California Senior Communications Associate

ABOUT THE COALITION 

The Building Decarbonization Coalition (BDC) aligns critical stakeholders on a path to transform the nation’s buildings through clean energy, using policy, research, market development, and public engagement. The BDC and its members are charting the course to eliminate fossil fuels in buildings to improve people’s health, cut climate and air pollution, prioritize high road jobs, and ensure that our communities are more resilient to the impacts of climate change.

In California, homes and buildings generate about a quarter of the state’s climate pollution and are the second largest source of pollution after the transportation sector. This pollution also fuels the climate crisis, exacerbating extreme heat wildfires. California has an urgent need to transition the building sector to run on clean energy and be serviced by zero-emission equipment. Through building decarbonization, California can cut pollution and deliver cleaner air, protect public health, provide life-saving cooling to the 25% of Californians who lack it, and meet the state’s ambitious climate targets.

POSITION SUMMARY

As the California Senior Communications Associate, you will report to the Senior California Communications Manager and work closely with the California Team. You will be responsible for supporting communications related to policy, regulatory work, and consumer inspiration in a way that reflects BDC’s unique brand, vision, mission and values. In addition to supporting the California Team, this role will interface and coordinate with external media/press, and collaborate with BDC’s Communications Team and especially the Switch Is On Team, which oversees a rapidly growing public awareness campaign designed to boost consumer and contractor understanding of the health and environmental benefits of electrifying our homes. 

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

Content & Strategy

• Write compelling and well-researched content, including emails, op-eds, pitches, blog posts, newsletters, social media posts, speeches, talking points, fact sheets, and other materials using best practices for internal and external communications.
• Coordinate, track, update, and execute the strategic communications plan and help evaluate the communications objectives, targets, tactics, and outcomes.
• Support communications to external and internal stakeholders with an understanding and empathy towards stakeholder sensitivities and priorities.
• Monitor stories and trends in the media related to or impacting building decarbonization, policy, regulations, and consumer attitudes.
• Prepare team members and press contacts for public speaking engagements and media interviews, providing talking points, speeches, and presentation materials using Powerpoint and/or Google Slides.
• Organize communications materials so they are easily accessible within BDC and for our coalition partners.
• Coordinate with the Brand Designer to produce basic graphics and visuals to accompany written materials.
• Coordinate with the Communications Team to publish or post content on the website and social media platforms.
• Coordinate with the Events and Communications Teams in support of California Team events.

Media Relations 

• Identify opportunities to boost the Coalition’s visibility and leadership in California  through writing and speaking opportunities such as opinion editorials, keynotes and expert panel participation. 
• Support and build relationships with journalists to enhance the Coalition’s position as a trusted expert on building electrification.
• Work with consultants and partners on supporting communications needs, including but not limited to pitching reporters.

Team Coordination

• Maintain the California Team and Communication Team’s communications/editorial calendars in Google Calendar, Excel, and/or Asana.
• Maintain and update contact lists and send out emails through Hubspot, listservs, and other platforms. 
• Explore, test and iterate new communications technologies and platforms to help track media, disseminate content, and measure success. 
• Support live and virtual events on Zoom and Swoogo.

SKILLS & QUALIFICATIONS

• 3+ years of communications experience, ideally within the clean energy and/or climate solution landscape. 
• Genuine passion for building decarbonization, environmental impact, and equitable climate solutions.
• Outstanding written and oral communications skills that demonstrate a high level of attention to detail and an ability to convey compelling stories and content to media, policymakers, and the public.
• Ability to communicate complex information in a clear and concise way.
• Enthusiastic and self-motivated individual who is a self-starter and can work independently.
• Excellent organizational, project, and time management skills to ensure that campaigns and projects advance to meet deadlines.
• Strategic thinker and problem solver who learns quickly and is able to research and leverage information to enhance content and campaigns.
• A high degree of emotional intelligence and an ability to support collaboration between teams and among diverse stakeholders.
• Fluency in Spanish or another language is a plus.

WORK ENVIRONMENT, SCHEDULE & TRAVEL 

The California Senior Communications Associate will work remotely from their home and can be based anywhere in California.  Some travel will be required. The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made for individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. This is a full-time salaried position with comprehensive benefits. Typical work hours are Monday through Friday, 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM PST.  

COMMITMENT TO EQUAL EMPLOYMENT

The BDC values diversity in all its forms and is committed to an inclusive and transparent recruitment process. We recruit and hire without regard to race, color, national origin, ancestry, sex, gender, sexual orientation, sexual identity, age, religion, creed, disability (actual or perceived), medical condition including genetic characteristics, marital status, domestic partnership status, citizenship, military service, height, weight, HIV/AIDS status, or any other characteristic protected by state or federal law or local ordinance. People of diverse backgrounds are strongly encouraged to apply.

COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS 

The salary range for this position is $80,000 - $100,000, commensurate with experience, plus a competitive benefits package including paid health insurance coverage, retirement benefits with company matching, unlimited flexible paid leave, 12 paid holidays, access to professional development resources, and much more.

DISCLAIMER

The job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee. Duties, responsibilities and activities may change or new ones may be assigned at any time with or without notice.

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