Temporary Communications Campaign Specialist - Full time 6-month Leave Coverage

POSITION TITLE:  Temporary Communications Campaign Specialist - Full time 6-month Leave Coverage

PROGRAM: Communications

SUPERVISOR: Communications Director

LOCATION: Geneva, Switzerland

SALARY: CHF 5,750 - CHF 7,583/mo, depending on experience and qualifications

DEADLINE: Priority application review will take place on March 7, 2025

SUMMARY DESCRIPTION:

CIEL seeks a temporary Communications Specialist to provide parental leave coverage for 6 months, starting ideally mid May 2025. 

The Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) uses the power of law to protect the environment, promote human rights, and ensure a just and sustainable society. 

The Specialist will work within the Communications team to support CIEL’s communications campaigns including those related to human rights and climate change and the global fossil economy, including false solutions and expansion of EU petrochemical production. The Specialist will primarily support the wide variety of communications needs that arise from campaigns working  at the European Union level and with United Nations institutions  or helping support the development of comms campaign strategy, digital strategy, support media relations efforts, and bottom-line social media posting in European timezones. 

Based in CIEL’s Geneva office, the Communications Specialist will use communications skills and strategies to advance program objectives. To perform this role, the ideal candidate will have experience creating strategic social media content, drafting talking points and newsworthy content, and implementing a variety of communications tools to advance campaign strategies. The Specialist will coordinate closely with the corollary US-based communications colleague to support CIEL social media strategy and presence across time zones.

CIEL does not sponsor work visas; you must have the ability to legally work in Switzerland,  (i.e., a citizen of EU/EFTA member states). CIEL supports a flexible, hybrid working environment.

RESPONSIBILITIES:
Communications Campaigning: (50%)

• Working with Program staff, design and implement short and medium term high-impact communications campaigns to advance campaign goals.
• Coordinate with the Communications Team to leverage cutting-edge research for greatest impact across earned, owned, paid, and social channels.
• Coordinate with coalition partners to create and capitalize on key moments by leveraging earned, owned, paid, and social media that engages target audiences and uses rapid response to drive progress.
• Actively participate in and lead (when appropriate) communications, messaging, and narrative working groups and coalitions 
• Identify hooks and opportunities to connect local/regional campaigns to global narratives and movement
• Develop and curate content for social media, and develop digital campaign actions that engage supporters.
• In coordination with the Media Relations Specialist, build relationships with and pitch key reporters and outlets to advance campaign objectives.

Content Creation: (40%)

• Draft and edit clear, compelling written content for newsletters, press releases, statements, talking points, social media content, reports, and multimedia materials when needed. 
• Support development and design of public-ready content to ensure consistent, high-quality, and coherent positions and vision.
• Working with Program staff, design and implement timely, high-impact communications campaigns to advance goals.
• In coordination with the Media Relations Specialist, support, when needed, earned media strategy.
• Support overarching CIEL cohesion and consistency across social channels, and digital platforms.
• Develop and curate content for social media, and develop digital campaign actions that engage supporters.
• Coordinate closely with US-based Communications Specialists to ensure seamless transition across time zones.

General Communications: (5%)

• Coordinate within the Comms team to achieve campaign goals, assisting in information flow within Comms and across other CIEL programs.
• Ensure alignment and coherence of campaign communications within CIEL’s broader vision and strategy,

Administration: (5%)

• Support fundraising efforts, such as proposals and reports, as relevant.
• Maintain timesheets and submit them on time.
• Meet periodically as requested with supervisor and other team members in Communications and relevant programs.
• Participate in weekly staff and team meetings and other organizational activities, including an annual staff performance evaluation.
• Meet target dates, prioritize tasks, and ensure high-quality work products.

QUALIFICATIONS:
Minimum Qualifications:

• At least 3-5 years of professional experience in communications and digital media.
• Demonstrated ability to write clearly and compellingly for a variety of audiences, including policymakers and the public on different platforms.
• Experience working with diverse coalitions and environmental or human rights policy campaigns.
• Able to oversee and deliver multiple priorities by target dates and perform a wide variety of tasks over the course of the workday.
• Able to work both independently and collaboratively, in close coordination across teams.
• Comfort admitting what you don’t know and recognizing that seeking and receiving feedback is part of the learning process.
• Awareness of how your words and actions affect others, openness to and respect for others’ perspectives.

Desired Qualifications:

• Familiarity with the drivers and impacts of the triple planetary crisis of pollution, biodiversity loss, and climate change
• Knowledge of the European Union space and/or international fora
• Proficiency in Spanish or French

A successful candidate will demonstrate the following competencies: 

• Action-Oriented: Makes things happen. Takes on new opportunities and tough challenges with a sense of curiosity, proactivity, and constructiveness.
• Nimble Learning: Approaches unfamiliar tasks proactively and with an open mind. Can quickly adapt to new situations and to draw on past successes and failures to solve current problems.  
• 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 synergy resulting in a combined effort with greater results than what can be achieved by individuals.  
• Resourcefulness: Is able to make the best of limited resources and find a way to get things done even when the odds are against them.  Can look beyond the obvious for viable approaches to accomplish the goal. 
• Management: Maintains a focus on CIEL as a whole and our values. Is results-driven and accountable to team performance. Invests in individuals through feedback and development.

Application instructions: Applications will be considered on a rolling basis; the first application review will take place on March 7, 2025. Desired start date: mid-May, 2025. Please submit a cover letter, resume, and any other required materials or responses. Only applicants selected for interviews will be contacted. No telephone calls, please. Note that CIEL does not sponsor visas of any kind. You must have prior authorization to work in Switzerland in order to be considered for this position. 

Anonymous Demographic Survey: Please complete this anonymous demographic survey as part of your application to CIEL. The survey will only be used to help us evaluate our efforts to recruit a diverse pool of candidates. Your answers will not in any way be linked to your application, and the answers to the survey will not be handled by anyone on the hiring committee for the role.

About CIEL: For 30 years, CIEL has used the power of law to protect the environment, promote human rights, and ensure a just and sustainable society. CIEL’s dynamic team of international attorneys and experts work together in a collaborative and supportive work environment to tackle some of the most interesting and challenging issues facing people and the planet. 

CIEL is actively committed to justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion, and building an organization that is as diverse as the communities we serve around the world. We know that diversity and inclusion make us stronger, and we actively encourage qualified applicants with various backgrounds, identities, perspectives, and (dis)abilities to apply. If you need an accommodation or assistance with this application, please contact Human Resources at jobs[at]ciel.org.