Chief Communications Officer

Overview

NRDC (the Natural Resources Defense Council) works to safeguard the Earth its people its plants and animals and the natural systems on which all life depends. NRDC combines the power of more than 3 million members and online activists with the expertise of some 800 policy advocates lawyers scientists and communication experts to confront the climate crisis protect nature ensure the rights of all people to clean air clean water and healthy communities . As an international nonprofit environmental organization NRDC is working to address the worlds most urgent environmental challenges and advance innovative science-based and enforceable solutions.

Since our founding in 1970 NRDC has helped craft and deliver many of Americas foundational environmental laws including the Clean Air Act Clean Water Act and Safe Drinking Water Act. Today we continue to lead in advancing and defending strong environmental protections at the local state federal and international levels as well as through the marketplace. Our team works across the United States and around the world from offices in Chicago Los Angeles New York City San Francisco and Washington D.C. as well as a representative office in Beijing and affiliate offices in New Delhi (through NRDCs wholly owned for-profit subsidiary NRDC India Private Limited) and London (through its UK-based partner NRDC International).

Supported by our members and online activists NRDC is driving impactful solutions that confront the climate crisis defend nature and safeguard public health acrossAsia Africa and the Americas. At NRDC we believe lasting change happens when people bring their talent passion and expertise together for a common purpose: to build a cleaner healthier and more resilient world. Learn more at .

Position Summary

NRDC seeks a Chief Communications Officer (CCO) to lead and evolve the organizations communications strategy at an important moment for the environmental movement and for NRDC itself. The CCO will shape how NRDC communicates its work engages audiences builds durable support for action and advances its mission to address climate environmental and public health challenges in the United States and around the world.

Reporting to the Chief External Affairs Officer and serving as a member of NRDCs Executive Leadership Team the CCO will lead the communications organization and oversee an integrated approach to brand narrative campaigns digital engagement membership communications and emerging technologies. The CCO will partner closely with colleagues across science policy politics litigation development IT and other functions to translate NRDCs expertise and priorities into compelling strategies and campaigns that move people influence policy and contribute to meaningful impact.

Operating at the intersection of strategy storytelling policy and technology the CCO will work to ensure that the organization is not only effective in todays media environment but is a model for how advocacy organizations communicate in an AI-shaped rapidly evolving landscape. This is an opportunity to help NRDC drive impact forward under its brand as well as experiment with new ways of working with partners creators and broader movements to extend the reach and effectiveness of the organizations work.

The successful CCO will play an important role in connecting the organizations strategic direction to how NRDC shows up internally and externally: strengthening the integration of communications across the organization ensuring the brand reflects NRDCs values and ambitions and elevating communications as a strategic partner throughout the organization. They will ensure communications extend beyond NRDCs own brand and channels to build alignment trust and creative partnership across a broad ecosystem of stakeholders. They will be a seasoned and adaptable people leader experienced with large volume and shifting priorities. They will be excited about working at an organization at the forefront of solving the climate crisis and eager to leverage their expertise creativity and network to advance NRDCs mission.

Responsibilities

To perform this job successfully an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. Reasonable a ccommodations may be made to enable qualified individuals with disabilities to perform the following essential functions.

The Chief Communications Officer will collaborate closely with institutional and advocacy leaders to shape and give strategic and managerial direction to the Communications teams that work to:

Communications Strategy

• Lead an integrated multi-year communications strategy aligned with NRDCs priorities and policy goals.
• Ensure alignment across brand campaigns membership development and policy communications.

Brand & Narrative Leadership

• Define and steward a distinctive credible and compelling domestic and global brand for NRDC.
• Shape core narratives that resonate across political cultural and geographic divides.
• Ensure message discipline while enabling flexibility for diverse campaigns and markets.

Campaigns & Policy Communications

• Design and execute high-impact communications campaigns that directly support policy advocacy objectives.
• Identify leverage points where communications can drive outcomes.
• Oversee rapid response and issues management in a dynamic political environment.

Thought Leadership & Content

• Elevate NRDCs voice through high-impact content media presence and strategic partnerships.
• Position NRDCs leaders and experts as go-to voices on climate nature and environmental health.
• Oversee production of best-in-class reports storytelling and multimedia content.

Media & External Relations

• Build and maintain strong relationships with key media influencers and opinion leaders.
• Drive earned media strategy that shapes narratives at national and global levels.
• Manage crisis communications and reputational risk.

Public Engagement

• Lead the department to communicate effectively with culturally demographically geographically and politically diverse set of audiences to build politically durable support for NRDCs climate nature and health goals beyond traditional audiences.

Membership Growth & Engagement

• Build a digital advocacy and fundraising program that attracts engages and mobilizes supporters for influence advocacy and fundraising.
• Develop compelling ladders of engagement across digital and offline channels.

Digital Social & AI Innovation

• Lead transformation of communications in an AI-driven media ecosystem.
• Oversee digital platforms social media strategy and data-driven audience targeting.
• Experiment with and deploy emerging technologies (AI automation personalization content generation) to increase reach and effectiveness.

Stakeholder Engagement

• Support institutional and programmatic fundraising efforts such as through proposal development donor engagement and events.
• Lead the organizations engagement in strategically important coalitions communications leadership coordinating bodies.
• Participate in and represent the organization at political philanthropic or communications industry events when necessary or valuable.
• Build and foster relationships with the Board of Trustees including through participation in board meetings and other events.

People Leadership & Organizational Influence

• Build lead and inspire a high-performing communications team.
• Foster a culture of both intradepartmental and interdepartmental collaboration creativity accountability speed and continuous learning.
• Serve as a key strategic advisor to the President & CEO Executive Director Chief External Affairs Officer and the Executive Leadership Team.

The above list of duties is not comprehensive but generally demonstrates the types of matters under this positions responsibility. Other duties may be assigned.

Qualifications

What Success Looks Like for This Role

The Chief Communications Officer will be accountable for delivering measurable progress against the following outcomes:

• Category-Defining Brand : NRDCs brand is widely recognized trusted and influential across public political and global audiences.
• Powerful Membership Engine : An engaged and activated membership base that materially contributes to advocacy victories and fundraising success.
• Visible Thought Leadership : NRDCs expertise is consistently translated into compelling narratives that shape public discourse and decision-making.
• Communications that Win Policy : Strategic communications measurably contribute to the achievement of priority policy goals at federal state and international levels.
• Expanded Coalition (Broaden the Tent): Communications effectively reach and engage new diverse and non-traditional audiences beyond the environmental base.
• Best-in-Class Modern Communications : NRDC is recognized by peers and funders as a leader in leveraging AI digital platforms and emerging media to reach and influence target audiences.

Qualifications & Experience

• 15 years of relevant experience with at least 8 years serving in a leadership role overseeing large and complex communications programs for advocacy politics and/or public engagement.
• Significant leadership experience of complex communications public engagement advocacy or campaign functions with a strong understanding of the U.S. political and media landscape. Demonstrated ability to integrate narrative partnerships policy strategy and rapid response into campaigns that reach diverse audiences influence public opinion and deliver policy outcomes. Substantial experience in government advocacy and/or politics is strongly preferred.
• Demonstrated success leading developing and motivating large multidisciplinary and geographically distributed communications teams. Strong operational leadership including planning budget management agency and consultant oversight talent development team accountability and organizational design. You are not just individually extraordinary but is proven to be adept at bringing out the best out the team you are responsible for.
• A record of developing integrated communications strategies that incorporate narrative campaigns media brand partnerships and digital engagement to raise organizational profile elevate thought leadership and scale audience engagement across diverse stakeholders. Builds compelling narratives that translate complex policy scientific legal or technical material into action that is clear accessible and persuasive.
• Experience using data to improve campaign performance message development engagement and resource allocation. Fluency across digital and social platforms audience engagement and analytics. A thoughtful practical approach to emerging technology including AI-enabled communications tools and automation.
• Experience leading crisis issues and rapid-response communications in complex high-stakes environments. A trusted advisor to senior executives who brings sound judgment discretion and the ability to act decisively.
• Energized by NRDCs work and committed to its mission of advancing climate environmental and public-health progress. Environmental advocacy experience is strongly preferred. Leads with global cultural awareness and sensitivity; international experience is desirable.
• A leader who invests in building strong working relationships vertically horizontally and diagonally across the organization to build internal connectivity and alignment across functions and levels and is adept at wielding influence through these relationships and collaboration. Is respected as an institutionally-minded executive leader who thinks and advocates beyond their own departments goals.
• Commitment to Diversity Equity and Inclusion is essential.
• Commitment to NRDCs values and mission .

PHYSICAL DEMANDS

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this position. The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of this position within the described work environment.

Frequently : P erform desk-based computer tasks

Frequently : A bility to interact and communicate with employees and others as necessary

Frequently : Attend planned meetings and collaborate with management and coworkers

Frequently: Hand draw illustrations for advocacy materials

Occasionally : A bility to attend events and activities in the office or offsite

Work is sometimes performed primarily in office . The noise level in the work environment is usually quiet in office settings and moderate in other situations . Hours of employment may sometimes require working flexible and/or longer hours including nights and weekends when necessitated by projects. The job includes work-related situations such as those involving challenging important urgent time-sensitive or multiple matters.

Initial screening of applicants will begin immediately and continue until the position is filled.

Nominations and applications should be directed to: .

NRDC is committed to advancing diversity equity and inclusion both in our work and in our workplace. We believe that celebrating and actively welcoming diverse voices and perspectives is essential to solving the planets most pressing environmental problems and we encourage applications from candidates whose identities have been historically under-represented in the environmental movement.

We are an equal opportunity employer and do not discriminate in hiring or employment on the basis of race color religion gender gender identity or expression marital status sexual orientation national origin citizenship age disability veteran status or any other characteristic protected by federal state or local law. Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.

We offer competitive salaries excellent benefits and a supportive working environment. Salary is based on a nonprofit scale and is commensurate with skills and experience. Internal equity will be reviewed and considered to determine a final offer. For this position the salary range is $320000 to $350000 .

Perks & Benefits

Not only do we care about taking care of our planet we care about taking care of you. When you join our team we invest in your total well-being. Here is a small glimpse on how we plan to support you:

• Time to Unplug & Recharge: Enjoy a generous time-off policy highlighted by a company-wide year-end Rest & Recharge Week to reset for the new year.

• Family First : Generous family leave policy beyond federal requirements for all NRDCers

• For your Future : Matching 403b whether you contribute or not

• Hybrid Policy: The freedom to balance your time around your needs that means 8 days per month in-office. In-office day requirements can be met with off-site work events such as retreats conferences and other work-related travel.

• Well being : Premium Comprehensive healthcare and mental health programs.

For more about NRDC visit .

Required Experience:

Chief