Sr. Mgr, Internal and Executive Comms

Principal Duties and Responsibilities

Internal Communications 

• Develop and implement a strategic internal communications plan that drives employee engagement, fosters a sense of community, and reinforces Oceana’s mission and core values.
• Establish best practices for internal communications, ensuring timely, clear, and consistent messaging across the organization. 
• Create and maintain an editorial calendar for internal and executive communications, streamlining planning and reducing redundancy. 
• Lead internal messaging efforts related to key organizational milestones, campaign victories, staff initiatives, HR programs, benefits, and other updates. 
• Create templates and design collateral for internal messaging, ensuring a consistent, visually engaging, inclusive, and on-brand communication style.

Executive Communications 

• Develop and execute a strategic executive communications plan to enhance the CEO’s thought leadership and influence. 
• Research, write, and edit high-impact content for the CEO, including speeches, talking points, op-eds, video scripts, letters to the editor, reaction quotes, social media posts, presentations, and internal/external communications. 
• Ensure consistency and alignment in the CEO’s messaging across internal and external platforms. 
• Identify and secure opportunities for the CEO to participate in key forums, conferences, and events, and provide speechwriting and preparation support. 
• Collaborate with the media team on thought leadership positioning and opportunities. 

Cross-Department Collaboration

• Partner with the communications, executive, development, and HR teams to align on internal and external messaging. 
• Provide strategic communications counsel to senior leadership on best practices for engaging employees and key stakeholders. 
• Manage high-profile internal initiatives and projects from research and planning through execution and evaluation. 
• Ensure internal and executive communications support the organization’s commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion.  
• Support additional projects, including writing and editing, as needed.
• Travel occasionally, as needed, for major events, conferences, and leadership engagements. 

Job Requirements

 Education and Work Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in communications, public relations, journalism, or related field.
• At least 7 years of communications experience, including:
  • At least 2-3 years of executive communications experience, supporting high-level executives, policymakers, or spokespeople with writing, media training, and speaking preparation.
  • At least 1-2 years of internal communications experience, developing and executing employee engagement strategies. 
• Experience in nonprofit, advocacy, or mission-driven organizations is a plus. 
• Familiarity with environmental and food security issues – and their impacts on people and communities – is a plus but not required.

Skills and Knowledge

• Excellent writing and editing skills, with the ability to adapt tone and voice for different audiences.
• Proven experience writing in another person’s voice, particularly for executives and public figures. 
• Demonstrated ability to craft clear, inclusive, and empathetic messaging that anticipates and addresses employee perspectives, concerns, and sensitivities. 
• Strong presentation and public speaking skills.
• Superior attention to detail, organization, and project management skills. 
• Ability to synthesize complex scientific and policy information into accessible, compelling messaging.
• Excellent interpersonal skills, with the ability to build strong relationships across international departments and work collaboratively. 
• Experience navigating sensitive topics with discretion and maintaining confidentiality. 
• Ability to manage multiple priorities under tight deadlines while maintaining energy and humor.
• Ability to think proactively, identify opportunities, and execute communications strategies. 
• Proactive team player with a solutions-oriented mindset and strong commitment to providing exceptional internal service and support. 
• Experience with both in-person and online communications planning and execution. 
• Experience in creative design and strategic storytelling to enhance employee and other stakeholder engagement.
• Spanish-language proficiency is a plus but not required. Experience with global, multilingual organizations is strongly preferred.

Required Competencies

• Action Oriented: Makes things happen. Takes on new opportunities and tough challenges with a sense of urgency, high energy, and enthusiasm.
• Instills Trust: Is able to gain the confidence and trust of others by demonstrating honesty and authenticity, acting with integrity, being consistent and credible.
• Ensures Accountability: Follows through on commitments and makes sure others do the same. Has a reputation of taking ownership and responsibility for decisions, actions, and failures.
• Values differences: Is skilled at promoting an inclusive team environment that values, encourages, and supports differences.
• Plans & Aligns: Skilled at creating plans that are aligned with Oceana’s priorities and that enable individuals and teams to get organized, remain focused and proceed with confidence.
• Effective Communication: Understands the value of effective communication. Can deliver messages in a clear, compelling, and concise manner. Actively listens, checks for understanding, and adjusts content and style to meet the needs of different stakeholders.  
• Collaborates: Brings people together to leverage their skills, talents, and knowledge to achieve a common purpose. Creates synergies resulting in a combined effort with greater results than what can be achieved by individuals
• Drives Results: Is skilled at communicating a vision, setting priorities, developing, and executing plans that achieve desired outcomes. Has an overall achievement mindset, a bias for action, an eagerness to take initiative.  
• Customer Focus: Is skilled at anticipating customer needs (internal and external) and providing services that are beyond customer expectations. Establishes and maintains effective customer relationships.  
• Develops Talent: Help people who are ready and willing to take on new challenges and set up when needed. Develop others through coaching, feedback, exposure and stretch assignments. 
• Global Perspective: Takes a broad view of issues and challenges and can see them in a global context. Build relationships with people from different cultures and countries. Draws on global knowledge and perspective when tackling complex issues or looking for opportunities.