Direct Relief, a humanitarian aid organization, active in more than 100 countries and all 50 US states and territories, is improving the health and lives of people affected by poverty and/or emergencies. Direct Relief has built its reputation over 70 years, consistently earning top recognition from independent charity evaluators. We are the 3rd largest US charity and Forbes recently ranked Direct Relief #5 in their top 100 Charities. Charity Navigator awarded Direct Relief a perfect score of 100. Direct Relief’s vision is to be the world’s leading, most transparent, and most efficient provider of charitable medical resources to people most in need of assistance. Direct Relief is a nongovernmental, nonsectarian, and not-for-profit provider to people and communities regardless of politics, religious beliefs, ethnic identity or ability to pay.

Direct Relief is seeking a Communications Specialist , to work on site at our Santa Barbara Headquarters.

Summary:

Direct Relief is seeking a Communications Specialist to join its team – a relationship-builder with a passion for telling stories that matter, an avid interest in the fast-moving currents of news, humanitarian affairs, global health, and philanthropy, and a willingness to collaborate and learn.

Reporting to the communications manager, the communications specialist will help communicate Direct Relief’s programmatic activities externally, employing a range of mediums, communications platforms and formats, fostering greater understanding and engagement among Direct Relief employees and stakeholders.

Key Duties and Responsibilities:

The following duties and responsibilities are essential but do not reflect all job functions performed by this position. Other comparable duties and responsibilities may be assigned as needed.

• Content Creation: Under the direction of the digital communications manager, create, produce, and optimize content for use across all social platforms, engaging and responding to followers in real time, helping grow social media followers and website.
• Brand Management: Collaborate with internal teams to develop communication strategies and materials for social campaigns, events, and initiatives. Contribute to impactful storytelling and communication by engaging with local influencers and creating new awareness campaigns.
• Asset Ownership: Help manage intake process for photos and messages received from Direct Relief partners and staff.
• Audience Engagement: Managing the intake of individual engagement on social media, including the flow of messages sent on all social platforms. Building and maintaining relationships with Direct Relief’s audiences.
• Monitoring and Evaluation: Monitor and analyze the effectiveness of communication strategies and campaigns. Social media engagement and other relevant metrics to assess impact and make data-driven decisions. Analyze and present monthly social media engagement and growth reports.
• Team Support: Support communications team as required in writing press announcements, emails, presentations, and other collateral to produce finished messaging and materials, based on established editorial guidelines, tracking performance, and optimizing future content based on learnings.
• Travel: Coordinate communications in advance of staff site visits and events, meeting with staff to develop an appropriate strategy for gathering and sharing content on their trips. Occasionally accompany Direct Relief staff on site visits and other programmatic travel.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in Communications, Journalism, Public Relations, or related field.
• 2+ years of experience in communications, influencer marketing, public relations, brand management or related roles.
• Excellent writing, editing, and storytelling skills, with a keen eye for detail and accuracy.
• Strong interpersonal and relationship-building skills, with the ability to interact effectively with diverse stakeholders.
• Experience working with social media platforms including Instagram, TikTok, etc.
• Knowledge of humanitarian aid, global health, or nonprofit sector preferred.
• Ability to work independently, manage multiple projects simultaneously, and meet tight deadlines.
• Commitment to Direct Relief's mission and values.

We appreciate your interest in employment with Direct Relief. Direct Relief is committed to creating a diverse environment and is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. We welcome all applicants regardless of race, color, religion, creed, national origin, ancestry, sex, gender, age, physical or mental disability, veteran or military status, genetic information, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, marital status, or any other legally recognized protected basis under federal, state, or local law to apply and be part of our growing team.