Description

About The Solutions Project

The Solutions Project believes that the people most impacted by the climate crisis hold the keys to mitigate and solve it.  We accelerate the effectiveness of climate action in the United States by centering the solutions, voices, and power of frontline communities.  Our work ensures that these communities shape our collective response to climate change, building a world where everyone has access to clean air, water, energy, and land.  

To fulfill this mission, The Solutions Project (TSP) funds, amplifies and connects grassroots climate justice organizations. This work centers around grantmaking and innovative narrative communications work to advance and celebrate grassroots climate action . The organization's current 5 year plan aims to mobilize $100M and reach 100 million people through narrative and communications activities.

To date, TSP has moved nearly $60M to more than 300 grassroots organizations. Reflecting the disproportionate impacts of the climate crisis on disinvested communities, many grantee partners are led by Black, Indigenous, Immigrant, and people of color leaders, and by women. Our most recent impact survey showed that in a 3 year period TSP’s grantees supported more than 1 million people with their climate solutions and benefited over 100 million through their climate campaign and policy wins. Our narrative and communications programs have contributed to a seven fold increase in clean energy news featuring communities of color.

TSP and its CEO have won accolades and awards including the 2020 Fast Company Most Innovative Non-Profit Award, the 2023 inaugural TIME Magazine CO2 Earth Award, and the 2024 McNulty Prize.   TSP is at the forefront of Solidarity Philanthropy, which builds on the foundation of trust-based Philanthropy with practices defined by grassroots organizers and in racially-conscious movement work.  

Position Overview

The Managing Director of Narrative & Communications (MD) is an experienced leadership role responsible for shaping and advancing The Solutions Project’s communications and narrative strategy. This includes hands-on leadership across media relations, public relations, campaign execution, storytelling, framing, partnerships, and cultural interventions that influence how people understand climate, justice, and solutions. The role requires a deep understanding of popular culture, media dynamics, and how narratives travel — including what makes ideas resonate, spread, and break through at scale.

Balancing strategic communications leadership with movement-rooted narrative work, the MD will help TSP move beyond episodic campaigns toward sustained popular influence. This role is accountable for driving visibility, reach, engagement, and relevance, expanding TSP’s presence in mainstream and emerging media, with new audiences, and in varied public spaces. The MD will strengthen TSP’s public identity and reputation while ensuring communications connect meaningfully to people’s everyday lives.

Reporting to the Chief Programs and Operating Officer and working closely with the CEO and the Grantmaking and Development teams, the MD serves as the organization’s senior functional leader for communications and as a trusted strategic advisor. This leader translates frontline insights into accessible, compelling messages and narratives — and ensures those narratives gain traction through effective communications execution.

The Managing Director leads a small internal team and a network of consultants and partners, bringing both strategic vision and strong executional capability. While much of the role’s influence happens behind the scenes, the MD may also represent TSP externally. Ultimately, this role exists to build narrative and communications capacity that mobilizes people, shapes popular culture, generates visibility and influence, safeguards TSP’s reputation, and accelerates climate justice movement impact.

Key Responsibilities 

Lead Narrative & Strategic Communications

• Design and steward a multiyear narrative and communications strategy that builds influence beyond individual campaigns or organizations and drives towards the ambition to reach 100 million people
• Translate complex climate justice work into accessible, popular, and emotionally resonant stories, interventions and campaigns
• Identify and advance compelling narrative frames that resonate with broad audiences while remaining accountable to frontline communities
• Keep a close pulse on media channels, influencers, social channels, and popular communications tools and channels in order to advance the reach of the strategy
• Track and interpret narrative trends, media ecosystems, and cultural shifts to inform strategy

Drive HighImpact Communications Campaigns & Partnerships

• Lead the design and execution of bold, cross-movement communications campaigns aligned with TSP’s strategy
• Initiate and steward high-profile partnerships with media, entertainment, brands, creators, and influencers
• Manage relationships with creative agencies, PR firms, designers, and other vendors with a focus on innovation, performance, and results
• Build campaigns with a clear theory of distribution, understanding how stories spread across media cycles, social platforms, influencers, and cultural moments
• Experiment with creative formats, platforms, and messengers to spark engagement, momentum, and viral reach

Build TSP’s Brand, Visibility & Positioning

• Clarify and strengthen TSP’s public identity so people understand who we are, what we do, and why we matter
• Oversee organizational messaging, brand voice, and editorial standards across platforms
• Lead proactive media and public relations efforts to increase TSP’s visibility, relevance, and credibility
• Serve as a senior thought partner on reputation management, including navigating sensitive or high-stakes communications moments
• Support CEO thought leadership and external positioning through strategic messaging, storytelling, media engagement, and placements
• Ensure TSP is known as innovative, impactful, joyful, credible, and movement-aligned
• Translate Grantee & Program Insights into Compelling Stories
• Partner with Grantmaking & Programs to synthesize learning from grantees into clear, powerful campaigns and storylines
  Elevate frontline solutions while articulating TSP’s role in accelerating and resourcing impact
  Develop narratives that support fundraising, learning, and movement alignment, without reverting to jargon or inaccessible language
  Understand and leverage narrative as a power-building strategy, including to strengthen collective impact and learning

Lead, Coach & Support the Narrative & Communications Team

• Manage and mentor a small, talented communications team with maturity and a humancentered, trustbased leadership style
• Be handson when needed: drafting copy, editing work, shaping strategy alongside the team
• Foster a culture of experimentation, learning, accountability, and care
• Support both communications team capacity and  broader organizational priorities

Operational & Strategic Leadership

• Set clear priorities, success metrics, and learning goals for narrative and communications work in alignment with the organizational strategic plan, and ensure continued monitoring of performance and course correction as needed
• Manage budgets and resources effectively
• Navigate ambiguity and internal tensions with maturity, clarity, and integrity

Compensation and Benefits

• The salary range for this position is $150,000 - 170,000
• Full time employees receive:
• TriNet medical, dental, and vision insurance plans are fully covered for employees, spouses, and dependents
• 13 paid holidays, 120 hours of flexible PTO, and 10 days of paid sick leave annually with increasing PTO allowance for tenured employees
• Eight weeks of paid parental leave, with up to six months of total leave  
• A fully paid, 2-month sabbatical after five years of continuous, full time employment
• After successful completion of the probationary period (nine months of employment), employees have access to a $5,000 annual life-long learning fund that can be used for on-the-job skilling up, career development and leadership activities, and non-work related lifelong learning activities
• Fully remote, with occasional need for travel
• This is a full-time, U.S.-based role. Candidates must be authorized to work in the United States

To Apply

The Solutions Project is partnering with She Rose Solutions to find our Managing Director of Narrative & Communications. Please use this link to submit your application and direct all questions to Liz Peinado at liz@sherosesolutions.com. The She Rose Solutions team will review all applicants and, upon qualification, contact you to determine the next steps. 

Requirements

Qualifications & Key Attributes

• 10+ years of experience in narrative strategy, communications, campaigns, media/ PR and/ or popular culture/ culture change work
• Brand- and culture-savvy, with fluency across media relations, digital platforms, social media, and emerging communications channels
• Excellent writer, editor, and sense-maker with strong editorial judgment and the ability to shape compelling stories for diverse audiences
• Demonstrated hands-on experience across communications disciplines, including PR, media relations, social media, marketing, communications vendor management, and partnerships
• Proven ability to translate complex issues into clear, compelling, people-centered messages and narratives
• Experience leading high-impact, high-reach campaigns or initiatives that have shaped popular  culture, built public understanding, and driven social change action
• Understanding of and commitment to racial, social, and gender equity issues, informed by professional or community-based experience
• Strategic thinker and hands-on doer who can hold vision while actively contributing to the work
• Relational, collaborative leader who builds trust across teams, partners, and stakeholders
• Strong relationship-builder with networks across movements, media, culture, or adjacent fields
• Experience managing teams and budgets, including coaching and motivating staff, setting priorities, and addressing performance issues when needed
• Comfortable managing up, across, and down with maturity, humility, and confidence
• Willingness to roll up sleeves and work alongside a small, high-impact team

Preferred but not required experience may include:  climate or economic justice movements; political campaigns, organizing, or advocacy; brand strategy; film; media, entertainment, or celebrity partnerships; and nonprofit or philanthropy environments. We are open to candidates from non-traditional backgrounds who bring the right values, instincts, and strategic depth.