Vice President for Communications

The Vice President for Communications will effectively and efficiently enable RFF to achieve the communications aspects of its institutional strategy, working with other members of RFF’s executive team. External communications and relations are essential to RFF achieving its commitment to being the most widely trusted source of research insights and policy solutions leading to a healthy environment and a thriving economy. Communications activities are key to the central elements of RFF’s strategy, including RFF’s commitment to:

• Impact. Providing effective communication and value for decisionmaking;
• Focus. A clear, compelling, and responsive institutional agenda based on the critical environmental and natural resource challenges requiring economic analysis; and
• Reach. Increased attention to a broader set of decisionmakers (outside of Washington DC in both the public and private sectors), and to leveraging RFF’s network position as a partner and convener.

RFF’s work impacts a wide array of audiences and stakeholders, including policymakers, academics, media, corporate leaders, and other decisionmakers around the world. The successful candidate must be able to understand RFF’s research and translate the importance of its findings through an array of communications platforms and to a variety of audiences.  S/He should develop and execute a plan to work with and promote RFF’s experts and their work among people who can make a difference in important environmental, energy, and natural resource decisions.

The VP will set communications priorities for RFF in conjunction with other members of the executive team and develop and implement a communications strategy to communicate and promote the ideas, solutions, and insights generated at RFF to the influencers and decision makers who turn policy aspirations and investment choices into concrete and politically viable forms.  The VP will also work closely with the VP for Development to develop and execute a comprehensive marketing campaign and expand fundraising for RFF. 

The successful candidate should have a proven track record of managing successful communications teams, knowledge of and interest in economics and environmental policy, a commitment to non-partisanship, and demonstrated success in generating and sustaining media and targeted audiences’ interest in a research-focused organization.

Specific Responsibilities

• Develop and implement comprehensive communications strategies for RFF as a whole, its programs, initiatives and projects, so that information is disseminated to the right audiences, in the right form, at the right time.

   

• Oversee RFF’s communications products and services, including Resources e-magazine, issue briefs, reports, working papers, Web, media, social media, podcasts, blog, videos, webinars and other online products, annual report, marketing materials, and high-quality, research-oriented events. Develop new products and redesign or repurpose existing products. Oversee RFF’s obligations with respect to the licensed operation of RFF Press.

• Lead and manage the communications team, including publications, editorial, digital media, media relations, government and other external relations, and events.  Provide mentorship and creative direction.

• Leverage the capacity of the RFF President and program Vice Presidents as the organization’s external representatives.

• Promote and coordinate media interest in RFF in a manner consistent with organizational objectives. Build beneficial relationships with journalists.

• Partner with the Development team to create, design, and implement marketing and promotion strategies to best represent RFF through diverse outlets as a means of engaging current and prospective donors, and work with Development in best communicating RFF’s work to donors.

• Collaborate with the Vice Presidents of the Energy & Climate and the Land, Water, & Nature programs, as well as individual RFF researchers, to organize and promote high profile events that generate interest in RFF and promote a broader understanding of its mission and work. Convene policy-relevant seminars and workshops and high-visibility public gatherings that attract world-renowned leaders from the policy, business, academic, and advocacy communities.

• Ensure that the RFF website is robust in its content, technology, and ease of use. Ensure that RFF continually updates and takes advantage of new communications technologies and new means for the distribution of information.

• Develop benchmarks to evaluate the effectiveness of communications strategies and campaigns.  Provide feedback to staff about the external environment into which they publish their work.