NRDC (the Natural Resources Defense Council) works to safeguard the Earth, its people, its plants and animals, and the natural systems on which all life depends. NRDC combines the power of more than 3 million members and online activists with the expertise of some 800 policy advocates, lawyers, scientists, and communication experts to confront the climate crisis, protect nature, ensure the rights of all people to clean air, clean water, and healthy communities.  As an international nonprofit environmental organization, NRDC is working to address the world’s most urgent environmental challenges, and advance innovative, science-based, and enforceable solutions.  

Since our founding in 1970, NRDC has helped craft and deliver many of America’s foundational environmental laws, including the Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act and Safe Drinking Water Act. Today, we continue to lead in advancing and defending strong environmental protections at the local, state, federal and international levels, as well as through the marketplace. Our team works across the United States and around the world, from offices in Chicago, Denver, Los Angeles, New York City, San Francisco, and Washington, D.C., as well as in Beijing, London, and New Delhi (a subsidiary of NRDC India Pvt. Ltd.).  

Supported by our members and online activists, NRDC is driving impactful solutions that confront the climate crisis, defend nature and safeguard public health across Asia, Africa, and the Americas. At NRDC, we believe lasting change happens when people bring their talent, passion, and expertise together for a common purpose: to build a cleaner, healthier, and more resilient world. Learn more at nrdc.org 

This is a limited term two year position.   

NRDC is seeking a Senior Manager, Internal Communications Content & Employee Engagement to work with the Executive Office in our New York or Washington D.C. office. 

Position Summary 

NRDC is seeking a Senior Manager, Internal Communications Content & Engagement to play a critical role in supporting the execution of our internal communications and employee engagement programs strategy, with an aim to strengthen internal understanding of NRDC’s mission, vision and strategic direction, culture, and values. 

NRDC has evolved in important ways as an institution and workplace in recent years, with the implementation of our new operating model, rollout of our advocacy identity and values, and now working to ensure that staff across the organization understand and feel connected to the institutional strategic vision and direction.  Ensuring our internal communications infrastructure evolves alongside these other changes is the key to success. This position actively supports and drives change management efforts and the advancement of NRDC culture through organization-wide employee communications across a variety of platforms (e.g. intranet, email, in-person gatherings). They will also keep the pulse on internal sentiment and issues and consistently and clearly message leadership’s priorities into the organization through all employee communications. 

This role is highly tactical and requires strong project management and follow-through capacity. The successful candidate will be forward-thinking and possess good judgment and discretion around the nuances of communications considerations across different situations and stakeholder groups. NRDC is actively focused on creating a culture of dignity and belonging, so we are seeking a Senior Manager who will help the Executive Office drive forward NRDC’s internal communications and employee engagement strategy embedded with those values.  

This role will report to the Managing Director of the Executive Office and collaborate closely with internal communication and project manager stakeholders across the organization. 

Please submit a résumé, cover letter and writing sample in your application

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable qualified individuals with disabilities to perform the following essential functions: 

• Support the execution and implementation of internal communications strategy—including planning, project managing, and executing— across the organization to support unified and coordinated messages to staff across a range of issues, from employee engagement to leadership direction and change management. 
• Institute standard internal communications best practices 
• Build the Intranet - This includes putting together an RFP, vetting and interviewing possible consultants, and project managing the process from development through launch, implementation, and ongoing maintenance; 
• Maintain the internal communications content calendar so communications are sequenced and staggered strategically, and oversee the cross-organization calendar of various internal communications and activities  
• Manage flow of internal communications content across all aspects of our work, linking strategy and vision to people and culture, and the external work that links our mission to our people.  
• Develop and maintain a multichannel internal communications strategy that includes email, intranet, Microsoft Teams, and in-office touchpoints.  
• Support the Executive Office and Executive Leadership Team’s internal communications priorities, writing and editing materials and planning for leadership messages across all channels. 
• Establish and track metrics that help correlate internal communications programs to organization performance. 
• Project manage institutional town halls  
  • Identity the annual calendar of town hall gatherings, to include at least one international town hall 
  • Develop the agenda in consultation with senior leadership 
  • Manage the pre-, day of, and post-Town hall supports 
  • Develop talking points/slides. 

The above list of duties is not comprehensive but generally demonstrates the types of matters under this position’s responsibility. Other duties may be assigned. 

• 4-7 years of communications, public relations, or marketing experience or other relevant roles and/or fields 
• Proven experience working globally/cross-culturally 
• Strong project management skills 
• Exceptional writing and editing skills, with the ability to help shape and translate complicated, nuanced communication on a range of issues and for a variety of internal audiences 
• Excellent presentation and communication skills. An outstanding writer with the ability to create compelling messages that provides all levels of employees with a clear line of sight to business strategy 
• Proactive self-starter with proven ability to plan, juggle, prioritize, and execute communication products for a complex internal calendar of engagements, delivering written products well in advance of events 
• Ability to thrive in a fast-paced environment and deliver strong written products on short deadline  
• Ability to work independently and use strategic judgment in decision-making, including setting and managing priorities and meeting competing deadlines 
• Extremely strong attention to detail, including strong proofreading/copy-editing skills 
• Strong organizational skills 
• Problem solving ability that can identify source of problem, impact of problem as it relates to other functions, impact on stakeholders, and recommended solution 
• Excellent collaboration and interpersonal skills and the ability to interface with all levels of an organization 
• Sound judgment and ability to maintain confidentiality 
• Comfortable with accepting feedback and adapting to deliver the desired product 
• Commitment to NRDC’s mission and values 

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this position. The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of this position within the described work environment. 

Frequently: Perform desk-based computer tasks 

Frequently: Ability to interact and communicate with employees and others as necessary 

Frequently:  Attend planned meetings and collaborate with management and coworkers 

Occasionally: Ability to attend events and activities in the office or offsite  

Work is sometimes performed primarily in office.  The noise level in the work environment is usually quiet in office settings and moderate in other situations.  Hours of employment may sometimes require working flexible and/or longer hours, including nights and weekends, when necessitated by projects. The job includes work-related situations such as those involving challenging, important, urgent, time-sensitive, or multiple matters. 

NRDC is committed to advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion, both in our work and in our workplace. We believe that celebrating and actively welcoming diverse voices and perspectives is essential to solving the planet's most pressing environmental problems, and we encourage applications from candidates whose identities have been historically under-represented in the environmental movement. 

We are an equal opportunity employer and do not discriminate in hiring or employment on the basis of race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, marital status, sexual orientation, national origin, citizenship, age, disability, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local law. Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.  

We offer competitive salaries, excellent benefits, and a supportive working environment. Salary is based on a nonprofit scale and is commensurate with skills and experience. Internal equity will be reviewed and considered to determine a final offer. For this position, the salary range is $100,000 to $115,000.  

NRDC operates under a hybrid work model. Employees are required to come to the office 8 days per month. 

As a science-based organization, NRDC aims to do our part to help contain the COVID-19 public health crisis. For the sake of health, safety, and equity, we ask that people be vaccinated unless they have an approved medical or religious accommodation or other exemption in accordance with state and local law. We consider a person to be vaccinated two weeks after receiving one full course of a CDC-approved vaccine. In accordance with state or local law, new hires will be asked to attest to vaccination, those wishing to do so may request medical or religious accommodations or other exemptions via NRDC Employee Relations. NRDC treats all vaccine-related data confidentially, in keeping with local, state, and federal laws. 

To apply, visit www.nrdc.org/careers and upload your résumé, cover letter and writing sample. Please mention where you saw this posting and upload any additional materials that showcase your abilities. Due to the high volume of applications, we will contact only those candidates we would like to interview. Please no phone calls, emails, or in-person résumé drop-offs. 

If you experience technical problems while applying or if you are a person with a disability and need assistance applying online, please reach out to iCIMS Customer Care at 1-800-889-4422. 

For more about NRDC, visit www.nrdc.org.