Senior Climate Communications Lead

The National Urban League, Inc.; Portland (OR); Hybrid; USD 90,000 - 100,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Employer-paid medical insurance

Disability & life insurance

Retirement plan with 5% matching

Generous PTO & vacation policy

Sabbatical after 6 years

Professional development budget

Hybrid work schedule

Job summary

Bonneville Environmental Foundation (BEF) seeks a Senior Communications Manager to lead external communications, media relations, and cross-program messaging. The role reports to the Chief of Staff and collaborates with program teams, senior leadership, and partners to advance BEF's environmental objectives.

You will manage BEF’s public presence, vendor relationships, and communications standards while coordinating across Renewables, Watersheds, BWS, and CBG programs.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Communications, Journalism, Public Relations, Marketing, or a related field, or an equivalent combination of education and relevant professional experience
• Experience in a nonprofit, environmental, or mission-driven organization, or climate, clean energy, water stewardship, or broader environmental sector
• At least 5 years of progressively responsible experience in communications, public relations, or media relations, including experience coordinating communications across multiple teams, departments, or program areas
• Experience coordinating geographically dispersed or matrixed teams (i.e., influencing without direct authority)
• Demonstrated media relations and spokesperson-preparation experience
• Experience managing external vendors/contractors and communications budgets
• Proficiency with media monitoring tools, content management systems, email marketing, and design-collaboration platforms

Responsibilities

• Serve as the central point of contact and clearinghouse for external communications requests, interview requests, speaking invitations, and media inquiries directed at BEF or its staff
• Build and maintain a proactive and reactive media relations approach to manage BEF's growing visibility in climate, energy, business sustainability, water resource, and environmental coverage
• Monitor, track, and regularly report to leadership on media coverage and public mentions of BEF, formalizing and expanding on existing tracking practices; Flag emerging risks and opportunities
• Prepare and coordinate spokespeople (executive leadership and program staff) for interviews, panels, and public appearances, including talking points and message alignment
• Manage BEF’s organizational social media presence, ensuring accuracy with brand voice and coordination with program-level social content
• In collaboration with the Chief of Staff support development of a reputational risk and crisis communications protocol, partnering with executive leadership on sensitive or high-visibility issues
• Serve as a central reviewer for externally facing communications requests and materials across programs, ensuring consistency, accuracy, and alignment with BEF's mission and values
• Manage relationships and performance of external communications contractors and vendors (e.g., graphic design, messaging/copywriting, media training), including scoping, budgeting, and quality control
• Maintain and evolve messaging framework across print, digital, and public-facing channels
• Partner with program teams to create, review, edit, finalize key organizational materials (annual reports, impact stories, newsletters, website content) that draw on and reinforce program-level communications work
• Serve as the strategic connective point across BEF's program-based communications and executive functions, coordinating messaging and priorities without asking programs to give up their embedded communications function and capacity
• Build shared visibility across program communications work, identifying overlaps and opportunities for a shared BEF narrative
• Establish light-touch shared standards and practices that let program teams retain ownership while ensuring consistency where it matters externally
• Ensure high-function and impact program-specific communication action and strategy that reinforce program direction
• Convene a program communications working group to surface priorities and share resources
• Advise program leadership on how their communications fit within the broader organizational story
• Partner with Learning & Development to train staff in communications and media best practices

Skills

Media relations

Spokesperson preparation

Vendor management

Budgets / cost control

CMS / content management

Email marketing

Design collaboration tools

Cross-team coordination

Education

Bachelor's degree in Communications or related field

Tools

Media monitoring tools

Content management systems (CMS)

Email marketing platforms

Design-collaboration platforms

Job description

Bonneville Environmental Foundation (BEF) seeks a Senior Communications Manager to lead external communications, media relations, and cross-program messaging. The role reports to the Chief of Staff and collaborates with program teams, senior leadership, and partners to advance BEF's environmental objectives.

You will manage BEF’s public presence, vendor relationships, and communications standards while coordinating across Renewables, Watersheds, BWS, and CBG programs.