Sustainability Storyteller

Overview

Job : 372189

Location: Twin Cities (St. Paul Campus; some hybrid work may be possible)

Job Family: Marketing & Communications

Full/Part Time: Full-Time

Regular/Temporary: Regular

Job Code: 8342CG

Employee Class: Civil Service

Working Title: Sustainability Storyteller

Classification: Communications Specialist, Job Code 8342CG, Civil Service

Appointment: Full-time, currently funded through December 31, 2027

Pay Range: Salary range $59,000 - $65,000; depending on education, qualifications, experience

Location: St. Paul Campus; some hybrid work may be possible

Reports to: Becky Beyers

Apply By: February 17, 2026

The University of Minnesota Extension Regional Sustainable Development Partnerships (RSDP) connect Greater Minnesota communities to the University of Minnesota to support local sustainability projects. RSDP brings together community and University knowledge and resources to drive sustainability in four focus areas: agriculture and food systems, clean energy, natural resources and resilient communities. The statewide office of the Clean Energy Resource Teams (CERTs) provides RSDP energy programming.

CERTs connects individuals, organizations, and their communities with the resources they need to identify and implement community-scale energy efficiency and renewable energy projects. The person in this position will be a member of the Extension Communications team, and will collaborate extensively with colleagues in CERTS and RSDP to deliver effective and powerful communications.

About the Position

Stories are powerful—they can create new social norms by inspiring and shaping people’s understanding of what is possible. Storytelling is a core pathway we use to advance RSDP and CERTs' community-focused work. We rely on human-centered, compelling stories to highlight the champions driving change through the models and practices they've employed to advance sustainability and clean energy action. These stories make their actions visible, relatable, and normal.

The Sustainability Storyteller will be instrumental in producing and publishing case studies, blog posts, newsletters, and more about sustainability and clean energy efforts in communities across Minnesota. If you're creative, collaborative, an excellent writer who tells stories through appropriate digital channels and passionate about making a positive impact on the environment and Minnesota communities, you should apply!

Sustainability reporting and writing: (75%)

• Write and edit original, interesting, and persuasive Minnesota sustainability and clean energy stories with a focus on people-centered narratives that convey complex ideas and processes for a general audience.
• Become deeply familiar with influencers and networks in the sustainability and clean energy communities. Use those relationships to discover, research and share timely and engaging stories using a variety of print and multimedia communications tools.
• Plan, write, design, and post social media content and newsletters.
• Create content for a range of other channels (reports, factsheets, presentations).
• Attend events related to sustainability and clean energy.

Communications planning: (25%)

• Collaborate in planning and carrying out an editorial calendar that aligns with RSDP and CERTs communications strategies and stakeholder needs.
• Collaborate with Extension and University of Minnesota communications colleagues to ensure aligned messaging and shared resources.
• Use analytics and engagement to measure the results of communications in multiple channels, and adjust planning and storytelling to achieve engagement goals.
• Develop a content guide that reflects the unique voice, goals and styles of RSDP and CERTs.

Required Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in communications, marketing, writing, journalism, or related field plus two (2) years relevant professional experience, or six (6) years combined equivalent education and experience.
• Demonstrated experience interviewing and writing persuasive content about sustainability, energy and environmental topics.
• Experience creating multimedia including but not limited to photography,…