Greenpeace International - Co-head Story & Comms
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Co-head Story & Comms

  • Remote, Hybrid
  • IPD - International Programme Department

Job description

Permanent* / full time

*offered on a 12 month contract basis initially, with possibility of extension / move to permanent contract, subject to local terms.


Location: The successful candidate may be based in a country where one of the independent National/Regional Greenpeace organisations (NRO’s) is located. See the locations here. [Unfortunately, we are currently unable to host new staff in a number of NROs at this present time, due to various restrictions. We are unable to support hosting of new staff in Africa, India, US, UK, Italy, Colombia, MENA region, in addition to some other NRO locations. The recruitment team may reach out to you to provide an update as necessary, depending on your location].


Greenpeace is a story of ordinary people doing extraordinary things. It’s a story of people who believe in hope in action, because a billion acts of courage can change the world.


Greenpeace International is looking for a Co-Head of Story and Comms to collaborate and partner with our current Co-head. Together, you will craft and deliver inspiring, authentic stories of radical hope that will help grow the global environmental and social justice movement, both in scale and power. Forging a more peaceful, equitable, sustainable and just future in the furnace of the polycrisis.


As part of the Greenpeace International Programme Department, the two Co-Heads of Story and Comms will lead a diverse ‘team of teams’ encompassing three global comms hubs, a media library, digital support and channels team, an internal and influencer communications team, and a story advisors and communications strategist team.


Do you have the skills and passion to channel the hope of millions of people world wide into positive change? Do you know the difference between being data driven and data informed? Do you appreciate the power of a diverse approach to story gathering? Do you have experience of creating global communication's strategies and plans, and can you lead during disruptive times?


In this role you will:


  • Lead and manage the design and development of Story and Communications strategies and tactics to support the delivery of an impactful Global Programme.

  • Provide cross-functional and strategic leadership to the Story and Comms team of teams, covering comms hubs, media library, digital, internal and influencer communications, story advisors and communications strategists.

  • Lead the engagement of Story and Comms staff with colleagues in the International Programme, Fundraising and Tech teams to ensure Greenpeace has a coherent, inspiring organisational story that enables a compelling story driven programme and collective brand proposition and promise.

  • Build and maintain strong working relationships with key allies and strategic partners to align the strategy and improve the impact of the global movement , especially in the Global South.

  • Oversee the effective management of Greenpeace International’s channels, communications tools and communities of practices to support an impactful Global Programme.

  • Lead, manage and develop a multidisciplinary team of teams and support managers with their line and task management.

  • Provide reactive communications support for the Greenpeace International Executive Team and Greenpeace International Crisis Management Team.

  • Ensure the effective budgeting, management and expenditure of internal resources, including staff and operational budgets.


For further details about the role, please see the full job description HERE.

Job requirements

What we’re looking for:

Remember no one has every skill or experience needed for this role and you’ll have the opportunity to learn a lot from the team. We believe someone who has a few of these is well suited to exceed in this role:

  • Significant senior story and communications leadership experience, of which substantial time spent leading international teams.

  • Highly experienced strategist –ability to anticipate developments, spot opportunities and lead the story and comms community to continually learn and evolve strategically and tactically.

  • A track record of delivering effective, audience centric, communication strategies and tactical delivery against a backdrop of a constantly evolving media landscape.

  • Experience in organisational identity and brand strategy development and delivery.

  • Deep understanding of the storytelling approach, tools and techniques.

  • Experience in working with multicultural staff and teams and across borders and time zones and with a wide variety of views.

  • Experience with co-leadership and collaborative management preferable.

  • Experience in implementing and bringing about significant positive changes in work culture, practices and performance.

  • Experience in building exceptional teams.

  • Experience in critical incident and crisis communications.

  • Exceptional influencing skills, and strong negotiation, communication and presentation skills.

  • Fluent written and spoken English, one or more additional languages preferred.

  • Experience in working effectively to very tight deadlines and under stressful conditions, including supporting a dispersed team covering a 24/7 media cycle.

  • Demonstrable support for and belief in the Greenpeace network core aims and values.

  • Digital literacy skills; the ability to learn and utilise our digital platforms to successfully perform the role function (familiarity with G-Suite, Slack and Zoom is an advantage)

What you can expect:

You’ll be encouraged to develop both personally and professionally, taking advantage of the wide range of learning and development opportunities available to our staff. Staff can also access our wellness initiatives, such as yoga and meditation and also have the opportunity to join our global Equity, Diversity & Inclusion staff communities.


Please click HERE to visit the careers site, to learn more about working for Greenpeace.


About us:

Greenpeace is a global campaigning network. It comprises 26 independent national/regional organisations, and a coordinating organisation, Greenpeace International. Greenpeace uses peaceful, creative confrontation to expose global environmental problems, and develop solutions for a green and peaceful future.

Our goal is to ensure the ability of the earth to nurture life in all its diversity. That means we want to:

  • protect biodiversity in all its forms

  • prevent pollution and abuse of the earth’s ocean, land, air and fresh water

  • end all nuclear threats

  • promote peace, global disarmament and non-violence

To Apply:

If you share our vision, please click on the 'apply ' bar to begin your application.


To apply for this role, we require you to answer a selection of key criteria and upload your CV (in English) via our online application form.


Addressing the key criteria is an important part of your application. We will be looking for evidence that demonstrates your skills and experience in these areas. Use examples where possible, to draw attention to experience, knowledge, achievements and skills gained in past employment or voluntary/leisure activities, provided they are relevant to the post.


At GPI, we understand the benefits of using open AI tools (e.g. ChatGPT), however for the purpose of this application we prefer to see answers that were tailored by candidates themselves, without relying much on these tools, so we can get a good impression on your thinking.


It’s advisable to prepare your responses to the key criteria before starting your online application, as you are unable to save and return to it at a later date.


If you have any questions about this vacancy or the application process, please email us at recruitment.int@greenpeace.org. Please note that all applications have to be filled out via the website and can't be submitted via this email.


We welcome everyone to apply for our positions. We understand that some candidates hesitate to apply unless they meet 100% of the criteria. However, we strongly encourage you to apply if you meet some of the key criteria for our roles. We’d love to know how your unique experience can bring value to our team. We believe in people power and having representation from many different communities to effect change.


Greenpeace International is an equal opportunity employer with a longstanding commitment of providing a work environment that respects the dignity and worth of each individual. We recognise and value the benefits and strengths that diversity brings to our employees and the whole organisation and we thrive in an environment that encourages respect and trust. We do not discriminate in employment opportunities or practices on the basis of age, ancestry, citizenship, colour, disability, ethnicity, family or marital status, gender identity or expression, national origin, political affiliation, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation and would like to invite you especially to apply!


CLOSING DATE: Sunday 8th December 2024, 23:59 (CET)

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