Employment Opportunity: Communications Manager
This is a permanent 4 day per week (80%) position based at our office in Vancouver.
The British Columbia Law Institute (BCLI) and its division, the Canadian Centre for Elder Law (CCEL), seek a Communications Manager to join our team. The successful candidate will have an interest in addressing fundamental legal and systemic issues and promoting the development of better laws for all peoples in British Columbia and better futures for Canada’s aging population. They will also contribute to the implementation of a new program that supports aligning BC’s Crown legal framework with Indigenous laws under the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act.
ABOUT US
The British Columbia Law Institute (BCLI) is a not-for-profit law reform agency that has worked to improve and modernize the law since 1997. Our work is intended to strengthen laws, develop just and innovative solutions, and increase access to justice in British Columbia through independent scholarly research, writing and educational tools for law reform. The CCEL is a division of the BCLI focused on matters related to aging. It is recognized internationally for its expertise in elder law. Our recently launched Reconciling Crown Legal Frameworks seeks to integrate research and education to support recognition of Indigenous legal frameworks and enable legal pluralism.
SUMMARY
The Communications Manager will lead and grow BCLI’s communications strategy, oversee all internal and external communications and will be accountable for BCLI and CCEL’s overall communications performance, evaluation and deliverables. We are a small team of legal professionals with a quiet and credible presence; we wish to raise our profile and increase awareness of our work. The Communications Manager reports to the BCLI Executive Director.
ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
Strategy
- Devises and drives a multi-channel communications strategy
- Identifies and leads the development of communications opportunities through, but not limited to, media releases, op-eds, and targeted media outreach
- Leads the development of ongoing narrative work, ensuring BCLI’s brand voice maintains integrity and credibility in all materials and across all platforms
- Oversees media and partner outreach efforts in support of our projects, identifying strategic opportunities for collaboration
- Leads evaluation of communications work and integrates learnings into ongoing strategy and narrative development
Content
- Acts as the organization’s editor-in-chief, conceptualizing, writing, and/or editing all public-facing communications products including: newsletters, blog posts, social media, op-eds, articles, press releases, PowerPoint presentations and annual reports
- Leads the development and implementation of digital marketing campaigns
- Oversees and contributes to the development of high-quality, consistent digital, video, audio and print content
- Oversees the update and maintenance of the website, ensuring a consistency in content, look, and experience
Communications research, monitoring, and evaluation
- Tracks engagement across platforms through monthly and yearly internal metrics
- Leads impact evaluation for overall communications and for BCLI and CCEL releases (reports, study papers, tools etc.)
- Monitors daily and weekly news and flags noteworthy BCLI and CCEL coverage and topical news events
Brand and issues management
- Actively leads efforts to increase and promote BCLI and CCEL’s evolving public presence
- Assists staff and organizational public speakers on tone, style, messaging, and our positions on sensitive issues
- Addresses emerging issues in a timely and thoughtful fashion, in consultation with the Executive Director
Management
- Hosts and leads regular communications updates at staff meetings
- Manages and maintains contractor relationships (designers, translators, event coordinators etc.)
- Manages presence at conferences, online and in-person events, including organizing BCLI’s own events and conferences
- Working with the BCLI Executive Director and CCEL’s National Director, supports efforts to identify and strengthen funding opportunities and funder relations.
SKILLS AND QUALIFICATIONS
- Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience in communications, journalism, creative writing, or related field
- 3 years of related experience in a marketing and/or communications role
- Impeccable copywriting and copy-editing abilities; excellent verbal communication and presentation skills
- Passion for plain language writing to make technical or dense content accessible to diverse audiences
- Strong interpersonal skills, ability to build relationships with diverse communities, including the law reform and elder law communities
- Demonstrated project and time management skills, strong attention to detail
- Willingness to consider respectfully many points of view
- Superior skills in Office 365, Google Suite, Zoom, Teams; familiarity with Canva and/or Adobe Creative Cloud; working knowledge of content management systems (ie. WordPress)
- Experience successfully managing social media channels (Twitter, LinkedIn, Hootsuite); social marketing platforms (Mailchimp); Google Analytics and Google AdWords.
- Experience working with CRM systems to establish workflows and standards for external communications
- Established media relations a plus
- Familiarity with or interest in the law and public legal education a plus
- Familiarity with website design and maintenance
The following skills and experiences would be an asset in this role but are not required:
- Fluency in French or other languages
- Interest and support for fund development activities; fundraising database experience
- Experience developing educational resources or public legal education learning tools
- Experience facilitating in-person and online group meetings
- Ability to apply a gender-based analysis + and cultural safety and humility to our work
SALARY AND BENEFITS
$60,000 to $66,000 per annum, commensurate with experience, and prorated to 4 days per week or 32-hour work week. BCLI offers generous benefits and 4 weeks vacation, in addition to our office closure from December 24 to January 1st annually.
HOW TO APPLY
Applications should include a cover letter and resume detailing relevant experience. Please submit your application to Karen Campbell, Executive Director, at [email protected] with the subject line “Communications Manager Position”.
To be considered for this position, your application must be received by 5 pm on December 9, 2022. We anticipate interviewing short-listed candidates in mid-December via remote videoconferencing. We thank all applicants for their interest. Only those applicants selected for an interview will be contacted.
Please contact us at [email protected] with any questions about the position, including any requests to meet your accessibility needs in relation to the application process.
The BCLI/CCEL values diversity, and particularly acknowledges the expertise applicants may bring related to their identity and personal experiences. We welcome applications from members of communities experiencing structural discrimination, including Indigenous people, racialized people, trans, gender non-conforming, and non-binary People, Two-Spirit people, LGBTQ+ people, and people with disabilities. We encourage applicants to self-identify any personal characteristics or experiences that support our commitment to diversity if they feel comfortable doing so.