Position Summary: The Director of Communications oversees both internal and external communications and works closely across NACD’s policy, education and member services teams on strategic communications priorities and to ensure successful delivery of NACD’s style, brand and marketing. Manages project portfolio and grants deliverables with dynamic team of staff and contractors. Interacts with members of the media and other partners to communicate conservation district priorities and successes to targeted audiences and the general public.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

• Direct the association’s communication and outreach efforts, ensuring that messages conveyed are clear, concise and consistent
• Develop and implement strategies to expand NACD’s presence and thought leadership through publications, articles, and partnerships with external stakeholders
• Manage all NACD publications, including The Resource, eResource, Conservation Clips, Forestry Notes and the annual report
• Oversee management of NACD website content at www.nacdnet.org
• Establish and maintain relationships with media, pitch stories and track coverage
• Write and distribute news releases regarding NACD actions and positions as appropriate
• Coordinate content across programs to develop messages and materials about NACD and conservation districts’ priorities, activities and successes for a wide variety of internal and external stakeholders
• Provide public speaking, media relations and member outreach training to national leaders
• Carries out tasks of managing, coordinating and implementing grant-related activities pertaining to specific national grants and cooperative agreements
• Assist with planning, promotion and production of meetings, including session and speaker identification, media outreach, scripting and event production
• Manage budgeting and expenses related to communications activities
• Support Standing and Sub-Committees as it relates to communication goals
• Perform any and all related duties in coordination with the CPO that advance the mission and purpose of NACD
• Advance NACD’s diversity, equity, and inclusion goals; also ensure that NACD’s communications are reflective of our DEI principles
• Supervise three FTEs

Skills/Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree and at least five years’ experience in marketing, media relations, communications, or journalism
• Understanding of developing and implementing comprehensive communications strategy including print, digital and social media
• Ability to communicate technical information to non-technical audiences
• Proven experience with media relations • Strong writing and editing skills, ability to communicate with various audiences
• Skilled at working with a variety of software and media platforms
• Experience with supervising and guiding staff • Knowledge of conservation, agriculture, and food systems is a plus

Location: This position can be remote or based out of the NACD's headquarters office in Washington, D.C. and reports to the Chief Program Officer. 

About National Association of Conservation Districts

The National Association of Conservation Districts (NACD) is the nonprofit organization that represents America’s 3,000 conservation districts and the 17,000 men and women who serve on their governing boards. Conservation districts are local units of government established under state law to carry out natural resource management programs at the local level. Districts work with millions of cooperating landowners and operators to help them manage and protect land and water resources on all private lands and many public lands in the United States. NACD's mission is to serve conservation districts by providing national leadership and a unified voice for natural resource conservation.

Connections working at National Association of Conservation Districts