Director of Communications and Partnerships

See Full Job Description and information about how to apply at: sierrastem.org/joinourteam

* Applications through Linked In only will not be reviewed.*

Sierra STEM seeks to hire a Director of Communications and Partnerships – a creative and strategic nonprofit professional with a passion for youth development, outdoor education, and science enrichment. The scope of the role spans three categories of responsibilities:
Marketing & Communications (40%), Partnerships & Development (40%), and Community Outreach & Engagement (20%). This person will report directly to the Executive Director, working collaboratively with our small‑but‑mighty nonprofit team to expand Sierra STEM’s reach both in and beyond our local community and grow our financial capacity to advance our mission. This position offers substantial autonomy, close involvement in organizational strategy, and the opportunity to shape the next phase of a growing community‑based nonprofit.

About Sierra STEM: Sierra STEM is a small outdoor education and science enrichment nonprofit organization operating out of June Lake in the Eastern Sierra Nevada near Mammoth Lakes, CA. Operating since 2021, Sierra STEM runs a variety of experiential learning programs including: multi‑day backcountry adventures, overnight frontcountry trips for out‑of‑town school groups, STEM‑focused day camps for local kids, and community‑based science enrichment.

Sierra STEM has a great story to tell: we teach young people about science and the environment in spectacular outdoor classrooms and empower them with skills that will serve them for years to come. The Director of Communications and Partnerships will develop and implement a marketing and communications strategy that supports program growth, fundraising, donor engagement, earned revenue growth, and Sierra STEM’s broader goals.

They will:

• Develop and maintain an annual marketing plan that coordinates fundraising campaigns, outreach and fundraising events, school outreach, program promotion, and other initiatives
• Establish and amplify Sierra STEM’s brand, voice, and content strategy across digital/web, print, social media, email, presentations, and other public‑facing channels
• Create compelling print and digital campaigns and collateral that communicate Sierra STEM’s mission, programs, and impact through photos, videos, stories, and data
• Implement a strategy for paid, earned, owned, and shared media, including identifying goals, platforms, audiences, messaging, and budgets, and use campaign data to improve results
• Leverage Sierra STEM’s CRM database to identify meaningful audience segments, craft quarterly newsletters and other communications, and inform our communications strategy

This aspect of the role will allow you to flex both creativity (e.g., website content and Canva design) and strategic thinking (e.g., messaging, audience targeting, and campaign planning) to tell Sierra STEM’s story consistently and effectively to diverse audiences, including donors, schools, families, students, partners, grantors, and community members.

Sierra STEM has ambitious plans for organizational growth. Greater financial capacity will allow us to serve more kids, develop new programs, and strengthen our organization for the long term. The Director of Communications and Partnerships will work closely with the Executive Director to identify and cultivate new relationships, explore new markets, grow our donor base, and ultimately increase the financial resources available to support our mission.

They will:

• Facilitate growth of Sierra STEM’s visiting school programming portfolio in alignment with…