Communications Associate

Monterey Bay Aquarium•Monterey, CA

3d•Onsite

About The Position

The Monterey Bay Aquarium is seeking a Communications Associate to support its internal communications program and media relations efforts. This role ensures employees are informed and engaged with the Aquarium's mission and strategic priorities, while also publicizing the attraction as a premier destination and positioning the organization as a global leader in ocean conservation. The associate will manage content for the intranet and press site, draft communications, conduct media outreach, research opportunities, build media lists, and coordinate logistics for staff meetings and media visits. The Aquarium values diversity and encourages applications from people of color, LGBTQ+ individuals, veterans, and people with disabilities. The priority application deadline is June 12th, 2026, but the role may close earlier.

Requirements

2 years of communications experience or internships
Ability to proactively identify communications opportunities and develop media relations plans to support marketing goals
Excellent verbal and written communications skills
Ability to take initiative and prioritize tasks; excellent time management, problem-prevention, and problem-solving skills
Flexible in responding to changes in business priorities; proven ability to work effectively and efficiently under multiple, competing deadlines
Interest in environmental conservation and/or legislative advocacy
Ability to work with Meltwater, or similar platform, and Episerver or Optimizely
Experience working with video production crews
Ability to both work independently and to collaborate effectively on multidisciplinary marketing team

Nice To Haves

BA in Communications, public relations or advertising, or equivalent combination of education, training and experience
Nonprofit experience preferred
Bilingual (English/Spanish) a plus

Responsibilities

Upload content to the intranet and the Aquarium’s press site.
Draft the staff news digest and basic press material.
Conduct limited media outreach.
Research media opportunities.
Build and maintain media lists.
Coordinate logistics between media/staff and work with the P&C team on logistics for All Staff Meetings.
Evaluate media requests sent to media email inbox; obtain required information and respond or route internally for media response.
Coordinate logistics for interview and film requests between media and staff (e.g., site visits, group scheduling, obtaining aquarium operations approval, etc.).
Draft and edit content related to promoting staff projects and activities for internal communications.
Publish and deliver content on a variety of channels including the intranet, internal emails, Zoom channels, and break room walls, and others.
Evaluate media pass application requests and respond accordingly.
Represent aquarium by escorting media and film crews visiting Aquarium sites, providing accurate information about aquarium and its initiatives in accordance with its brand guidelines.
Identify and recommend earned media opportunities to create and maximize public awareness of the aquarium and its initiatives.
Upload staff news digest and other content to the intranet.
Research, compile, and update targeted media contact lists.
Conduct general press contact outreach by proactively emailing press about potential story opportunities.
Write press materials in accordance with aquarium brand guidelines, including press releases, pitches, talking points, etc., and update tasks in project management software.
Update media clip database.
Create weekly clips report newsletter by evaluating and organizing clips, to then write and distribute report to management detailing media coverage of Aquarium.
Update and maintain MBA Newsroom website (press releases, media kits, image galleries, etc.) using Aquarium’s content management system.