Overview

San Diego Bird Alliance (SDBA), a dynamic and growing non-profit organization working to defend our region’s birds, unique biodiversity, and threatened habitats through advocacy, education, and restoration, is seeking a Communications Manager.

The Communications Manager plays a critical role in amplifying San Diego Bird Alliance’s mission by blending strategic leadership with hands-on execution. Reporting to the Associate Director, this position ensures consistent, compelling, and mission-driven communications across platforms while supporting staff, volunteers, and leadership with tools, training, and content.

The Manager will maintain brand consistency, expand visibility, and drive community engagement through campaigns, media outreach, and digital platforms. This role is intentionally hybrid: while responsible for leading communication strategies, the Manager also directly manages priority communications projects (e.g., Bird Festival promotions, newsletters, social media, design needs).

Key Responsibilities

Strategic Leadership

  • Develop, implement, and monitor a comprehensive communications plan aligned with SDBA’s strategic priorities.
  • Ensure consistent messaging across programs, philanthropy, advocacy, and community engagement.
  • Collaborate with board and staff leadership and the Communications Committee to guide campaigns and brand direction.
  • Serve as media contact, develop talking points, and provide coaching for staff and board spokespersons.

Execution & Content Creation

  • Manage website content and updates, including Bird Festival and campaign microsites.
  • Lead production of newsletters, annual report, Sketches magazine, and donor/volunteer communications.
  • Design or coordinate design of graphics, templates, and collateral for events, fundraising, and advocacy.
  • Oversee social media content calendar, posting, analytics, and growth strategies.
  • Support departments with tactical communications (event promotions, e-blasts, donor stories, advocacy alerts).

Collaboration & Capacity Building

  • Work closely with philanthropy staff to develop fundraising and donor engagement materials.
  • Partner with conservation and education departments to amplify impact stories and public programs.
  • Train staff and volunteers to contribute content, ensuring alignment with brand and style guides.
  • Support consistency/continuity through templates, workflows, and shared communications resources.

Outreach & Engagement

  • Strengthen relationships with local media and identify opportunities for earned media.
  • Expand digital engagement, including social media community-building and interactive storytelling.
  • Represent SDBA at community events and train ambassadors to broaden reach.

First-Year Priorities

  • Launch a refreshed communications calendar and workflow system to coordinate across departments.
  • Strengthen consistency and visibility of SDBA’s messaging post-rebrand, including a website overhaul.
  • Develop Bird Festival promotional plan and collateral for the 2026 event.
  • Produce streamlined, high-quality donor and member communications to support philanthropy growth.
  • Establish baseline analytics and reporting for social media, website, and newsletters to track impact.

Qualifications

  • Minimum 3–5 years in nonprofit communications, marketing, or public relations.
  • Strong writing, editing, and storytelling skills across digital and print platforms.
  • Proficiency with communications tools (Canva, Adobe Creative Suite, Mailchimp, CMS platforms, Neon, and others).
  • Experience with social media strategy and execution (Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook, etc.).
  • Graphic design skills and ability to produce templates and collateral independently.
  • Collaborative style with strong project management skills.
  • Passion for conservation, environmental issues, and community engagement.
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