Communications Manager
Communications Manager
Elevate Our Impact. Share Our Story. Save Lives.
Across Aotearoa, our volunteer lifeguards have saved thousands of lives and ensured millions have come home safe after a day at the beach since 1910. Surf Life Saving New Zealand (SLSNZ) is truly unique, delivering proactive surf lifeguarding and essential emergency rescue services, a range of public education beach safety programmes and campaigns, member education, training and development as well as a highly respected sport. This is a great opportunity to join a talented team who are dedicated to helping achieve our vision of “No-one drowns at the beach in Aotearoa New Zealand”.
People are at the heart of everything we do; we support our clubs, volunteers, and each other through our collective values of:
Collaboration • Integrity • Respect • Wellbeing • Fun
Why This Role Stands Out
Surf Life Saving New Zealand is home to over 18,000 members, including thousands of volunteer surf lifeguards, sport athletes, coaches, educators, and club leaders. We’re a movement powered by purpose and united by a shared mission: to keep our beaches safe and communities strong. We’re looking for a dynamic Communications Manager to lead the way in telling that story across media, digital platforms, and member channels.
What You’ll Be Doing
You will lead SLSNZ’s internal and external communications, helping us grow our reach, engage members, and raise public awareness. From high-impact rescues and frontline volunteers to national surf sports events, training programmes, safety campaigns, and partner activations to bring visibility and voice to every corner of the organisation.
You will:
- Develop and deliver strategic media and PR campaigns that tell our stories and raise our profile
- Manage SLSNZ’s media relationships and act as the lead contact for interviews and incident responses
- Support communications across surf lifesaving, education, sport, partnerships, and fundraising
- Deliver member updates and newsletters, and support club engagement
- Collaborate on national campaigns and digital storytelling alongside the Marketing Team
- Help bring major events like the National Awards of Excellence and sport championships to life through communications and media support
What You’ll Bring
- 5+ years’ experience in senior comms, PR or journalism
- A natural storyteller with a strategic mindset and a great eye for a headline
- Experience pitching to media and securing strong cut-through
- Top-tier writing and editing skills, fast, sharp and versatile
- Comfortable working under pressure and adapting quickly
- Strong networks in NZ media (a plus!)
- Tech-savvy and confident managing content across digital platforms
- A degree in communications, PR, marketing or equivalent
Why Join Us
At SLSNZ, we’re more than a charity - we’re a nationwide movement. Whether it's surf sport, beach safety, youth leadership, or emergency rescue, we back our people and build communities that thrive. You’ll be joining a high-energy, values-led team that believes in collaboration, wellbeing, and the power of purpose.
You’ll also enjoy:
- Work that’s meaningful and never boring
- Opportunities to collaborate across lifesaving, sport, and education
- A supportive team culture with flexibility and trust
Ready to make waves?
Apply by 5pm, Thursday 3 July 2025 with your CV and cover letter.
