The Communications Manager for the Coastal Bend will build the collective media and outreach efforts of a broad coalition of community-based organizations, and NGOs working on environmental issues in the Coastal Bend. S/he will serve as the lead coordinator for project activities. This position involves facilitating strategic development amongst coalition partners, leading assessment and evaluation of coalition partners’ communications work, working to strengthen community relations, managing partner relationships, engaging media, and overseeing project operations, including budget and management of external public relations and marketing consultants. The program manager will engage all project partners on ensuring that project deliverables are achieved on time and on budget. This position will also contribute to specific project tasks as needed. Key knowledge and skills include project management, strategic communication, partnership development, air/water quality and health background, and understanding of Corpus Christi area stakeholders, including an understanding of effective message frames and tones for the Coastal Bend.

The Manager will report to EDF’s Communications Director for Climate and Health and will work closely with EDF’s Senior Director for Climate and Health, who oversees this project out of EDF’s Austin office.

Key Responsibilities

Management

• Manage the deployment of a set of discrete and complementary strategies developed by a coalition of partner organizations, aimed collectively at increasing public awareness about the environmental impacts of industrial development activities in the Coastal Bend and facilitating the development of clear, actionable solutions.
• Use the collective impact framework to develop and implement an operational framework for the coalition, with clear and measurable deliverables in line with commitments to project funders.
• Engage all project partners on ensuring that project deliverables are achieved on time and on budget.
• Establish a protocol for regular project evaluation to be done in collaboration with the other partner organizations.
• Manage outside public relations and marketing consultants.
• Contribute to specific project tasks as needed.
• Participates in advancing EDF DEI goals in which people from all backgrounds and experiences feel connected, included, and empowered to address the environmental and organizational challenges in alignment with EDF values.

Strategic Communication

• In conjunction with project partners, develop and manage a strategic communications strategy to reframe the industrial growth narrative in the Coastal Bend and establish greater support for environmental concerns and solutions among registered voters.
• Increase engagement of local communities and strategic audiences in advocacy efforts supporting public health and environmental goals related to air and water quality.
• Develop and coordinate discrete and complementary strategic communications projects to be carried out by one or more project partner organizations, ensuring alignment with overall coalition goals.

Elevate environmental and health messages

• Partner with academics via liaison to develop and expand a network of academics to engage in media outreach that elevates discussion of environmental and public health impacts of industrial development.
• Train community ambassadors to engage with the media to share their experiences of community and environmental degradation due to industrial development.
• Develop a strategy to promote prompt media response to industrial emergencies or breaking news stories, developing a network of issue-area specialists able to engage with the media at short notice.
• Strengthen coalitions to develop a network of new messengers – such as climate scientists, fish and wildlife experts, health professionals, small business leaders, and local government officials – for topics relating to air/water degradation, environmental justice and health impacts.
• Train subject matter experts to effectively target multiple audiences, conducting media trainings to help coalition members communicate complex information in accessible language.

Engage and Mobilize

• Engage on social media platforms to inform and mobilize strategic audiences on air/water quality challenges and solutions, developing social media strategies to shift voters from awareness to action.
• Improve traditional media outreach to spotlight air/water quality problems and propose policy solutions.

Partnership Development

• Use the collective impact framework to manage relationships among partner organizations.
• Communicate and coordinate with project partners on strategy, implementation, opportunities and results.
• Strengthen the shared agenda and objectives among coalition partners, using a clear and transparent framework to clarify shared expectations and establish protocols for project implementation.
• Maintain a strong relationship with coalition partners and local stakeholders to ensure that project objectives are clearly specified and implemented.
• Develop strategy to engage and develop relationships with additional entities (including and other allied organizations within the Coastal Alliance to Protect Our Environment) that can assist the coalition in achieving project goals.