Media Manager

Position Title:Media Manager

Position Type:Full-time, Permanent

Salary range: $60,000 to $70,000 annually

Location: Toronto, Hybrid or Remote in Canada

Office: WCS Canada Head office, Toronto

Reports to: Sue Novotny, Head of Communications

Date Written/Revised: March 13, 2024

Supervises (Direct supervision only): N/A

Position Start Date: April 29, 2024

Application Closing Date: March 28, 2024 at 6pm ET

Join the adventure!

Are you a media-savvy, experienced communicator with a passion for conservation? Do you dream of helping protect Canada's iconic wildlife and magnificent wild places?

WCS Canada has the perfect niche for you!

As Media Manager, you’ll be a key member of WCS Canada’s communications team. You'll shape and share stories from the front lines of conservation work. You'll turn rigorous scientific research into inspiring media coverage and social media posts.

With your knowledge of the media environment and your keen sense of what makes a good story, you will identify proactive and reactive opportunities for media coverage. You’ll work closely with our scientists to develop media-friendly communication pieces that stay true to the science.

Here’s what you’ll be diving into:

• You’ll use your creativity and story-telling ability as you manage WCS Canada’s social media channels. You’ll amplify our conservation stories, engage with diverse audiences, and grow awareness and support for our work.

• You’ll coordinate with the Head of Communications and other teams to support WCS Canada’s media outreach and other written content. Let’s get Canadians thinking and talking about conservation!

• You’ll have a front-row seat on cool developments in conservation and you’ll play a critical role in sharing news both internally and externally.

In a typical month, you can expect to:

• Manage WCS Canada’s social media calendar, create inspiring and interesting posts, and monitor responses and engagement.
• Identify media opportunities, develop pitches alongside our experts, and foster relationships with journalists across Canada and beyond. You’ll use a fully featured media tool (Muckrack) to find the most relevant outlets for our work.
• Find the perfect photos, graphics, and maps to support our outreach.
• Dive deep into analytics and make inspired, well-supported recommendations for fresh approaches to conservation communications.
• Help staff get the best results from social media and interview opportunities.
• Connect with front-line research teams and program staff across the country, along with the rest of the communications team. You’ll identify media opportunities that will help bring WCS Canada’s conservation work into the spotlight.
• Create compelling stories about our work for blog posts, storymaps, and more.
• Expand your skill set, including working with graphic design tools, media relations and email marketing platforms.

We are looking for someone with:

• A degree in journalism, public relations, science communication, or related fields, with at least 3-5 years of relevant experience.
• Demonstrated success in creating and placing pitches and op-eds in high-profile outlets.
• Demonstrated success in managing social media content and strategy.
• A proven “news sense” and understanding of communication strategies combined with an ability to interpret scientific literature and use it to develop accessible and compelling content for general audiences. Your finger is on the pulse for conservation news in Canada and you can generate compelling and engaging content based on current events.
• A high level of intercultural sensitivity and interest in Indigenous issues.

Here are some other benefits of working here:

• Health and Dental benefits, Life Insurance, Health Spending Account (HSA)
• Registered Retirement Savings Plan Match
• Paid Holidays, Paid Vacation Days, Paid Sick Days and Self-care Days
  
• Training and Professional Development Opportunities
  

• Mentorship Program

Show us your passion for storytelling and commitment to conservation by sending your CV and a cover letter explaining why you're the perfect fit for this role.

Please also include any relevant writing samples and related portfolio pieces including recent communications work you have developed or played a key role in developing.

For questions about the position, please contact Sue Novotny at snovotny@wcs.org.

For questions about the application process, please contact Okechukwu Ezibe at oezibe@wcs.org.

About WCS Canada

WCS Canada (www.wcscanada.org) was established as a Canadian conservation organization in July 2004. We are committed to championing accessibility, diversity, and equal opportunity. Our mission is to save wildlife and wild places by improving our understanding of and seeking solutions to critical problems that threaten key species and large wild ecosystems throughout Canada. We implement and support comprehensive field studies that gather information on wildlife needs and then seek to resolve key conservation problems by working with a broad array of actors. WCS Canada has a track record of our science being recognized as relevant, credible, and legitimate by researchers, NGOs and agencies. WCS Canada is independently registered and managed, while retaining a strong collaborative working relationship with sister Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) programs in more than 60 countries.

Diversity and inclusion are core WCS Canada values. We value the diversity of the people we employ and work with and we strive to provide an inclusive and equitable workplace in which we recognize the unique characteristics, skills, and experiences of all employees. We are committed to engaging our employees in our diversity, equity, and inclusion work and together we aim to create a workplace where all staff feel they belong and can grow.

WCS Canada’s programs occur on the homelands of Indigenous Peoples whose relationships various governments are described in historic Treaties, modern land claim agreements, and negotiations around unceded lands. We recognize and support Indigenous Peoples in Indigenous-led conservation initiatives as well as the international ecological and social commitments and responsibilities to Indigenous Peoples that Canada has signed, including the Convention on Biological Diversity, the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, the Convention on the Trade in Endangered Species, the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, and the recommendations of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. Our commitment to collaboration with Indigenous Peoples ranges from provision of scientific advice to co-creation of research and conservation priorities. We respect Indigenous knowledge systems and include Indigenous ways of knowing in research and conservation programs. We engage in land use planning and impact assessment processes that affect Indigenous Peoples, seeking ways to advance conservation as well as opportunities to sustain the livelihoods and cultures of Indigenous communities. We seek to motivate positive conservation outcomes by supporting effective governance and decision-making processes by Indigenous communities, particularly by supporting Indigenous and Community Conserved Areas.