Communications Officer

If you have a great instinct for a story, flawless writing skills and a commitment to a cleaner and fairer future for our planet, we need you! Please take the time to read the full description, application process and timeline below. The position itself is permanent, i.e. not fixed term, and will stay open until filled (no deadline).

Salary

• Commensurate with experience and location.

Location

• 100% remote; UK, Thai or Indonesian citizens preferred. All applicants must have the right to work in their country of residence; no work permits will be provided. 

Hours

• Flexible – ideally full-time, but negotiable (minimum 30 hours per week).

About Trash Hero

Trash Hero World leads, supports and governs the global Trash Hero volunteer movement, which works for a clean world, free from plastic pollution. 

The movement started with a beach cleanup project in Thailand in 2013 and has now grown to around 90 chapters (local groups) in 15 different countries. A weekly cleanup is still the main focus, and through this we offer education about waste reduction. Our volunteers also do other activities such as recruiting businesses for our water refill network, school visits, community advocacy, and various zero waste projects. 

At the national and global level, we campaign for a reduction of plastic production and the implementation of zero waste systems. You can browse this website for examples of our work.

Trash Hero World is registered as a non-profit association in Switzerland; registered Trash Hero country organisations also exist in the UK, Indonesia, Thailand and Myanmar. Our global coordination team consists of 8 people, with both staff and volunteers.

Work Culture

We have an open, friendly and supportive work culture, with staff and volunteers working together at all levels of the organisation. We live the values of our Trash Hero Family and we are all personally committed to a zero waste future.

Our team works remotely, across borders and cultures. We have no physical offices. Team members connect over chat and meet regularly online during the week, at times that accommodate our respective time zones. 

Working hours are flexible, but high levels of independence and accountability are expected. All working hours need to be documented.

Role description

Trash Hero World is the public face and voice of the global Trash Hero movement. The Communications Officer ensures that our messaging is engaging, informative and influential for all of our stakeholders and that we create the maximum impact possible with our work.

You will work with Trash Heroes across the network, but primarily with the Programmes team, to identify and produce the content that will grow the profile of Trash Hero and support our mission, across multiple social platforms as well as traditional media. This means you will feel equally comfortable crafting human stories or simplifying complex technical or policy material. The result should be a compelling and consistent public narrative that reflects the spirit of our movement.

Key responsibilities

• Manage and grow the Trash Hero World social media channels, primarily:
• Instagram
• Facebook
• LinkedIn
• And, to a lesser extent :
• TikTok
• YouTube
• Threads

Management includes planning, content generation and online engagement. 

• Create briefs for our Digital Designer and supervise content production
• Plan and deliver social media campaigns for specific projects
• Create monthly blog posts and keep content across our website relevant and up to date
• Create newsletters and press releases
• Create and manage Google Ads campaigns
• Build relationships with journalists and seek opportunities for media coverage
• Respond to media enquiries 
• Maintain records of media coverage and collate analytics and metrics
• Select images to be stored in the media library
• Maintain up-to-date specialist knowledge of issues relating to zero waste and plastic pollution, as well as Trash Hero’s areas of work, operations and policies 
• Identify ways to improve communication reach and effectiveness, both internally and externally
• Undertake other activities to support the global coordination team as required

Experience & Skills

Essential

• Native or near-native (C1/C2) English
• Ability to think critically, creatively and strategically
• Excellent verbal, written and interpersonal communication
• High level of cultural sensitivity and competence
• Instinct for shaping story and narrative
• Engaging and accurate copywriting
• Good understanding of visual storytelling
• Knowledge of best practices on major social media platforms
• Knowledge of Canva, WordPress, Mailchimp and Google Workspace
• Excellent networking skills

Desirable

• 3+ years experience in a communications role
• Good knowledge of zero waste and plastic pollution
• Familiarity with Capcut, Adobe Creative Cloud, Google Ads
• Knowledge of Google Analytics and social media insights tools
• Knowledge of other languages, e.g. German, Indonesian or Thai

Appointment Process

1. Applications should be made by email and include:

• your CV with 2 references and links to any previous work
• a cover letter addressing the key duties, experience and skills
• an educational Instagram post and caption that fits the style and voice of Trash Hero World’s account (original work, created by you – you can use any of our images you find online)

AI Policy: we use AI exclusively as a support tool (for speed or efficiency), never to outsource thinking. Any AI-generated content is critically reviewed and checked for accuracy by a human before being used. On principle, therefore, any unmodified and / or generic AI-generated content submitted as part of your application will guarantee rejection (and yes, we can tell!).

2. Suitable candidates will be contacted for an online skills test and interview.

3. Following a successful interview, you will be invited to do a period of volunteering, usually 4-6 weeks part-time. Trash Hero is an organisation that depends entirely on volunteers, so this is a good opportunity to understand that dynamic, as well as allowing both sides to get to know each other before making a commitment. If all goes well, a formal job offer will result. Good luck!