Location: Remote (with a preference for candidates living in a major North American city)
Start Date: ASAP
Contract: Full-Time Employee
Travel: 15%
About Acceso
Acceso (www.acceso.org) is a social enterprise that is revolutionizing food systems in Latin America and the Caribbean to put smallholder farmers first. Acceso’s mission is to create fundamental and lasting positive economic change in the lives of rural smallholder farming families. Our entrepreneurial model provides smallholder farmers with a sustainable way to participate in formalized markets, enabling them to work themselves out of poverty with dignity and to prosper. Acceso currently operates a portfolio of three social businesses in Colombia, Haiti, and El Salvador. Across our agribusinesses, we have impacted more than 35,000 smallholder farmers and farm workers, generating more than $80m in farmer income to date.
About The Role
The Media Relations Lead role is a great opportunity to translate seasoned media and publicity skills in the service of a transformative social enterprise, redefining poverty alleviation. This position will play a key role in linking Acceso’s fieldwork to a broader audience to strengthen our fundraising and partner acquisition strategy. By helping build Acceso’s brand, the successful candidate will draw attention from foundations, philanthropists, and other stakeholders to the applicability of Acceso’s transformative model globally.
Key Responsibilities
- Media Relations (30%): Maintain existing and develop new relationships with mainstream and international development-related media outlets (traditional and non-traditional) executing outreach strategies such as proactive pitching, rapid response, and crisis management.Ensure Acceso’s activities are strategically covered. Build connections with key opinion leaders and relevant influencers to amplify Acceso’s message and brand and to maintain Acceso’s credibility in an evolving media landscape –
- Strategic Media Planning (25%): Craft and implement media strategies to enhance the visibility of Acceso’s brand and mission to North American and European audiences. This includes designing and managing media plans for various Acceso programs and campaigns, alongside Acceso colleagues. Build awareness of Acceso’s brand in the service of drawing attention from foundations, philanthropists, and other stakeholders to the applicability of Acceso’s model globally.
- External Affairs (20%): Prepare Acceso’s leaders for media engagements, ensuring they are equipped to handle various planned and unplanned media scenarios. Proactively manage relationships with key stakeholders and create strategic communication plans to broaden Acceso’s brand and reach to donors and potential partners. Organize press events in local markets and oversee storytellingcampaigns.
- Media Engagement (15%): Handle inquiries from reporters, coordinate responses, and manage logistics for media engagements. This also involves vendor and stakeholder management during these processes.
- Media Analysis (10%): Monitor and synthesize global research, news, and policy into organizational media strategies. Assess the effectiveness of Acceso’s media campaigns by devising and measuring metrics that matter.
Preferred Qualifications
- Proven track record of earned media placements in North America and Europe.
- Proven experience in cultivating and maintaining mainstream reporter/media relationships in the United States, the United Kingdom, Western Europe, and Canada.
- Familiarity with various digital/online platforms and outlets, including podcasts.
- High organizational skills, with the ability to prioritize and meet deadlines in a fast-paced environment.
- Spanish language skills are highly desirable.
- Experience building and promoting a brand.
- 5-10 years of relevant media experience.
Other Requirements
- Ability to adeptly navigate media inquiries.
- Ability to coordinate with various teams across Acceso to promote the organization’s initiatives and respond to crises.
- Experience counseling senior executives and interfacing with various organizational departments for sourcing content.
Application Instructions
To apply, please submit your CV/Resume and Cover Letter (all in English) via the application form on our website.
Acceso is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of gender, race, color, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, HIV/AIDS status, protected veteran status, disability and all other protected classes.
