The Associate Writer will practice equitable storytelling and journalism techniques to amplify Earthjustice expertise, successes, and calls to action through content and narratives crafted for digital audiences. Reporting to the Managing Editor and working in partnership with stakeholders across Earthjustice, the staff writer will take assignments from concept to completion, identifying evocative themes and message framing for popular audiences, and writing with a keen awareness of the hyper-competitive attention economy. 

This position can be based in our San Francisco, CA office (preferred), however, we are open to remote candidates within the US. 

For SF applicants: Due to Covid-19, Earthjustice staff are currently working remotely from approved locations through January 18, 2022.

The Associate Writer is a part-time position and will work 20 hours per week. Employees who work 20 hours or more per week at Earthjustice are eligible for benefits.

Responsibilities:

Writing & Publishing (75%):

• Serve on the editorial team within Earthjustice’s communications department, primarily focusing on assignment-based writing that includes short-form articles and explainers, rapid-response case updates, and other digital formats that elevate our work during relevant news events and tentpole moments.
• Periodically update content and stories from Earthjustice’s extensive evergreen catalog for recirculation as our casework develops.
• Occasionally contribute writing and creative input for Earthjustice Quarterly Magazine (EJQ), including front-of-the-book and back-of-the-book sections, captions and headlines, and the occasional long-form feature story.
• Participate in ideation and pitch stories for owned media (earthjustice.org/stories) based on news and cultural trends related to our casework, advocacy goals outlined by our program staff, and audience data provided by our digital team.
• Brainstorm compelling headlines and teasers for distribution via digital-social platforms. 
• Work with editors and multimedia team to determine the visual needs for each piece of writing.
• Build and format stories in Drupal (CMS) with attention to goal, audience behaviors, and search optimization. 

Collaboration & Culture (25%):

• Occasionally write copy for social media posts and stories, readable videos, infographics, and brand-development content and web pages.
• Connect with staff across Earthjustice programs to develop an understanding of the legal and regulatory systems we work within and how we navigate them in support of our clients.
• Participate in our Justice & Partnership Storytelling working group to learn about and strengthen our analysis of factors and issues that intersect with environmental problems (e.g. race and racism, politics and democracy, peoples’ histories, etc.).
• Engage with our marketing team to better understand our target audiences and identify high-potential content opportunities.
• Contribute ideas during quarterly project planning for stories and content that can support and enhance our program communications efforts.
• Participate in team, department, and all-staff meetings, as well as organization-wide skills development, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) trainings, and racial and cultural affinity groups.