Communications and Data Associate

Location: CWC currently has offices in Sacramento, Visalia and Watsonville, CA. CWC believes our mission can be effectively advanced while being flexible in our approach to work style and location. Candidates for this position must be able to work in-person at the Sacramento, Visalia or Watsonville office at least two days per week and more than two days a week if needed based on job responsibilities. 

Community Water Center acts as a catalyst for community-driven water solutions through organizing, education, and advocacy. We seek to build and enhance leadership capacity and local community power around water issues, create regional movements for water justice in California, and enable every community to have access to safe, clean, and affordable drinking water. 

At CWC, we believe that safe, clean, and affordable water is a human right, not a privilege. Our organizing and advocacy work, community collaborations, and organizational culture all reflect a concern for equity, mutual respect, appreciation for diversity, and environmental and social justice. We are looking for candidates who share our values, who bring a willingness to contribute to our mission and to the growth of a new organization, and who are open to developing their skills. 

The Communications and Data Associate supports the communications team through implementation of a compelling content strategy on CWC’s digital channels including social media, email and websites. This role will also build and manage CWC’s contact management systems, ensuring all staff have access to key information on community engagement, technical assistance projects, and supporter contacts.

The Communications and Data Associate is a regular, exempt, full-time position and will report to the Communications Manager. All employees at CWC are “at will.” This position will work closely with CWC’s Public Relations Manager as well as other CWC staff, community members, ally organizations and agencies, and various interns.

The ideal candidate is excited to use digital communications to spread the word about California's drinking water crisis and how to get involved to solve it. They will have experience in the social and digital arena – including managing social media accounts, creating email campaigns and updating content on websites.

The ideal candidate also enjoys ground truthing communications and programmatic strategies through data-driven analysis. They see learning and adopting new tools and keeping back-end systems simple and organized as key to the success of an organization.

● Draft and post social media communications (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn) including text, short videos, infographics, and published media stories ● Amplify posts from partners and create social media toolkits for key campaigns that partners can share on their own channels, furthering the content’s reach ● Regularly update websites for both Community Water Center and Community Water Center Action Fund, our 501c4 sister organization ● Support email strategy by creating email blasts and strategic segmentation of key audiences ● Assist with tracking and development of metrics for measuring success of digital communications initiatives 

● Serve as lead on the implementation of a new contact management database which tracks all relevant information for CWC’s technical assistance projects. This will include training new staff how to use the database and ensuring it is consistently updated. ● Assist in preparation of key reports (for both internal and external audiences such as funders) through maintaining clean engagement data and pulling metrics for specified time frames. 

Media Relations (15%)

● Monitor, track, and post CWC media placements. ● Assist in promoting media coverage to targeted audiences. ● Assist in maintaining media lists, press hits, and media metrics. ● Assist as needed on media outreach and tactics such as press events and environmental justice tours with media and other influencers and decision-makers like elected officials and funders.

● Foster an environment that promotes trust and cooperation amongst CWC staff, community members, ally organizations and all other stakeholders. ● Actively participate in program strategy, staff meetings, and staff retreats. ● Support the tracking and reporting of CWC’s activities for internal planning and evaluation, grants reports and contractual obligations. ● Provide general administrative and program support. ● Other duties as assigned by the Communications Manager and Executive Director.

● Strong passion for and commitment to social and environmental justice ● Experience in managing social media accounts ● Experience with creating content for websites and updating websites on Squarespace ● Proven ability to work in a collaborative, fast-paced office environment and meet deadlines ● Ability to accept and provide critical feedback – the ideal candidate would value mutual accountability across the organization ● Strong written, oral and interpersonal communication skills ● Fluent in Spanish (writing and speaking)

● Bachelor’s degree in communications, public policy, or related field ● Strong technical skills and interest in learning new softwares ● Experience in graphic design and/or videography ● Experience working in the Central Valley and/or Salinas Valley or familiarity with key environmental justice issues facing these regions 

Starting date: OPEN UNTIL FILLED

Salary: Starting at $65,000; based on experience and qualifications.

Benefits: We offer a comprehensive compensation and benefits package which includes: medical, dental and vision insurance; retirement program contributions, generous vacation, family and sick leave and holiday policies; hybrid (remote and in-person) work policy; professional development opportunities and more. (Benefits guidelines and eligibility vary based on tenure and employment status, among other factors.) 

To apply: Email your resume and cover letter to Kelsey Hinton at kelsey.hinton@communitywatercenter.org

To ensure the health and safety of staff, community partners, and other stakeholders we interact with, CWC requires employees be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 as a condition of employment, unless a medical or religious accommodation is approved. As such, newly hired employees will be required to provide proof of their COVID-19 vaccination. Fully vaccinated against COVID-19 means that an individual is at least two weeks past their final dose of an authorized COVID-19 vaccine regimen.