Communications Manager

Job Description

Communications Manager required by a leading charity based in Edinburgh. The postholder will be responsible for the communications the charity produces by embodying their values and shaping key messaging; ensuring what they are sayingand how effective it is. This is a fantastic opportunity for someone to create and implement a communications, media and content strategy – to maximise the success of key campaigns, awareness of social impact projects, and activity across the group. You leadon all media and press activity, managing day-to-day relationship with their PR agency. You will also influence and inform key messaging across the organisation and the brand positioning of the charity across the group, as well as advise on partner communicationsstrategies and content, to ensure opportunities for engagement and awareness are maximised.This is a full time permanent role, flexible working (home and office based working – can be 4 days WFH and 1 day office) – salary £28,000 to £33,000 per annum (this may be slightly negotiable). The post holder should ideally live within easy reach of Edinburgh.Duties include:

• To lead on all media and press activity
• To write press releases and ‘sell in’ for smaller activations throughout the year
• To work with PR Agency for larger flagship campaigns and work with the account management team to bring projects to life including: aligning key messages, PR strategies, and any crisis comms
• Respond to all reactive in-bound PR and media enquiries
• To ensure PR plans and outcomes are effective in line with our mission, vision and values and organisational objectives, locally and nationally.
• Ethical storytelling - lead on the creation of a ‘story bank’ to amplify the voices of people we support in line with our values.
• Produce / gather / sign-off on content where appropriate for various comms including email updates/newsletters, social media, website, impact reports.
• Work closely with Social Impact team to develop and improve the process and consents for gathering and producing case studies, ensuring effective record keeping (in line with GDPR)
• Responsible for key messages across the organisation and supporting the brand positioning of the group
• Producing email communications to supporters to keep them abreast of wider initiatives
• Supporting key partner comms by providing content, advising on plans, inputting into / signing off on press releases and quotes, working with our PR agency accordingly
• Leading on compilation of material for impact reports, working closely with Social Impact team, Growth Programmes Manager, and other internal and external stakeholders
• Produce regular content for website refreshes.
• Set up a process for social impact reporting and being able to tailor the content to a variety of stakeholders.
• To provide impact content for use in internal comms, supporting HR Business Partner on its implementation
• Key representative for the wider sector and liaising with Charity Partners for capturing impact content
• In conjunction with the Marketing Manager oversee a digital strategy which incorporates both charity and social business/commercial key messages and achieves optimal balance between impact inspiration and awareness raising.
• To produce content to highlight impact of core work through social media platforms
• To maximise success of key campaigns through social media content and traditional media activity
• Create blog posts on a regular basis to raise awareness of the issues of homelessness.

Key requirements:

• Experience and successful track record of delivering external communications
• Experience of ethical storytelling
• Experience of working with a PR agency
• Adept at absorbing complex information and turning it into simple-to-understand messages
• Exceptional communication skills – written and verbal, with the ability to write compelling copy and articulate key messages clearly and succinctly
• Ability to build relationships with a wide variety of individuals of all levels of seniority to achieve positive outcomes and establish sustainable relationships
• Good influencing and negotiating skills
• Competent in working with Microsoft packages, including but not limited to: Excel, Word and PowerPoint
• Experience of using multiple social media platforms and tools e.g. Hootsuite, Sprout Social