Communications Operations Associate

The Environmental Protection Network (EPN) is composed of more than 800 EPA alumni from across the country who volunteer their time to protect the integrity of EPA and its mission. We harness the expertise of former EPA career staff and confirmation-level appointees from Democratic and Republican administrations to provide the unique perspective of former regulators with decades of historical knowledge and subject matter expertise. 

EPN is currently focused on building, defending and reimagining the capacity of environmental health agencies and the communities they serve to truly address the most urgent health and environmental crises.

• We work to ensure that EPA advances policies, programs, budgets, and institutional changes to address climate and environmental injustices, as well as other pressing public health needs.
• We provide pro bono capacity-building technical assistance and training to frontline communities, NGOs, and under-resourced state/local/tribal government agencies.
• We offer pro bono support to civil servants. 
• We educate Congress and serve as a critical resource for facts, objective analysis, and scientific rigor for reporters and NGOs.

Priority Deadline December 4th

About The Position:

Effective public communication is central to EPN's mission. Our Public Affairs team helps people understand how EPA's work affects their health, communities, and daily lives, while bringing independent expertise to discussions about how environmental protections can meet changing political, economic, and technological realities. Behind timely media responses, effective outreach, and clear public-facing materials are dependable systems and careful coordination.

EPN is seeking a highly organized, detail-oriented Communications Operations Associate to make that work possible. As a central coordinator and project manager for our growing Public Affairs team, this person will connect people, information, deadlines, and deliverables; anticipate needs; and keep important work moving. The role combines communications workflow management, reporter intake and follow-up, managing contact and media-tracking databases, publication and distribution of communications materials, proactive scheduling and administrative support. Reporting to EPN's Senior Director of Public Affairs, the Associate works with communications and policy staff, volunteer experts, and outside partners to ensure accurate, timely execution.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

1. Communications Workflow and Project Coordination-

• Independently coordinate the Public Affairs team's day-to-day workflow, maintaining an up-to-date Asana task tracker and editorial/production calendar for releases, newsletters, campaigns, and other deliverables.
• Track assignments, owners, approvals, dependencies, and deadlines; anticipate competing demands, identify bottlenecks, and help resolve routine conflicts before they delay work.
• Coordinate handoffs among communications staff, policy colleagues, volunteers, and outside contractors; follow up proactively and close the loop on outstanding tasks.
• Document and improve repeatable workflows, checklists, templates, and team systems.

2. Administrative and Scheduling Support-

• Provide proactive administrative and scheduling support to Public Affairs leadership and the broader team, coordinating meetings and interviews across multiple calendars and participants.
• Manage invitations, meeting links, reminders, agendas, shared materials, notes, and action items as needed; follow through on next steps.
• Organize shared files, contacts, and distribution lists; prepare materials and handle routine logistical requests with accuracy and discretion.
• Anticipate routine needs, recognize when competing requests require a decision, and raise issues promptly with the appropriate colleagues.

3. Press Intake, Reporter Coordination, and Distribution-

• Triage incoming press inquiries, acknowledge or route them promptly, assess urgency and deadlines, and maintain complete records of requests and follow-up needs.
• Coordinate interviews and volunteer expert availability; help ensure reporters receive approved materials and timely responses.
• Execute distribution of approved press releases and the weekly news tipsheet; coordinate related website updates, internal notifications, and follow-up tasks.
• Research and verify journalist contacts and outlets; maintain media lists, including bounced addresses, unsubscribes, duplicates, and targeted list updates.
• Develop and strengthen relationships with reporters through responsive communication, familiarity with their beats and interests, and opportunities to connect them with relevant EPN experts and resources.

4. Media Tracking, Data Entry, and Reporting-

• Review media-monitoring feeds, team channels, and other sources daily for relevant EPN coverage and press activity; flag items requiring action.
• Enter and cross-reference reporter inquiries, interviews, resulting coverage, volunteer experts, and related outreach in EPN's tracking systems so records are complete, searchable, and connected.
• Research, verify, and update volunteer expert information used for reporter coordination; conduct routine database quality checks, including duplicate resolution, contact updates, and consistent tagging and links.
• Prepare regular press activity summaries, coverage and outreach metrics, and accurate data pulls for team reporting and planning.

5. Publishing and Communications Production-

• Format, proofread, test, and publish approved press releases, EPN in the News items, and other website updates using EPN's content management system.
• Coordinate production and distribution of the weekly volunteer newsletter, EPN in Action, and other recurring communications, working with content leads on submissions, approvals, formatting, links, scheduling, and final checks.
• Prepare reports, fact sheets, and other communications products for publication and distribution, including formatting, quality assurance, and version control.
• Coordinate with outside communications contractors on approved content, assets, deadlines, and publication details.

QUALIFICATIONS:

• At least 1 year of relevant experience in communications operations, administrative support, project coordination, media relations support, nonprofit operations, or a similarly detail-intensive role; two or more years preferred.
• Highly productive in remote working environments. 
• Interest in environmental justice, US environmental and health policy, the work of EPA, and enthusiasm for EPN's mission.
• Familiarity with Google Docs and Spreadsheets.
• Exceptional organization, accuracy, follow-through, and confidence managing multiple simultaneous priorities in a fast-moving environment.
• Demonstrated ability to triage competing requests, set appropriate priorities, anticipate problems, and move routine work forward independently while recognizing when to seek guidance or escalate.
• Clear, professional written communication; careful proofreading; and sound judgment when handling reporter inquiries, external requests, and sensitive information.
• Proficiency with calendars, spreadsheets, shared documents, and contact databases; comfort using task-management tools and learning new publishing and distribution systems.
• Ability to work independently in a remote team, follow up constructively across roles, ask clarifying questions early, and communicate when deadlines or priorities conflict.
• Experience with Asana, MuckRack, or comparable media databases or platforms (preferred).
• Experience with design tools such as Canva and basic web or document layout (preferred).

CORE COMPETENCIES: 

1. Building Relationships: Establishes and maintains productive working relationships with colleagues, volunteer experts, reporters, and external partners. Builds trust through responsiveness, professionalism, and consistent follow-through. Works collaboratively across teams and develops connections that strengthen EPN's communications and outreach.
2. Making Decisions & Demonstrating Judgment: Exercises sound judgment in assessing priorities, responding to time-sensitive requests, and managing competing demands. Anticipates problems, identifies practical solutions, and takes initiative while recognizing when to seek guidance or elevate an issue. Handles sensitive information with professionalism and discretion.
3. Managing Execution: Takes ownership of assignments and processes, ensuring work is accurate, organized, and completed on time. Proactively tracks deadlines, coordinates moving pieces, follows up on outstanding tasks, and maintains reliable systems and records. Identifies opportunities to improve workflows and helps ensure that important details and commitments do not fall through the cracks.
4. Communicating Effectively: Communicates clearly, accurately, and professionally with internal and external audiences. Listens carefully, asks thoughtful questions, and provides timely updates on progress, deadlines, and challenges. Demonstrates strong written communication and proofreading skills, adapting messages to different audiences and ensuring information is shared effectively.

PAY:

• An annual salary of $70,957, based in D.C. We will adjust the salary up or down based on locality. 

BENEFITS:

The Environmental Protection Network is a fully remote virtual environment. We think about our compensation as a package of total rewards that starts with a competitive salary. 

Work-Life Balance:

• Employees are encouraged to balance a 40-hour work week with a flexible work schedule and core hours of 11 AM-4 PM ET. 
• 11 paid Federal Holidays and other paid days when the office is closed, including: 
• • The work day before or after July 4. 
  • The day before and after Thanksgiving. 
  • The week of December 25th and the week of Jan 1st (FY27- December 20th-December 31st).
• Organization-wide non-meeting days on all major holidays that fall outside of the federal calendar (our staff can submit these to our calendar based on religious or cultural holidays).
• 3 weeks (120 hours) of paid time off (inclusive of sick, personal days, and vacation).
• 5 days of annual disaster relief time off in the event of a natural disaster impacting you or your family (does not carry over or pay out upon exit).
• 5 days of annual bereavement (does not carry over or pay out upon exit).
• 3 annual “EPN” days to be used for any purpose across the year (does not carry over or pay out upon exit).

Financial Security:

• Competitive market-based salary. 
• Annual tenure bonus (determined annually, where funds are available)
• Performance-based bonuses where applicable.
• 401K Retirement Plan, 4% company match. 

Wellness Benefits:

• 90% employer-paid health, dental, and vision insurance; 60% employer-paid family.

• 100% employer-paid life (50K), with the opportunity to purchase additional life coverage available for employee and spouse. 
• 100% employer-paid short- and long-term disability insurance. 
• Access to employee-paid FSA, HSA, and commuter benefits. 
• Up to 12 weeks of paid leave upon the birth, adoption, or foster care placement of a child.

Career Development:

• Up to $500/year for professional development-related expenses. 
• Ongoing access to internal professional development training. 

Additional Benefits:

• $150 monthly cell phone plan and home internet reimbursement. 
• Up to $2,000/year for the purchase of phones, computers, headsets, software, or other equipment used consistently to carry out staff responsibilities and/or wellness-related purchases.
• Applicable travel expenses will be reimbursed, including travel time outside of your local area.

Environmental injustices disproportionately impact the most marginalized people in society, including people of color, people from working-class backgrounds, women, and LGBTQIA+ people. Because we believe that these communities must be centered in the work we do, we strongly encourage applications from people with these identities or who are members of other marginalized communities.