The International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) is an award-winning independent think tank working to accelerate solutions for a stable climate, sustainable resource management, and fair economies. Our work inspires better decisions and sparks meaningful action to help people and the planet thrive. We shine a light on what can be achieved when governments, businesses, non-profits, and communities come together. IISD’s staff of more than 200 people, plus over 100 associates and consultants, come from across the globe and from many disciplines. With offices in Winnipeg, Geneva, Ottawa, and Toronto, our work affects lives in nearly 100 countries.
The position is based within the IISD Energy Program (www.iisd.org/energy), a diverse and dynamic team of more than 30 experts based in the IISD Geneva and Ottawa offices as well as remotely in India, Indonesia, South Africa, and other countries.
About the Position
The Senior Communications Officer, Just Energy Transition, will manage a new online platform, collecting and disseminating knowledge products aimed at facilitating a just energy transition in coal regions, and contribute to its development.
They will work closely with IISD’s Energy Program Transitions Team, Communications Manager, and external partners of the project, including Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), Climate Action Network (CAN), International Labour Organisation (ILO), International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC)/Just Transition Centre, and Wuppertal Institute für Klima (WI).
The Senior Communications Officer will be responsible for implementing the project’s Strategic Communications Plan, leading a team of writers and assistants, as well as coordinating work with external agencies and content producers. They will manage the editorial content of the platform and strategically use digital channels and tools to reach and engage target audiences. They will also coordinate quality assurance measures following the project’s Communications and Visibility Guidelines.
Their key areas of responsibility will include but not be limited to:
Creative Content
- Inform, steer, and implement the Strategic Communications Plan for the project. This includes cooperating with internal and external stakeholders, ensuring timelines are adhered to, monitoring and evaluation, and reporting on impact.
- In consultation with a communications manager, help to update and improve the Strategic Communications Plan.
- Track current events related to this field and communicate these to colleagues, identifying opportunities for further work and/or public engagement.
- Manage the editorial content of the platform, proactively looking for new stories and external contributions and ensuring high quality of the content and editorial consistency.
- Regularly share program work and collaborate with IISD’s core communications team to ensure alignment on key messaging and amplification of programmatic expertise in broader, organization-wide communications activities. Contribute to a shared editorial calendar.
- Communicate with IISD’s donors to show how their support has made an impact.
Public Engagement and Social Media
- Maintain and update lists of newsletter subscribers within platforms such as MailChimp. Draft, edit, and distribute newsletters. Help to inform and execute an email outreach strategy.
- Conduct event-related outreach and oversee post-event follow-up.
- Inform social media strategy and manage social media accounts related to the project, ensuring posts are relevant, timely, engaging, and targeted to the needs and interests of key audiences. This may include drafting and/or editing posts, organizing promotions, tracking trending topics and hashtags, and regularly monitoring the feeds of partner organizations to identify opportunities for cross-promotion.
Digital Strategy
- Devise and implement a digital marketing strategy for the project’s digital platforms to maximize growth and engagement among target audiences according to the Strategic Communications Plan for the project.
- Working within content management systems such as Drupal or WordPress, upload and edit content for websites, adhering to IISD guidelines as well as the project’s Communications and Visibility Guidelines.
- Use analytics software to monitor, assess, and report on website traffic and engagement with its digital content, advising where appropriate on opportunities to improve.
- Working with designers and video producers, manage the production of digital content, including Twitter cards, posters, invitations, simple infographics, presentations, and other conference or workshop materials.
Media Relations
- Respond to media requests related to the project and build media lists.
- Maintain and update databases of media contacts.
Internal Processes
- Ensure brand coherence and compliance with existing IISD communications practices.
- Manage internal processes related to the development and dissemination of communications products, including coordinating feedback from stakeholders, approvals, and copy editing.
- Maintain strong relationships with project staff and partners to gain a deeper understanding of their research and policy objectives to translate their work into key messages that resonate with priority audiences. Provide editorial guidance to IISD’s experts so they have the necessary skills to communicate their work through different channels and act as public ambassadors for the project and IISD.
- Manage a team of assistants, writers, content producers, and web developers. This may include IISD employees and/or external contractors.
External Processes
- Ensure brand coherence and compliance with Communications and Visibility Guidelines in each project.
- Manage processes related to the development and dissemination of communications products, including coordinating feedback from external stakeholders, approvals, and copy editing.
- Engage external partners in communications activities of the project leading the project’s Communications Taskforce.
About the Successful Applicant
The successful applicant will be a highly skilled communicator experienced in editorial content management. They will be confident in shaping digital communication strategies to reach and engage niche and highly targeted audiences. They will have a track record of working with external partners, including governments and/or international organizations. Experience in climate and energy-related communications will be considered a strong asset.
The successful applicant will also have the following:
- A minimum of a bachelor’s degree or equivalent in a relevant field (e.g., communications, journalism, political science, economics, environmental or development studies, etc.).
- A minimum of 5 years of relevant work experience in journalism, communications, or digital marketing.
- Excellent oral and writing skills in English and a track record of written products in English. The ability to work (read, write, speak) in other languages will be considered an advantage.
- Excellent organizational, planning, and project management skills.
- Results-focused, ability to prioritize and to work quickly and accurately, with the flexibility to take on tasks ranging from highly complex to basic in nature.
- A strong ability to work comfortably across different cultures and be inclusive and positive with different colleagues.
- Computer literacy, including Microsoft Office applications and experience in handling web-based communications and management systems, including WordPress, Drupal, Mailchimp, and Google Analytics.
- Experience working in or with developing countries will be considered a strong advantage.
Location: Germany/Belgium
Starting Salary: 59,406 - 64,160 EUR (commensurate with experience and qualifications)
Type of engagement: 80% staff position with a potential to extend to 100%, fixed-term contract until April 2026
Application deadline: three weeks after the vacancy publication, 10 p.m. CET
Start date: Immediate opportunity
Application procedure: Applications will only be accepted through Bamboo HR.
Please include the following:
- A CV (no longer than two pages)
- A cover letter, one page
- IISD Voluntary Self-Identification Questionnaire (optional)
- All submissions must be in English.
Only those candidates we wish to interview will be contacted. Resumes will be kept on file for one year.
IISD has implemented a COVID-19 Vaccination Policy that requires employees who are required or choose to be at an office or participate in in-person team events or in-person meetings/events to be fully vaccinated. Anyone unable to be fully vaccinated, either because of a sincerely held religious belief or a medical condition or disability that prevents them from being fully vaccinated, can request a reasonable accommodation.
IISD is committed to fostering a more equitable and sustainable world and welcomes candidates who uphold our values of diversity, equity, and inclusion. In addition, to correct the conditions of social injustice and disadvantage in employment around the world, we encourage candidates from historically marginalized groups, including women, Indigenous Peoples, people with disabilities, people from different racial and ethnic backgrounds, and those who identify themselves as 2SLGBTQIA+ to apply for this position. Preference will be given to the equity-deserving groups during the hiring process. We offer reasonable accommodations in our recruitment process and seek applicants' advice on how best to accommodate their needs. Please self-identify and answer our employment equity questionnaire on our applicant tracking system when you apply.
#LI-Remote