Job Post: Director of Marketing & Communications

As the world’s leading animal photojournalism agency, We Animals (WA) advocates for animals through photojournalism. Our global investigations and stories expose our complex relationships with animals, create ethical and cultural shifts in society, and empower human capacity for compassion and change. To support our mission, we investigate industries, mentor photographers, operate a stock site to share our visual content, and engage with media and NGO partners to shift attitudes, industries, and policy.

We Animals is seeking a strategic, creative, and collaborative Director of Marketing & Communications (MarComms) to lead our global brand, content creation, and audience growth.

The Director ensures We Animals’ storytelling, marketing, and communications strategies are aligned, compelling, data-informed, internationally resonant, and adaptive to emerging technologies.

As Director of MarComms, you’ll guide how We Animals communicates its work to the world, strengthening our voice, expanding our reach, and ensuring storytelling and marketing efforts move in sync. You will make our stories clear and actionable, helping people engage, participate, and support change for animals.

This position plays a pivotal role within WA’s senior leadership team, working closely with the Executive Director, Founder, and Director of Visual Content. You will directly supervise the Communications Manager, Marketing Manager, and PR and Media Specialist, along with their respective teams and contractors. The team is organized into two pods: an Editorial & Communications sub-team led by the Communications Manager, and a Marketing sub-team led by the Marketing Manager. Together, this integrated department is responsible for We Animals’ public presence, brand identity, visibility, and audience cultivation. The MarComms team also functions as an internal agency for the organization, providing editorial, design, web, and marketing support to our Fundraising, Visual Content, and Operations teams.

In this role, you will:

• Participate in senior-level planning and policy discussions to guide WA’s overall direction and operational excellence.
• Partner with the Executive Director on MarComms financial and impact reporting, budgeting, and organizational planning, and cross-department collaboration.
• Work with the Founder to amplify thought leadership, support media relationships, and elevate WA’s global visibility and reputation within journalism, media, and adjacent sectors.
• Collaborate with the Director of Visual Content to translate fieldwork, investigations, and creative outputs into impactful multi-channel communications.
• Coordinate MarComms support for internal partners—including Fundraising, Visual Content, and Operations—ensuring timely delivery of assets such as campaign materials, annual reports, web updates, and design needs.
• Collaborate closely with the Fundraising team. While this role does not oversee fundraising strategy or revenue goals, it ensures donor-facing communications and fundraising campaigns are brand-aligned and consistently integrated across We Animals’ communications channels.
• Oversee HR-related leadership functions within the MarComms department, including performance management, coaching, professional development, workflow design, and fostering a collaborative, high-trust team culture.
• Engage with the Board of Directors, providing regular updates on communications performance, brand positioning, emerging trends, risks, and opportunities.
• Occasionally travel for team retreats, conferences, or events (typically 1–3 times per year).

This is a strategic and creative leadership role for someone who thrives on collaboration, clarity, and measurable impact.

1. Storytelling & Brand Strategy (~40%)

• Champion We Animals’ global brand and narrative direction.
• Oversee message cohesion across Marketing, Communications, and Visual Storytelling.
• Lead marketing and communications strategy and equip the team to deliver clear, effective content across all channels.
• Own WA’s media strategy and guide the PR Specialist and Comms team to secure high-impact coverage, features, and speaking opportunities.
• Ideate and identify opportunities for innovative storytelling formats.
• Further expand our presence beyond the “animal advocacy bubble” to increase mainstream resonance.

2. Marketing & Audience Growth (~35%)

• Oversee WA’s digital marketing strategy across web (including SEO and GEO), email, social, paid channels, and emerging platforms (evolving social channels, new multimedia formats, and AI-enabled discovery tools).
• Support development of multi-channel campaigns (from digital-only to multi-phase global campaigns).
• Oversee stock site visibility, positioning, and audience diversification internationally.
• Applicants should be comfortable using AI tools for planning, audience insights, workflow optimization, and experimentation with emerging formats.
• Work with the Marketing Manager, in collaboration with the Fundraising team, to test, refine, and scale new engagement and acquisition strategies.
• Ensure consistent support for internal teams by providing campaign materials, design assets, and web updates that align with organizational priorities.

3. Cross-Department Collaboration & Organizational Leadership (~15%)

• Play an active role in organizational strategy, policy development, and annual planning as part of the senior leadership team.
• Work with the Founder and Executive Director to shape thought leadership and organizational positioning.
• Partner with the Visual Content team to translate photojournalists’ fieldwork into successful communications outputs.
• Collaborate with the Fundraising Lead to ensure donor-facing communications stay aligned with WA’s brand, storytelling ethics, and organizational priorities (without overseeing fundraising execution).
• Ensure the MarComms team provides high-quality internal services to Fundraising, Visual Content, and Operations, including campaign assets, annual report production, website updates, and design support.
• Provide regular updates to the Board on communications trends, risks, brand performance, and strategic opportunities.

4. Team & Culture (~10%)

• Establish KPI dashboards and quarterly data reviews to guide investments and content planning.
• Lead a collaborative, high-performing MarComms team with clarity and trust.
• Mentor the Communications Manager, Marketing Manager, Brand & Content Specialist, and contractors.
• Build team capacity in AI fluency for target use cases, digital strategy, data analysis, and ethical storytelling.
• Manage budgets, priority-setting, and cross-team workflows transparently.
• Foster a creative, inclusive environment that encourages experimentation and shared learning.

In the first year, success includes unifying the Marketing and Communications sub-teams under a shared strategic direction, strengthening We Animals’ brand and messaging architecture, establishing integrated editorial and marketing calendars that inform organization-wide planning, enhancing internal service consistency, and delivering early wins in audience growth, media visibility, and multi-channel campaign delivery.

Specific initiatives and metrics in our 2026-2028 strategic plan:

Storytelling & Brand

We Animals’ stories reach and resonate with global audiences, reinforcing our reputation as the leading voice in animal photojournalism. Success includes, for example:

• Measurable annual growth in global story reach and media visibility (e.g., ≥15% increase in earned media impressions and feature placements).
• Launch of 1–2 flagship storytelling projects per year, recognized for creative excellence, innovation, and ethical integrity.
• 25% or more of published content and partnerships representing Latin America and/or Asia.
• Two NGO collaborations are strengthened each year through our storytelling.
• Increased recognition of We Animals’ photography and journalism in sector publications, conferences, and awards (e.g., two collaborations with influencers annually, 2-4 photography awards/year, annual speaking engagement outside the animal advocacy movement).

Marketing & Audience Growth

Our digital presence and community engagement show consistent, mission-aligned growth. Success includes, for example:

• 20% year-over-year growth in website engagement and stock-site downloads.
• Steady expansion of audiences engaging with We Animals’ content outside of the farmed animal advocacy sector, with a specific focus on like-valued audiences (climate, one-health, conservation).
• 10–15% annual growth in email subscribers, social engagement, and returning visitors.
• Increased visibility through partnerships, collaborations, and targeted digital campaigns in priority regions.
• Quarterly data and analytics reviews that guide content planning and investment decisions.

Cross-Department Collaboration

The MarComms team reliably supports other departments by delivering excellent content, campaigns, design, marketing, and web services on time. Success includes, for example:

• High satisfaction from Fundraising, Visual Content, and Operations partners.
• Clear workflows and reduced duplication across teams.

Team & Culture

The Marketing & Communications department operates as an integrated, collaborative, and high-performing unit. Success includes, for example:

• Departmental objectives and KPIs are consistently met or surpassed.
• Direct reports indicate strong satisfaction with leadership effectiveness, communication, and support.
• Internal and external partners report high levels of clarity, responsiveness, and quality in MarComms deliverables.

Technical Skills & Practical Skills

• Strong knowledge of Google Workspace, Slack, and remote collaboration tools.
• Strong familiarity with CRM, marketing, and project management tools (e.g., Asana, Mailchimp, Google Analytics).
• Proficiency with AI tools for operations (e.g., Gemini) to support workflows and audience insights.
• Comfortable working with distributed international teams and across time zones.

Language & Regional Experience

• Fluency in Spanish, Portuguese, Cantonese, Mandarin, or another language relevant to WA’s priority regions of Asia and Latin America is a strong asset.

Strategic Alignment & Values

• Strong alignment with We Animals’ mission, vision, and commitment to ethical storytelling.
• Adept at balancing creative innovation with systems thinking and measurable impact.
• Values collaboration, transparency, and equity in leadership.
• Comfortable representing We Animals publicly with professionalism, humility, and authenticity.

• Flexible hours
• Remote work
• Three weeks’ paid vacation plus an extended holiday closure period
• Benefits package
• Remote work stipend
• Paid training opportunities and professional development allowance
• A friendly, funny, talented, and caring team

We are a federally incorporated non-profit based in Toronto, Canada. We are a small, fully remote team distributed across different time zones. We offer a flexible working schedule, professional development opportunities, and operate with autonomy to support diverse needs and working styles.

We prioritize a culture of shared learning and respectful communication, and we welcome applications from individuals whose lived experience can expand and strengthen our team.

If you’d like to apply for this position, please complete this form by January 2, 2026.

Note: If you meet most, but not all, requirements and still think you would be a great fit for the role, we encourage you to apply and let us know how we can support you. We encourage individuals from all backgrounds to apply, particularly those from underrepresented groups. We value diversity and believe that work on behalf of animals benefits significantly from collaborating with people from all backgrounds and identities. Accommodations are available during the screening process upon request.

Screening process (subject to minor adjustments):

• Application form
• Interview 1
• Skills assessment
• Interview 2
• Reference check