As a freelance marine conservation writer, people often contact me asking how they could do the same thing as I do for their career. It's fantastic to see so many early career professionals (and career switchers) thinking about how they can make a difference through their expertise. But often people don't realise the wide range of conservation comms jobs out there. There are so many different options that will allow you to put your communications skills to good use, whether or not you go down the journalism route. Here are a few ideas of the different types of conservation comms jobs that are out there.

Journalist

Have a nose for a good story? As a journalist, you'll find great environmental stories to share with the world. This might be through an in-house role with one publication or as a freelancer (like me) where you'll be pitching different stories to different publications all the time.

Press officer / public relations professional

If you're interested in working with the media but don't want to be a journalist, PR is a great option. You'll be responsible for helping the organisation raise its profile through various tactics. This might include developing its media strategy, building relationships with journalists, sharing story ideas, writing press releases and more. This busy and varied job can be really rewarding (trust me, I used to be a PR professional!).

Social media manager

Social media is a fantastic way for conservation NGOs to reach their audiences. So, social media management roles are becoming more important than ever. You'd be focused on boosting reach and engagement across your organisations chosen comms channels (whether it's Instagram, X, LinkedIn, TikTok, YouTube etc) by creating posts, engaging with followers and making sure you're keeping up with all the latest trends. If you're obsessed with social media and how to make great short-form content, this could be the role for you.

Events officer

If you're super organised and love to plan, you might love events management. Lots of organisations have dedicated events officers. These people are responsible for planning and managing their fundraising drives, dinners, parties and other entertainment.

Celebrity liaison

Larger organisations sometimes have one person who is responsible for looking after all their ambassadors and celebrity supporters. While this sounds glam, like the other conservation comms roles outlined here, it's hard work too. You'd be managing the charity's celebrity strategy, reaching out to agents and managing the relationships with existing celeb supporters. Overall, your goal is to maximise how much celebs can help shine a light on your important work.

Internal comms

Sometimes overlooked, internal comms is another important job in larger organisations. In internal comms, you'll keep everyone in the organisation up to speed on the most pressing developments. This might include tasks like managing the staff newsletter or intranet portal and all-staff events.

There are many more options - these are just a starter for 10. But I hope this gives you a bit of an idea of different conservation comms career options you could look to pursue. Do your research and I'm sure you'll find a great role for you. Good luck with your job search!