- Job Title: Communications Officer (Maternity Leave Cover)
- Location: London, Sheffield, Bristol offices or from home, will involve some travel on occasion
- Reporting To: Communications Manager
- Salary: £32,252 - £32,252 per annum
- Contract: Fixed Term
- Date Closes: Thu 24 Nov 2022
Role Purpose
Power to Change is the independent trust that strengthens communities through community business. We use our experience to bring partners together to fund, grow and back community business to make places thrive. We are curious and rigorous; we do, test and learn. And we are here to support community business, whatever the challenge.
The Communications Manager is responsible for leading on the day-to-day delivery of all aspects of PR, marketing and communications across our policy and local and regional engagement work. You will also support the Head of Comms to implement the communications and engagement strategy, and lead on the implementation of high profile, integrated campaigns. The role requires a strategic, creative, and collaborative approach to project management, PR and stakeholder engagement and a proactive approach to media relations and social media/content creation.
2023 is a crucial year for Power to Change to strengthen its external position and profile. You will play a pivotal role in building our reputation, influence, external campaigns and overall success in making the case for community business specifically amongst our political and government audiences.
You’ll lead on strategic and operational collaboration with our policy and places teams, making the case for community business amongst regional and local government and national political audiences. You’ll lead on our media strategy, implementation and manage our agency to make sure our policy asks are amplified across our target media. You’ll also lead on our Take Back the High Street campaign and work with our policy team to influence government audiences. If you’re seeking variety, autonomy and a job with purpose and influence, then read on.
You will be working closely with other like-minded passionate professionals in our organisation to amplify the efforts of community businesses and put them at the heart of a fair economy.
Our vision and mission
Our overall vision is ‘powerful communities, better places,’ which we will deliver by pursuing our mission to ‘strengthen the community business sector’.
Our Objectives
To harness opportunities Growing and diversifying the community business movement is critical to its survival. We want to create the conditions and work with community businesses themselves to ensure a more diverse base of people can be involved in community business in different ways, from being board members and employees to volunteers, shareholders, and customers. In particular, we want to ensure that we lower barriers for disadvantaged communities to develop community business ideas so that together we can build a more equitable movement.
To increase engagement The world is changing, and community business can be at the heart of local solutions. We need to continue to build the case for the positive economic, social and environmental impacts of community business, and act as a catalyst to unlock the resources of government, the wider public sector, other funders and the private sector to grow the community business movement and deepen its impact. We will build the exemplars and evidence that can give others confidence to invest in community business.
To build capacity Community business leaders need the skills, knowledge and capabilities to thrive for the long term and build up their power. We will build their capacity to do so now and in the future. We also want to identify new market opportunities and routes to market such as digital that can support income generation and diversification for community businesses, building resilience over time.
Our Values
Bold: We experiment, take risks and test new ideas. We move quickly to take advantage of opportunities.
Informed: We learn from research and from our delivery. We are responsive and adapt to what we have learned.
Open: We are transparent about our decision-making. We share knowledge and learning including what has not worked.
Collaborative: We work across sectors and respect others’ knowledge and experience. We encourage others who share our vision to bring about change.
Authentic: We integrate the priorities that we have for the community business sector into our own practice. We embody our values in all facets of our work.
Key Responsibilities
Role Responsibilities
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Work with the Head of Comms to develop and lead on the continuation of an integrated campaign to influence decision makers to put community power at the heart of high street regeneration.
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Day-to-day management of the media agency, media monitoring and evaluation.
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Maintain in-house media contacts and be the in-house media relations manager, supporting policy, senior leadership team and other projects with owned and earned content, op-eds, publications.
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Work with the Head of Comms to develop our media strategy and then lead on evaluation and implementation.
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Maintain and develop the website so that it supports our policy and local and regional work.
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Support the Head of Comms in implementing the stakeholder engagement strategy, tracking our influence and power over time.
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Embed and continually review diversity, equity, and inclusion in our communications practice.
Organisation Responsibilities
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Build external relationships with private, public and third sector organisations and individuals from relevant sectors.
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Where appropriate represent Power to Change, attending events, monitoring developments, and providing visibility through social media content, blogposts, and analysis.
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Be an active and engaged colleague, taking part in support, and learning activities.
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Ensure relevant data is maintained on Salesforce, (working with the Data team in Finance & Resources).
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Contribute to and support the Head of Comms with annual business planning
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Provide ad-hoc assistance to other team members as required.
Skills and Experience
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Excellent, agile communicator with proficient understanding of policy environment at either national, regional or local level.
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Proven record of delivering impactful integrated marketing campaigns that sell an idea or concept.
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Confident crafting and pitching reactive and proactive media stories, briefing spokespeople, and managing an external PR agency.
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Experience of successfully managing complex, multi-stakeholder communications projects with high level of autonomy.
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Competent and/or willing to learn IT systems such as Customer Relationship Management system e.g., Salesforce, Content Management System e.g., WordPress, design tools e.g. Canva and InDesign, project management tools e.g. Asana and Trello, MS Office, Sprout Social and media monitoring systems and Google Analytics.
Application Process
Closes to applicants: Thu 24 Nov 2022
Long List to be sent to client: TBC
Short List selected: TBC
Interviews begin: TBC
