Application Guide
How to Apply for Senior Communications Manager
at Ten Strands
🏢 About Ten Strands
Ten Strands is a California-based, remote-first nonprofit with a $2M operating budget that advances environmental literacy and supports resilient, climate-ready TK-12 schools. It operates under a shared leadership model led by a CEO and Chief Innovation Officer, and its mission is to ensure every California student has access to learning experiences that help them understand the environment and contribute to solutions. Working here means joining a mission-driven team that is expanding its communications capacity to scale impact across the state.
About This Role
As the Senior Communications Manager, you will report to the Chief Innovation Officer and be responsible for strengthening Ten Strands' external messaging, brand strategy, and organizational positioning. You will bring consistency and capacity to communications, helping shape and execute strategy while elevating stories that expand the organization's impact. This role is designed to grow as the communications function expands, making it ideal for someone who thrives in a build-and-scale environment.
💡 A Day in the Life
A typical day might involve collaborating with the Chief Innovation Officer on refining the organization's messaging framework, drafting a press release about a new educational initiative, coordinating with program staff to gather stories from schools, and analyzing engagement metrics to inform future content. You might also manage a freelance designer or writer, update the website, and plan social media posts to amplify Ten Strands' impact.
🚀 Application Tools
🎯 Who Ten Strands Is Looking For
- 5+ years of communications experience, ideally in a nonprofit, education, or environmental organization, with a track record of developing and executing strategic communications plans.
- Strong project management skills and the ability to manage multiple initiatives simultaneously while maintaining high-quality output and timely execution.
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to translate complex topics into compelling stories for diverse audiences.
- Self-directed and proactive, comfortable working remotely and collaborating with a distributed team under a shared leadership model.
- Demonstrated ability to think strategically and align communications efforts with organizational goals, and experience with brand strategy and external positioning.
📝 Tips for Applying to Ten Strands
Tailor your resume and cover letter to highlight experience in environmental literacy, TK-12 education, or climate-related communications, as Ten Strands is focused on these areas.
Demonstrate your ability to work remotely and independently by providing examples of successful remote collaboration and project management.
Showcase your strategic communications skills by describing how you have developed and executed communications plans that elevated an organization's brand or mission.
Mention specific tools and platforms you have used for project management, content creation, and analytics (e.g., Asana, WordPress, Google Analytics) to show you can hit the ground running.
Research Ten Strands' recent initiatives and publications, and reference them in your application to show genuine interest and alignment with their mission.
✉️ What to Emphasize in Your Cover Letter
["Your passion for environmental literacy and climate-ready schools, and why you want to contribute to Ten Strands' mission.", 'Concrete examples of how you have strengthened external messaging and brand strategy in previous roles, with measurable outcomes.', 'Your experience managing communications projects end-to-end, including planning, execution, and evaluation, and how you ensure timely delivery.', 'Your ability to work collaboratively in a remote, shared leadership environment and to grow a communications function as the organization scales.']
Generate Cover Letter →🔍 Research Before Applying
To stand out, make sure you've researched:
- → Explore Ten Strands' website, especially their programs, impact reports, and recent blog posts, to understand their work in environmental literacy and TK-12 education.
- → Research the California environmental literacy landscape, including key policies, stakeholders, and current challenges in climate-ready schools.
- → Learn about Ten Strands' shared leadership model and how the CEO and Chief Innovation Officer collaborate, as this will be important for your role.
- → Review the organization's social media channels and newsletters to assess their current communications tone, frequency, and engagement levels.
💬 Prepare for These Interview Topics
Based on this role, you may be asked about:
⚠️ Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Submitting a generic cover letter that does not mention Ten Strands or environmental literacy, which signals a lack of genuine interest.
- Failing to demonstrate remote work experience or self-motivation, as this is a remote-first organization.
- Overlooking the strategic aspect of the role and focusing only on tactical execution, as the position requires strategic alignment and initiative.
📅 Application Timeline
This position is open until filled. However, we recommend applying as soon as possible as roles at mission-driven organizations tend to fill quickly.
Typical hiring timeline:
Application Review
1-2 weeks
Initial Screening
Phone call or written assessment
Interviews
1-2 rounds, usually virtual
Offer
Congratulations!