Communications Manager

Are you looking to make a difference in Waterloo Region? Do you want to use your passion for the environment, outreach and marketing to make our community more sustainable? This is primarily a remote role with a requirement to attend in person meetings and local events in Waterloo Region.

Reep Green Solutions is an environmental charity that helps people in Waterloo Region live sustainably. We work to empower people with the practical tools, knowledge and capacity for action to make sustainable living the norm. Our current focus areas are home energy efficiency, water conservation, green landscaping and waste reduction. In short, we work together with the community on practical solutions for addressing and adapting to climate change.

Our culture is “trusting, productive, and happy at work”, as one staffer put it. There is great joy in working on issues we feel passionately about!

The Role of Communications Manager

The Communications Manager will be responsible for Reep’s communications and marketing strategies and for maintaining and increasing the positive profile of Reep in the community. Working with volunteers and students, the manager will have primary responsibility for digital media, annual event and annual report, charitable giving campaigns, and program communications, working with program managers.

A superlative writer with a keen eye for visual appeal, you will lead the creation of compelling materials for the organization that call us all to action and raises our profile in the community, including our annual report, e-newsletter, blogs and website.

As a community connector, you will invite support and participation in sustainable living by organizing events.

As a nurturer of talent, you will engage the community in learning and contributing while increasing our capacity through gifts of graphic design, event management, writing, editing and researching.

Reporting to: Executive Director

Hours: 5 days/week, totaling 37.5 hours/week with some hours occurring on evenings and/or weekends

General Duties:

Core Communications

• Engage and support the team in a single voice to represent Reep and its programs to the community.
• Internal materials to keep Vision, Mission and Values alive within the team, and calendar, themes, standard messaging etc to keep us all on message;
• Create and implement yearly Communications Strategy with input from staff team to engage staff, volunteers and board in being great ambassadors for Reep’s work, including;
• Media engagement, digital media strategy, blogs, e-newsletter, website updates and news releases;
• Design, write and create Reep’s Annual Impact Report to the Community, in collaboration with program leads for content creation;
• Create presentations to municipal councils, media releases and communications about related events. Tell the stories of our participants in a compelling way;
• Manage the annual Zero Waste Challenge program, including continuing to grow the program’s reach and effectiveness. Includes:
• Recruit high-profile participants like mayors, councilors and other public figures to participate each year.
• Facilitate engagement of the community in zero waste living.

Program-specific Marketing and Outreach

• Act as the Marketing and Outreach lead for our programs and initiatives, working with program managers to increase participation, engage community members, and reach targets. In short, work together to mobilize the community. Includes:
• Acting as the connector to ensure that programs and services support each other in their marketing and communications; Coordinate marketing efforts across the organization;
• Develop customized communications plan for programs, campaigns and projects;
• Supporting all program areas in outreach efforts via social media through reviewing and scheduling posts and acting as a sounding board as needed;
• Supporting ClimateActionWR outreach efforts via social media and by acting as a sounding board as needed;

Charitable Giving

Lead strategy and implementation of giving campaigns to build revenue and capacity for the organization’s programs and services to achieve greater community impact:

• Lead Reep’s donor communications including:
• Donor stewardship and cultivation;
• Giving campaigns such as: Giving Tuesday and End-of-year giving;
• Fundraising events/outreach;
• Work with Bookkeeper and Admin Coordinator to document donations and ensure a grateful response from the organization.
• Report to the team and the community on the results of our fundraising efforts;
• Assist with donor management, as needed.

Community Engagement

Work with the Executive Director and Managers to engage stakeholders in Reep’s work.

• Support positive relationships with partner organizations, such as municipalities, utilities, funders, sponsors and non-profits;
• Will include working with other organizations to help plan or promote joint initiatives.
• Responsible for building positive and productive relationships with local and regional media outlets, including print media, radio and television.

Volunteer and Student Engagement

• Lead existing and recruit new volunteers or students hired to support this staff position;
• Nurture and support the goals of volunteers and students as integral members of the Reep team.

Reep Leadership

• Act as communications and marketing mentor to staff and volunteers;
• In particular, support and encourage our efforts at telling our stories, to each other and to the community;
• Join Reep’s managers in regular meetings to work well together and lead the organization.

Event Planning and Support

• Responsible for the planning and execution of:
• Reep’s annual signature event; Liaise with managers to plan an event to engage the community in celebrating sustainable living;
• Support program-related workshops and events, working with internal staff leads and external partners to ensure outreach communications lead to event attendance goals

In addition to these responsibilities, other tasks may be added as required by the organization.

Qualifications and Skills Required

• A diploma or degree in the Arts, especially English, Journalism, Communications, Marketing; or commensurate experience.
• Three or more years' of experience in a communications role, including webpage development;
• Superb writing and editing skills;
• Excellent presentation, written and oral skills;
• Previous management experience motivating, leading and developing a team of communications professionals;
• Experience with graphic design, WordPress, Mailchimp, Eventbrite, Canva, SurveyMonkey, Sendible, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube & Instagram;
• Knowledge and experience in applying relevant provisions of the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act to ensure our website and documents remain AODA compliant;
• Experience with managing charitable giving campaigns, donor management, donor management systems and donor communications is an asset;
• Strong capacity to build and execute a shared communications plan that engages the team;
• Able to take initiative and work well under limited supervision;
• Strong project management skills, including prioritization, multi-tasking, and time management.
• This is a hybrid role. In person meetings and events in Waterloo Region are mandatory

Please see the full job description for more details.

This is a permanent role with a start date of March 18th 2024. With a salary in the range of $47,000 - $54,000 per year, including benefits of an Employee Assistance Plan and a Health Care Spending Account.

**Workplace Expectations** Any of the necessary equipment to work remotely such as a laptop will be provided but a stable internet connection is required to be arranged by the employee. In-person meetings and other work may also be required. Opportunities to work at an office environment can be arranged.

TO APPLY: If you are interested in joining our team, please send your resume and cover letter along with a portfolio or samples of your graphic and social media designs and/or other marketing material designs (i.e. flyers, brochures, signs etc.) in one PDF file to the HR Coordinator Sarah Smouter at office@reepgreen.ca by Sunday February 25th 2024.

Please note: Only applications emailed directly to office@reepgreen.ca will be considered. Applications will be reviewed and interviews arranged as applications arrive, so we encourage interested candidates to apply early.

Job Types: Full-time, Permanent

Salary: $47,000.00-$54,000.00 per year

Benefits:

• Employee assistance program
• Extended health care
• Flexible schedule
• Work from home

Schedule:

• Evening shift
• Monday to Friday
• Weekends as needed

Application question(s):

• If you are interested in joining our team, please send your resume and cover letter along with a portfolio or samples of your graphic and social media designs and/or other marketing material designs (i.e. flyers, brochures, signs etc.) in one PDF file to the HR Coordinator Sarah Smouter at office@reepgreen.ca by Sunday February 25th 2024.

Please note: Only applications emailed directly to office@reepgreen.ca will be considered.

Experience:

• Communications: 2 years (preferred)

Ability to Commute:

• Kitchener, ON N2G 2Y3 (required)

Work Location: Hybrid remote in Kitchener, ON N2G 2Y3

Application deadline: 2024-02-25
Expected start date: 2024-03-18