About the IISD

The International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) is an award-winning independent think tank working to accelerate solutions for a stable climate, sustainable resource management, and fair economies. Our work inspires better decisions and sparks meaningful action to help people and the planet thrive. We shine a light on what can be achieved when governments, businesses, non-profits, and communities come together. IISDs staff of more than 300 experts come from across the globe and from many disciplines. With offices in Winnipeg, Geneva, Ottawa, and Toronto, our work affects lives in nearly 100 countries.

About the Position

The Communications Officer will oversee all IISDs digital communication channels, working diligently to ensure a consistent and cohesive voice across these platforms. They will do so in close collaboration with communications professionals throughout the institute while coordinating and managing the editorial content calendar and implementing audience growth strategies with the support of the Senior Communications Manager.

Responsibilities

Creative Content

• Coordinate production of a wide array of written communications materials, including website content, press releases, articles, social media posts, newsletters, and other supporting content that make IISDs work accessible to both expert and non-expert audiences. This work includes drafting and editing content.

• Collaborate with IISDs program communications teams on a regular basis to ensure alignment on key messaging and amplification of programmatic expertise in broader, organization-wide communications activities; coordinate and manage the shared editorial calendar.

• Track current events related to sustainable development and communicate these to colleagues, identifying opportunities for further work and/or public engagement.

Digital Strategy

• Working within content management systems such as Drupal or WordPress, upload and edit content for IISD website, adhering to IISD guidelines and adhering to search engine optimization (SEO) best practices.

• Working closely with IISDs digital leads, use analytics software to monitor, assess, and report on website traffic and engagement with our digital content, advising where appropriate on opportunities to improve.

• In collaboration with IISDs design team, manage the production of digital content, including Twitter cards, posters, videos, invitations, simple infographics, presentations, and other conference or workshop materials; retouch and resize images as needed.

• Working with the Senior Communications Manager, create and update a digital communications strategy. This strategy should inform newsletters, social media, website content, webinars and events, Google Analytics, and digital advertising.

Public Engagement and Media Outreach

• Maintain and update lists of newsletter subscribers within platforms such as MailChimp; draft, edit, and distribute newsletters; help to inform and execute an email outreach strategy.

• If needed, conduct event-related outreach and oversee post-event follow-up (i.e., uploading webinar recordings to YouTube, sending thank-you emails, etc.).

• Inform social media strategies and manage all active social media accounts, ensuring posts are relevant, timely, engaging, and targeted to the needs and interests of key audiences. This includes drafting and/or editing posts, organizing promotions, tracking trending topics and hashtags, and regularly monitoring the feeds of partner organizations to identify opportunities for cross-promotion.

Internal Processes

• Ensure brand coherence and compliance with existing IISD communications practices.

• In collaboration with the Senior Communications Manager, support internal communications processes, such as writing the internal newsletter, managing the internal calendar, etc.

• Manage internal processes related to the development and dissemination of communications products, including coordinating feedback from internal and external stakeholders, approvals, and copy editing.

• Maintain strong relationships with program staff to gain a deeper understanding of their research and policy objectives in order to translate their work into key messages that resonate with priority audiences. Provide editorial guidance to IISDs experts so they have the necessary skills to communicate their work through different channels and act as public ambassadors for IISD.

Required Skills and Qualifications

• 35 years of relevant professional experience in communicationsideally at a think tank, non-governmental organization, governmental institution, etc.

• Bachelors degree in journalism, communications, public relations, or another relevant discipline.

• Demonstrated interest in issues related to sustainable development and international governance.

• Excellent English verbal and written communication skills; other languages are an asset.

• A high level of computer literacy: must be able to work in Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and MS Teams.

• Basic competence in graphic design software like Adobe Photoshop and InDesign.

• Familiarity with digital communications tools, such as Mailchimp and Sprout Social.

• Experience and comfort working with online content management systems and website monitoring tools (especially WordPress, Drupal, and Google Analytics).

• Strong interpersonal and organizational skills.

• Self-starter, able to work independently as well as within a team.

Location: Hybrid, Ottawa, Toronto or Winnipeg.This position requires regular collaboration with colleagues located in Europe. To ensure effective communication and teamwork across time zones, the successful candidate must be available to begin work by 7:00 a.m. Central Standard Time (CST) at the latest. This allows for sufficient overlap with European working hours. While the role is located in Canada, some flexibility in working hours is essential to support our global team.

Salary: $52,000 - $65,000 CAD Annually.

Employment Type: Indefinite

Start date: Immediate opportunity

Application deadline: June 13, 2025, 4PM CST

Candidates must hold appropriate work authorization for locations where they expect to be based without any sponsorship from IISD.

Application Procedure

All submissions must be in English.

Applications will only be accepted through Bamboo HR.

• A CV (no longer than two pages)
• A one-page letter of motivation
• IISD Voluntary Self-Identification Questionnaire (optional)

Only those candidates we wish to interview will be contacted. Resumes will be kept on file for 1 year.

IISD is committed to fostering a more equitable and sustainable world and welcomes candidates who uphold our values of diversity, equity, and inclusion. In addition, to correct the conditions of social injustice and disadvantage in employment around the world, we encourage candidates from historically marginalized groups, including women, Indigenous Peoples, people with disabilities, people from different racial and ethnic backgrounds, and those who identify themselves as 2SLGBTQIA+, to apply for this position. Preference will be given to the equity-deserving groups during the hiring process.We offer reasonable accommodations in our recruitment process and seek applicants advice on how best to accommodate their needs. Please self-identify and answer ouremployment equity questionnaireon our applicant tracking system when you apply.

IISD does not discriminate on the basis of age, gender, caste, ethnicity, religion, colour, disability, marital status, pregnancy, gender expression or identity, sexual orientation, or any other legally protected status.