Potomac Conservancy is hiring a highly motivated and experienced Brand and Marketing Director to join our growing team. Cultivating lasting relationships is central to this position. We seek a passionate champion for clean water who enjoys engaging external stakeholders in mission-based work. The ideal candidate will have demonstrated experience in cause-based marketing, media relations, branding, and community outreach.

Founded in 1993, Potomac Conservancy is a nationally accredited land trust and clean water leader in the Potomac River region. Our mission is to restore the Potomac to full health for the five million people who rely on the river for drinking water and outdoor enjoyment. We improve water quality through land conservation strategies that reduce polluted runoff and strengthen our community’s natural defenses against the climate crisis. Our passionate movement of 30,000 supporters empowers us to protect and restore streamside forests, pass water protection laws, and conserve shoreline habitats.

The Brand and Marketing Director will be integral to our clean water goals as we embark on an ambitious conservation strategy to restore swimmable and fishable waters to the Potomac River in the next 10 years.

Position Overview

The Brand and Marketing Director will drive public awareness and engagement with our organization and mission. This role offers an exciting leadership opportunity to creatively evolve and expand the organization’s marketing and outreach strategies, building off a strong foundation of successful conservation programs, digital content marketing, and fundraising.

This is a new position that will report to the Vice President of Communications. The Director will work in close partnership with the Director of Communications and Digital Grassroots Manager and collaborate with the programmatic and fundraising teams.

Envisioned as a community outreach arm of our communications strategy, this position requires a balance of remote and in-person work.

Key Responsibilities

 Marketing & Outreach (45%)

  • Lead a marketing and outreach strategy to increase our visibility and connect new audiences to our mission.
  • Build lasting partnerships with community leaders, businesses, and key stakeholders to expand our reach, impact, and influence.
  • Oversee a marketing and advertising budget that is cost-effective and in alignment with goals.
  • Manage key components of our anniversary, climate awareness, and additional public engagement initiatives; lead planning for a potential festival opportunity in 18-24 months.
  • Represent the organization at public events and develop a scalable strategy to increase our physical presence at community-led activities.
  • Coordinate some community-building events and public awareness activities (e.g., socials, digital expert panel, co-hosting activities with sponsors, etc.).
  • Explore content collaboration with trusted brands, influencers, and community leaders.
  • Assist with surveys, virtual focus groups, and other community listening tactics.
  • Center BIPOC, LGBTQ+, and historically marginalized communities in our work.

Brand (20%)

  • Develop segmented marketing strategies to meet various audience needs in targeted regions of the Potomac River watershed.
  • Provide training materials and light coaching for brand ambassadors to ensure cross organization consistency; expand our ambassador cohort in the out-years.
  • Manage branded supplies, create and oversee a new digital store, and secure community sponsors for co-branded materials.
  • Assist the President with public engagement activities and identify new opportunities that increase their profile as a trusted thought leader.
  • Monitor the latest marketing and brand trends and support ways to evolve our strategies.

Media relations (20%)

  • Lead an earned media strategy that generates positive, year-round coverage and is achievable with current resources. Regularly evaluate the efficacy of our media relations efforts.
  • Nurture good rapport with journalists, editors, and influencers to enhance the organization’s position as a go-to resource on the Potomac River.
  • Proactively pitch story ideas, participate in interviews, and craft compelling press materials.
  • Monitor third-party media coverage, river news, and industry trends to identify opportunities or issues that require attention.
  • Provide light coaching for spokespersons to ensure effective and consistent public messaging.
  • Assist in managing rapid-response communications during crisis situations.
  • Support media briefings and press events to optimize key announcements and achievements.

Additional responsibilities (15%)

  • Collaborate on digital content marketing.
  • Participate in our annual fundraising event and Earth Month volunteer activity(ies), two “all hands on deck” organizational events.
  • Assist with some invoicing and communications-related administrative tasks.
  • Participate in group diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice (DEIJ) learning and integrated work.
  • Attend required in-person meetings including once-monthly team meetings, quarterly all-staff meetings, and quarterly Board meetings.

Qualifications:

This position uses a variety of skills. We encourage you to apply if you think you would be a great fit, even if you don’t meet 100% of the qualifications. 

  • Committed to ensuring clean water, outdoor experiences, and thriving ecosystems are accessible to and safe for everyone.
  • Bachelor’s degree in relevant field and at least 3 years of experience in brand, marketing, and outreach, or 5+ years of relevant work experience.
  • Experience in cause-based marketing strategies and media relations is necessary. The candidate should be familiar with various media channels and have an understanding of how to leverage them for brand promotion.
  • Excellent leadership, project management, and budget skills; coordinates deliverables across multiple internal collaborators.
  • Strong verbal and written communications skills; adept at persuasion messaging.
  • Demonstrated success in fostering positive, long-term partnerships.
  • Event management and public outreach experience.
  • Brings a creative, goal-oriented mindset in developing innovative marketing ideas .
  • Proficiency in analyzing market trends and internal data.
  • A team player who values collaboration and brings a solutions-oriented attitude.
  • An ability to get up to speed fast with digital tools we use daily: EveryAction CRM, Microsoft Teams, ClickUp, Canva, Google Drive, Flickr, Miro, etc.
  • Additional skills that will be considered (not required):
  • o Content marketing, advertising, customer relationship management systems, graphic design, video creation, Google Analytics, and other communications skills;
  • o Fundraising, advocacy, conservation, and other related clean water work;
  • o Fluency in Spanish or other commonly spoken languages in the Potomac River region;
  • o Diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice work or training;

 Compensation, Benefits, and Location 

  • This is a full-time position with a salary range of $60,000-64,000 based on the level of experience and skills you bring.
  • Potomac Conservancy’s office is located in downtown Silver Spring, Maryland within a short walking distance of the Silver Spring MARC and Metro stations.
  • As a regionally focused organization, we value having staff live locally in our watershed.
  • The organization champions a flexible hybrid policy with generous allowances for remote hours. Community-based activities and meetings with partners must be in person as much as possible.
  • An annual professional development budget for each employee.
  • Flexible work schedule. Hours must be typical office hours, but our organizational culture maintains responsible flexibility for life needs and work-life balance.
  • Benefits include medical and dental coverage with 80 percent of individual premiums covered by the organization.
  • Life Insurance paid for by the Conservancy
  • 18 days paid time off and 11 holidays per year. Three additional personal holidays per year.
  • Summer Friday afternoons and one week at the end of the year are provided as paid time off.
  • Travel reimbursement for work-related trips.
  • Working with bright, fun coworkers and interacting with a supportive board of directors.
  • 403(b) matching with no vesting period and flex spending accounts.

Desired start date: September 2023. The position will remain open until it is filled. 

To Apply

Email a thoughtful cover letter, resume, and 2-3 relevant writing samples to Melissa Diemand (diemand@potomac.org). Please include “Brand and Marketing Director” in the subject line. The position will remain open until filled. Applications submitted before August 31, 2023, will be given first consideration. Potomac Conservancy is an equal opportunity employer.

We recognize the environmental movement has not been an inclusive one and has a history of excluding historically discriminated communities including Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC), people from working class backgrounds, women, and members of the LGBTQ+ community. We believe that these communities must be centered in the work we do. Because of this, we strongly encourage applications from people with these identities or who are members of other communities that have been historically excluded from the environmental movement. 

For the health and safety of our employees, their families, and our community, all Potomac Conservancy staff are required to be vaccinated against COVID-19. This mandatory vaccine requirement applies to all staff working remotely, in a hybrid work arrangement, and on-site. Effective June 2, 2022, new hires will be required to provide proof of full vaccination with a government-approved vaccine as a condition for employment. Requests for reasonable accommodation or exceptions (medical or religious reasons) will be considered. Candidates are NOT required to state their COVID-19 vaccine status in their application.