Overview
Reports To: Senior Director, Marketing & Communications
Job Type: Full-time, Exempt
Region: United States
Location: US-based, Remote, with expected periodic travel to Cambridge, MA
Start Date: Immediately
Contact: Please apply by using the company site only.
About Root Capital
Agriculture is the key to unlocking a better future for billions of people. But while rural families sustain the world, they struggle to sustain themselves. Root Capital is a nonprofit social impact investor that puts its money where others don’t – in underserved agricultural businesses.
We provide financing and business training to agricultural enterprises in the “missing middle” – those that are too big for microloans but too small for commercial lenders. As these agricultural businesses succeed and scale, they become engines of impact that help farming families, communities, and economies to flourish.
Founded in 1999, we are the largest social investor in agricultural businesses. As both a lender and a nonprofit, our unique model allows us to go where other financiers don’t and support agricultural enterprises so they can succeed and grow. Our world-class team of experts identifies, partners with, and invests in exceptional agricultural entrepreneurs in Africa, Asia, and Latin America.
Over 23 years, Root Capital has invested $1.8 billion in more than 750 agricultural enterprises, proving these under-served businesses are bankable and investable. We have shown that access to finance helps these enterprises succeed and fuels the economy. Root Capital’s investments and essential business and finance training have impacted 10 million farming families through job creation, financial security, and climate resiliency. Headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts, we currently have offices in Costa Rica, Mexico, Nicaragua, Colombia, Peru, Ghana, and Kenya.
Position Overview
The Manager of Public Relations & Communications collaborates with Root Capital leadership, internal subject matter experts, and key organizational partners to develop campaigns and lead media outreach that amplifies Root Capital’s work. In this role, the manager holds primary accountability for envisioning innovative outreach campaigns that promote the organization’s leadership in building global, rural agricultural resilience. With a particular focus in the areas of impact investing, rural agricultural resilience, gender equity, and climate change, this position has the goal of significantly expanding Root Capital’s visibility and reinforcing brand identity with key audiences.
The manager will lead efforts to expand and diversify our audiences through the construction of an enhanced marketing, public relations, and media outreach program. The manager will design and oversee strategic efforts to regularly engage the media, and to elevate Root Capital’s reputation through proactive and regular outreach to members of the media and to external partners and influencers. The manager will work to cultivate and maintain excellent relationships with reporters, editors, and key news personnel at print, online and broadcast media. The manager will bring consistency and coherence to Root Capital’s story, increasing the global community’s understanding of our mission and vision.
Responsibilities
Media Outreach – 50%
Identify and cultivate partnerships with key media outlets, including in the US and all countries where we work.
Pitch the Root Capital organization, as well as targeted communications for our key issue areas: agri-business, climate resilience, gender equity, NextGen jobs, and access to finance.
Develop marketing materials for media and peer organizations.
Respond to information requests from members of the media.
Seek and field interview requests for Root Capital’s executives and subject matter experts.
Proactively plan media, events, and meetings to maximize conference and other opportunities.
Distill complex, programmatic initiatives into motivating, accessible communications assets.
Remain aware and thoughtful about how Root Capital’s work and ideology are interacting with current affairs; use that awareness to inform communications.
Event Management – 30%
Identify and pursue public forums (conferences, academic events, etc) for Root Capital leadership to discuss and present insights and impact.
Compose executive briefings and speaking points for events and conferences.
Occasionally lead on content, logistics, and recruitment for external-facing Root Capital webinars.
Engage on Big Picture Strategy – 10%
Contribute to high-level team planning around branding, editorial strategy, marketing, and communications.
With team members, think creatively about how to engage, inspire, and educate all of Root Capital’s priority audiences.
Pitch ideas for Root Capital’s editorial calendar, ensuring content reflects priority audiences and topics.
Admin – 10%
Develop strategy to keep staff informed on the external conversation around our issue areas.
Set, monitor and report on business performance goals or Key Performance Indicators.
Relevant Experience and Qualifications
At least 5-7 years of experience in public relations.
Knowledge of evolving communications, marketing, and media trends required.
Existing media relationships in agri-business, climate, gender or financing highly desired.
Expertise in stakeholder analysis, audience segmentation, and persona development.
Creative thinker with strong interpersonal, verbal, and written communication skills.
A self-motivated, detail-oriented professional who possesses the ability to think strategically and can interact professionally to develop relationships with a diverse range of constituencies.
Proven organizational and team leadership skills, strong customer service orientation, and ability to work effectively in an independent and interdependent setting.
Must be able to handle multiple projects under tight deadlines and to be able to work well in a complex organization.
Ability to travel (maximum once/year) to rural regions of developing countries where Root Capital operates. Ability to travel 2-5 times/year domestically for team retreats and conferences.
Entrepreneurial spirit and ability to think creatively, take initiative and work independently while enjoying collaboration and knowing when to seek support.
A high degree of personal integrity and discretion while handling sensitive internal communications.
Cultural sensitivity and ability to gather targeted information from people with diverse cultural and economic backgrounds.
Commitment to Root Capital’s mission.
Authorized to work in the United States.
About Root Capital
Root Capital provides credit and capacity building to small-and-growing agricultural businesses across the Global South that serve as engines of impact in their communities. Together, we are building a more prosperous, inclusive, and resilient future for rural communities.
A resilient future requires resilience to climate change, an existential threat to many rural communities around the world. Under our climate action strategy, Root Capital partners with small-and-growing agricultural businesses to mitigate and adapt to climate change. A critical component of our approach is increasing climate finance for vulnerable rural communities by designing and piloting new climate finance models and products, including carbon payment models.
In 2023, Root Capital is pursuing an action and learning agenda related to the potential of carbon payment models to benefit smallholder farmers and enterprises. Our agenda will evaluate both carbon credit schemes and other models, such as insetting, via a combination of direct Root Capital interventions and partnerships with complementary actors.