Senior Communications Manager – Heifer USA

Job ID 1610

Communications Remote, United States

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Description

Heifer International is an equal opportunity employer.  All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, religion, color, national origin, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, status as a protected veteran, among other things, or status as a qualified individual with disability. 
 
About Heifer International      
 
In 1944, Heifer International’s founder, Dan West, began outlining a simple but groundbreaking plan to tackle hunger around the world. West, a farmer from the Midwest and Church of the Brethren member, had recently returned from feeding weary refugees during volunteer service in the Spanish Civil War.     
 
He had seen firsthand that giving people food was a short-term solution, whereas providing them with animals offered a steady supply of nutritious food for an entire family. His philosophy still inspires Heifer’s work today. Partnering with farmers across a range of different livestock and crops, we create unique solutions to local challenges.      
 
Today, Heifer International has operations in 19 countries around the world, working alongside local farmers, business owners and their communities, as they mobilize and envision their futures. Together, we build inclusive, resilient economies, so communities can develop effective ways to end global hunger and poverty in a sustainable way.      
 
To date, we have supported more than 42 million farming families across Africa, Asia and the Americas and in the past five years alone. We have worked alongside 2.7 million families to close the living income gap or set them on a path to doing so. Between now and 2030, we will support an additional 10 million people to reach a living income by scaling up our signature programs. To achieve this, Heifer International relies on its passionate, committed, and highly skilled staff. 
 
Our Values  
At Heifer, our work and culture are grounded in our Cornerstones and Cultural Guiding Principles, which reflect our deep commitment to dignity, fairness, and impact. These values shape how we lead, collaborate, and grow as an organization. We believe in Passing on the Gift, accountability, caring for one another, sustainability, gender and social inclusion, and environmental stewardship. We prioritize full participation, open communication, and continuous learning rooted in self-awareness and human-centered leadership. Together, we foster a culture of belonging and shared purpose that drives meaningful, lasting change in the communities we serve. 
 
ROLE FUNCTION 
The Senior Communications Manager – Heifer USA leads communications strategy and delivery for Heifer USA’s programs and partnerships. Operating within a network organization, this role acts as a connector and facilitator across Heifer USA team, global support (Headquarters/Global), and Regional Communications teams. The position of stewards' brand and message integrity for HUSA, drives a shared editorial agenda, equips distributed content creators, and serves as a spokesperson for HUSA as appropriate. The role closely partners with the Americas Regional communications teams and Regional Communications Strategy Lead to ensure coherence with regional and global narratives while amplifying U.S.-based producers’ voices and results. 
 
ESSENTIAL CHARACTER TRAITS:   
  • Strategic thinker with vision  
  • Collaborative and culturally fluent 
  • Adaptive and solutions-oriented 
  • Strong relationship builder, communicator, and negotiator 
  • Deep commitment to equity and fostering belonging 
  • Ability to influence without authority 
  • Facilitative and human-centered leadership 
  • Learning-oriented and reflective 
  • Trust builder 
RESPONSIBILITIES   
 
Strategic Communications Leadership, Facilitation, and Narrative Stewardship (40%) 
  • Co-create the HUSA communications strategy in support of HUSA strategy, in alignment with Heifer International and Americas region’s global program strategy, identity, and positioning. 
  • Contribute to regional and global governance processes through strategic communications. 
  • Co-develop and implement annual communications plans with country teams. 
  • Elevate and integrate HUSA stories into regional and global platforms, making farmer identity central to all storytelling. 
  • Facilitate decision-making and real-time adaptation of communications strategies through influence and collaboration, integrating feedback and responding to shifting contexts. 
  • Manage and position Heifer’s brand consistently and elevate and amplify the Heifer Ranch Center for Regenerative Agriculture as a premier education center and thought leader 
  • Coordinate representation of HUSA across all platforms and initiatives to strengthen visibility and influence. 
  • Identify, assess, and mitigate reputational risks across the region by monitoring external communications, public sentiment, media coverage, and stakeholder feedback. 
  • Lead crisis communications planning and response, coordinating with global communications, program, and leadership teams to deliver timely, transparent, and accurate messaging. 
HUSA Branding Development & Media Operations (30%) 
  • Own the content pipeline: creation, briefs, story mining, SME interviews, writing/editing, and asset production. 
  • Chair an editorial working group and manage approvals. 
  • Coordinate distribution of communications.  
  • Lead coordination, logistics, and participation in priority events with Communications and Shared Leadership Team to secure speaking and media opportunities. 
  • Develop events, talking points, media kits, and follow-up content plans. 
  • Serve as the brand steward for HUSA to ensure messaging alignment with HUSA strategy and Heifer’s brand architecture. 
  • Elevate HUSA leaders/experts via speaking, webinars, podcasts and panels and track share of voice and reputation indicators. 
  • Lead PR and media relations for HUSA; support leaders and spokespersons. 
  • Own the content pipeline: creation, briefs, story mining, SME interviews, writing/editing, and asset production. 
  • Chair an editorial working group and manage approvals. 
  • Coordinate distribution of communications. 
Communications Network & Budget Management (20%) 
  • Promote collaboration and coherence across all communications areas; contribute to Heifer’s global communications network. 
  • Strengthen systems that transform program data and learnings into compelling stories and outcome-based metrics. 
  • Own planning, monitoring, and reporting of the HUSA communications budget in partnership with Finance. 
  • Manage vendors/contracts; forecast scenarios; track variance and cost-effectiveness.

Team Leadership & Culture (10%) 

  • Lead the Digital Media and Events and Marketing teams; build team morale & culture of belonging. 
  • Act as a champion for performance and team development. 
  • Talent planning & hiring: Partner with the shared leadership team and People Department to ensure the right capacity within the team.  
  • Facilitate coaching and enablement across the network.  
  • Collaboration & conflict resolution: Facilitate retrospectives and after-action reviews; surface and resolve conflicts early; use clear escalation pathways; reinforce team norms and accountability. 
  • May perform other duties as assigned. 
Minimum Requirements 
  • Bachelor’s degree in communications, journalism, or a related field, or equivalent combination of education and professional experience. 
  • At least 8-9 years of relevant professional experience 
  • Minimum 5 years of experience in supervising and leading teams. 
  • Passionate about food systems work and regenerative agriculture. 
  • Strategic thinking, interpersonal agility, and ability to influence without direct authority. 
  • Demonstrated ability to facilitate strategy, coaching, and co-creating initiatives with diverse teams and stakeholders in international or multi-country contexts. 
  • Strong cross-cultural communication and intercultural intelligence. 
  • Fluency in English with strong writing and oral presentation skills  
  • Expertise in story-driven communication and impact storytelling. 
  • Experience managing communications campaigns, producing content across multiple platforms, and using digital tools (e.g., social media, analytics, CRM, content platforms) for monitoring and engagement. 
  • Experience in crisis communications and reputational risk management. 
Preferred Requirements 
  • Master’s degree or equivalent combination of education/experience. 
  • Background in nonprofit, social enterprise, agriculture/food systems, or rural economic development. 
  • Crisis communications and reputational risk management experience. 
  • Experience working with donor-funded initiatives and thought leadership programs. 
  • Spanish Language is a plus.  
Most Critical Proficiencies 
  • Knowledge of journalism and communication strategies. 
  • Expertise strategic communication for the development of new partnerships and positioning for funding opportunities with key donors. 
  • Alternative storytelling forms including video and infographics. 
  • Proficiency in writing, editing, print/video production, and public relations skills. 
  • Experience in the use of YouTube, LinkedIn and other social media to promote Heifer’s work and achievements. 
  • Ability to foster and maintain a spirit of unity, teamwork, and cooperation among all personnel. 
  • Sensitivity in working with multiple cultures and beliefs and gender equity. 
  • Manage staff to drive communications programs, events, and electronic and in-person communications venues, supervising PR, implementing and disseminating communications. 
  • Ability to work with executive and senior management; excellent negotiation, influencing and presentation skills. 
  • Strong project management skills, including the ability to work independently, and to manage a team and multiple ongoing projects. 
  • Design and develop standards for communications success. Develop and monitor metrics to measure reach and impact of communications and to identify areas of success and opportunity. 
Essential Job Functions and Physical Demands 
  • Ability to balance multiple priorities in a dynamic and changing environment. 
  • High cultural sensitivity and strong interpersonal skills to work across diverse teams and partners. 
  • Willingness to travel regionally and internationally (up to 25%). 
  • Ability to work remotely and collaboratively with distributed teams. 
  • Proofread correspondence for correct punctuation and grammar and produce documents in a well-designed, attractive format. 
  • May require constant sitting and moving, working at a computer for extended periods. 
  • Commitment to safeguarding and ethical practices. 
Salary Information:
  • The expected base salary range for this position is $108,500 - $115,000 annually. Placement within the range will be based on the experience and competency level of the candidate. Please submit a cover letter with your application. To be considered for this opportunity, please submit your application by 12/30/25. 
 
What We Offer:  
  • Heifer International offers a variety of benefits for U.S. based employees working 30 or more hours per week. 
  • Health and wellness benefits including Flexible Spending Account and/or Health Saving Account 
  • Employee assistance program 
  • 403(b) retirement plan (match 1% employee to 2% employer up to a maximum of 4% match +3% employer discretionary contribution regardless of employee contribution) 
  • 22 vacation days in addition to 12 statutory and discretionary holidays, and 10 sick days per year 
  • Employer-paid life insurance and accidental death & dismemberment (AD&D)  
  • Professional development and annual merit increase opportunities 
  • Optional critical illness insurance, legal assistance plan and pet protection 
  • And more! 
 

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