About: The Santa Barbara County Fire Safe Council (SBCFSC) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization with a mission to promote wildfire safety in Santa Barbara County through education and action. Members of the Board include current and past firefighting professionals and volunteers, representatives of local government, and citizen representatives from various local communities. Every other meeting includes a presentation from an expert on local issues such as fire ecology, vegetation management, infrastructure improvement, and emergency planning. The goals of the meetings are to provide relevant information to the local citizens and offer a platform for community members to become part of the solutions to the challenges fire poses to our wildland urban areas. We also work to bring funding to our community through grants and donations. Recent grants have helped fund the ongoing Gaviota Coast CWPP, a local video on defensible space education, and the Buellton Walk into Wildfire exhibit. Currently, the SB FSC has secured funding from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation to help develop a novel Regional Wildfire Mitigation Program (RWMP) for Santa Barbara County’s south coast region. Implementing the RWMP is a large focus of the SBCFSC. Goals of the RWMP include informing individuals and communities about wildfire preparation through direct outreach efforts and indirect educational videos and educational material, in addition to creating tailored programs and resources to assist residents and communities with wildfire preparation activities, such as starting a community chipping program.

Position Overview: The SBCFSC seeks a hard-working, detail oriented individual. This person will roughly split their time between office administration work (i.e., website updates, printing, meeting coordination, general assistance to the Executive Director and organization) and community education and outreach (i.e., social media management, event planning, creating outreach material, etc.). On the job training regarding wildfire and emergency preparedness will be provided.

Job Responsibilities

• General office assistance and administration work: Maintain a clean office space, renew software licenses, purchase office supplies, printing, manage a shared SBCFSC Google drive, manage organizational calendars, oversee and update Asset Inventory list, coordinate guest speakers, take Executive Committee and Board meeting minutes, prepare Board agenda packet, send zoom invites, and provide general administrative assistance to the Executive Director and Finance Director. Time estimate: 15-25 hours/week.
• Fundraising: Maintain and update DonorPerfect. Participate in the Membership Committee. Coordinate fundraising events. Assist with donor outreach and coordination. Time estimate: 5 - 10 hours/week.
• Event Planning: Assist with planning and coordinating SBCFSC community events, including brainstorming event themes, goals, and activities, overseeing the budget and subcontractors. SBCFSC Board members and staff will assist in the planning process. Events are hosted approx. 2 times per year. Time estimate: 5-10 hours/week in the months leading up to the event and 20-40 hours/week in the weeks preceding and week of the event.
• Social media and outreach management: Update and implement a Communication and Outreach Strategy; Generate content for social media platforms (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter) to engage current users and promote wildfire preparedness. Some topics include encouraging individuals and communities to participate in Firewise USA® and the Ready! Set! Go! Program. Use tools such as Google Analytics and social media management software to assess what is working, what is not, and assess if the SBCFSC is meeting their goals in the Communication and Outreach Strategy. Time estimate: 10 hours/week.
• Newsletters: Take the lead on managing, coordinating, editing, and writing quarterly newsletters. Time estimate: 5 hours/week in the months leading up to the deadline and 10-15 hours/week in the weeks preceding the deadline.
• Website maintenance: Coordinate with the SBCFSC Board, staff members, and/or subcontractors to continuously make updates to the SBCFSC websites (training can be provided if needed). Updates include but are not limited to: posting agendas, recommending and making changes to improve user experience, creating content to post on the website. Time estimate: 1-5 hours/week.
• Community Outreach: Assist at community events when needed, help create education and outreach material. Time estimate: 1-15 hours/week.
• Provide general assistance where needed.

Minimum Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience.
• Be able to take initiative and have meticulous attention to detail.
• Working familiarity with the main social media platforms (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter).
• Experience with Google Drive and related products.
• Ability to create multi-media work products for print, radio, video/broadcast TV, web, and/or social media for a diverse audience.
• Ability to prepare clear, concise, accurate, and well written reports.
• Desire to learn website editing in WordPress.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to work independently as well as collaboratively.
• Innovative thinker who goes above and beyond by investigating potential opportunities and brainstorm new ideas.
• Enthusiastic and positive team player with the flexibility to re-prioritize, multi-task and deal with ambiguity.

Desired Skills

• Working familiarity of Quickbooks.
• 1-2 years with fundraising experience.
• 1-2 years managing Donor Perfect, or similar fundraising CRM.
• 1-2 years as an office administrator or similar field.
• 1-2 years professional experience with social media content creation and social media management for Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, NextDoor, YouTube, and/or Pinterest.
• Some general understanding of wildfire behavior and/or disaster preparedness.
• Experience editing websites through WordPress.
• Granting writing experience.
• Graphic design experience, particularly in Canva.
• Fluent in Spanish and able to write and produce materials in English and Spanish.

Location: Hybrid position. Office is located in coastal Santa Barbara, CA. One full day in the office per week is required.

Application Deadline: Applications will be continuously reviewed until a suitable candidate is identified. Interviews will be on a rolling basis. However, for full consideration apply by April 22, 2025. Desired start date is mid-late June.

Terms of Employment: Full-time (40 hours/week) employment. There will occasionally be weekend and evening work.

Salary and Benefits: The position pays $24-$33/hour (DOE). 3 weeks PTO, 5 sick days, retirement plan, and health insurance reimbursement up to $6,350/year.

Applications: Applicants are invited to send a cover letter illustrating their suitability, a one-page resume, and two writing samples for a public/general audience – one writing sample may include a social media post or collection of social media posts created for a company or organization. All applications or questions should be emailed to: sbfiresafecouncil@gmail.com. Please include your name and “AOP/Communication Coordinator” in the subject line.

Santa Barbara County Fire Safe Council is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We encourage applicants from all cultures, races, colors, religions, sexes, national or regional origins, ages, disability status, sexual orientation, gender identity, military, or other status to apply.