Communications Manager - OAEC

Communications Manager
Occidental Arts and Ecology Center
Full-time, non-residential position

The Occidental Arts and Ecology Center (OAEC) is seeking a Communications Manager. OAEC is a non-profit educational and advocacy institute working in the areas of ecology, watershed restoration, horticulture, the arts, and social justice activism. OAEC is located on an 80-acre retreat facility and intentional community, 65 miles north of San Francisco in western Sonoma County, California.

Job Summary
The Communication Manager will serve as an integral member of OAEC’s program and
administrative departments, helping all of OAEC’s programs be more successful. She/he will manage OAEC’s website; coordinate web-based, social media, print media and other outreach for OAEC and its many programs; will work with various program staff to develop messaging and outreach strategies for each OAEC program; will develop web-based interactive maps based on OAEC programs’ work; and will help our Nursery Program develop a marketing strategy for our growing plant sale operation.

Responsibilities
1. Manage OAEC’s Website (www.oaec.org):
a. Manage the routine maintenance and upgrades to website format and content
b. Be responsive to routine requests by other OAEC staff to make edits and changes to
their pages on our main website
c. Manage directly, and/or work with occasional consultants, to maintain and upgrade
our Druple-based site platform
d. Work with our Documentation Coordinator and contracted videographers to
commission, help edit, select and upload to our site photographs, videos and maps as
needed by our various programs
e. Work with each OAEC program and operations area to help design more effective
pages for the public to see, participate with and benefit from their area of work
2. Co-Design and Implement Web-Based Interactive Maps for Various OAEC Programs:
a. Working with advanced Google-Maps and other platforms, create and manage webbased,
often interactive maps that showcase some of OAEC’s program work
b. Examples of mapping projects OAEC is planning to initiate or expand include:
i. Location, type, size and details of the ~200 California school gardens that
OAEC’s School Garden Program has supported
ii. Mapping data points and project details (with images) of the work of various
OAEC Programs at OAEC’s 80 acre demonstration site, including the grass,
forest and water restoration projects of the Wildlands Program; and the many
demonstration projects of the Water Institute and the Permaculture Program
iii. Working with our Movement Generation Justice and Ecology Project, help
with a Bay Area wide “Canopy View” mapping project – to show boundaries
and relationships within the emerging regional food-sheds, water-sheds,
energy-sheds, governance-sheds, etc
3. Manage OAEC’s Outreach:
a. Co-manage with OAEC’s Administrative Director the outreach strategy for OAEC’s
programs, courses, plant sales, Chautauqua, and other events, including mailings,
email blasts, web and other social media postings, and other outreach vehicles
b. Co-manage with OAEC’s various program staff the outreach strategy for each
program
c. With other staff, better develop OAEC’s member database and email communication
strategy, including likely migrating to a new software platform (we’re looking at
Sales Force, Salsa or Non-profit Easy)
d. Develop OAEC’s communication through social media platforms
e. Working with program and administrative staff, and with subcontracted designers and
printers, manage the development of OAEC’s outreach flyers, posters, brochures, etc
4. Coordinate Messaging and Marketing Strategy:
a. Work with OAEC’s Executive Director, Development Director and various program
staff to help OAEC unify and clarify its mission and message, including:
i. For OAEC as a whole
ii. For each of the many varied OAEC programs
iii. For the various kinds of OAEC constituents
b. Work with the OAEC Nursery Director and other staff to help further develop a
marketing strategy for our growing plant nursery sales operation
c. Be available to assist in helping each OAEC program develop their message and
outreach strategy when they are conducting advocacy campaigns
5. Other Responsibilities as an OAEC Staff Member
a. Attend and participate in weekly OAEC staff meetings
b. Attend and participate in the yearly OAEC planning process
c. Be available and flexible to support the organization’s overall success

Qualifications
• Extensive experience in website management, ideally using the Druple format
• Substantial experience in communications management and messaging strategy for
educational and / or advocacy non-profit organizations
• Substantial experience with web-based mapping, including using advanced Google Maps
(or equivalent) and other GIS-based mapping systems
• Excellent writing and copy editing skills
• Exceptional organizational skills and attention to details
• Ability to manage projects, prioritize tasks and meet deadlines
• Extensive experience with using social media platforms, database systems, and Word and Excel software – all on mac systems
• Confidence to be self-directed and the ability to work both independently and collectively
• Enthusiasm for OAEC’s mission and work to create just and sustainable communities
We are looking for someone who is flexible and energetic to participate in the dynamic process of a growing non-profit, and to assist with the expansion of OAEC’s Development Department. We celebrate diversity, use consensus decision-making processes, and are committed to maintaining a supportive, diverse, honest and open working environment. The Development Associate works and collaborates directly with the Development Director, with support from the Executive Director and other OAEC program staff.

Compensation
This is a full-time, non-residential position. Salary is up to $40,000 per year, depending onexperience. OAEC offers a generous vacation plan and a Cafeteria Plan with health care options, but does not offer paid health insurance. Staff can participate in OAEC courses and events free of charge, use the OAEC facilities (pond, hot tub, sauna, etc.), harvest produce from our gardens, and eat meals at OAEC when working. OAEC is committed to equal employment opportunities. We do not discriminate based on an individual’s race, sex, religion, color, national origin, ancestry, disability, medical condition, marital status, veteran status, sexual orientation, age, or on any other basis prohibited by law.

To Apply
Please refer to www.oaec.org for background on OAEC and our programs. We are accepting applications until 5:00 pm, Friday, April 13, 2012. Early application is encouraged. Qualified applicants please email a cover letter, resume, and list of current references to Phil Tymon, phil@oaec.org. Resumes without cover letters will not be considered. Please do not contact OAEC with questions about the job or the application process. Please refer to the Job Announcement. Applicants will be notified by email if OAEC requests more information or an interview.