Manager, External Relations

Rising public interest — and no dedicated media and advocacy leader

Wildlife Victoria was experiencing growing public interest in wildlife welfare — more media enquiries, more community engagement, and more opportunities to advocate for policy change. But the organisation didn’t have a senior leader dedicated to managing its external voice.

They needed a Manager of External Relations who could oversee proactive and reactive media, lead advocacy communications, manage social media, and build relationships with journalists, government stakeholders, community partners, and the broader public. Someone who could strengthen Wildlife Victoria’s credibility, visibility, and influence at a time when the organisation’s profile was growing rapidly.

This wasn’t a standard communications hire. The role required issues management and crisis communications experience alongside strategic advocacy skills — a combination that’s particularly rare in the not-for-profit sector.

Searching where NFP, environment, and advocacy talent intersect

Gab ran a targeted search across NFP, environmental, and advocacy communications talent pools — looking specifically for candidates with experience in earned media, issues management, crisis communications, and campaign storytelling.

The search combined selective advertising with direct outreach to purpose-driven communicators who would be genuinely motivated by Wildlife Victoria’s mission. Candidates were assessed against the specific capabilities the role demanded: media strategy, spokesperson preparation, messaging frameworks, and digital analytics.

Critically, Gab prioritised candidates who could demonstrate evidence-based storytelling — the ability to translate Wildlife Victoria’s fieldwork and data into compelling narratives that shift public opinion, strengthen donor relationships, and support advocacy at a policy level.

The right candidate was appointed within four weeks.

Stronger media presence and deeper community engagement

The new Manager of External Relations brought significant media and advocacy expertise from day one:

• Improved media responsiveness — with proactive media strategy replacing reactive, ad hoc coverage
• Increased social media engagement — through strategic content, consistent storytelling, and stronger community interaction
• Higher quality media coverage — with more substantive, mission-aligned stories reaching broader audiences
• Stronger advocacy narratives — giving Wildlife Victoria a more credible, evidence-based voice in policy conversations

The appointment strengthened Wildlife Victoria’s public profile at a critical time and gave the organisation a dedicated leader to shape its external voice.