to answer queries that applicants may have, we are hosting a 1 hour open house session on Saturday, 1st February, from 11am - 12pm. - You can sign up for the session at this link: https://lu.ma/gx28ra5l