Communications Officer

Role description, July 2024 Reports to: Senior Communications Manager

Direct reports: None Location: Our well-equipped office is in King’s Cross, London, WC1X 9NW. Staff are currently working in hybrid locations with a general requirement to meet colleagues once a week including a Communications team office day once a month, and an all-staff meeting in London five times a year, although we will always take into account personal circumstances.

Status: Permanent Hours: Full-time

Salary: D1L: £31,437 - £34,659 (possibly more for an exceptional candidate), plus benefits

Role Summary

Our Communications Officer plays a key role in our central Communications team, working collaboratively with colleagues to create impactful messages which are consistent, clear and well-planned. Through this work, you’ll support thousands of people across three key work programmes – Behaviour Change, Culture Shift and Information and Advice. You’ll have a particular focus in supporting the Senior Communications Manager with messaging across emails, our website and other digital channels, and play a key role in developing content with people who want to share their own experiences of alcohol and alcohol harm. You will have responsibility for wider tasks across the team, including monitoring inboxes, creating reports and supporting colleagues flexibly, particularly during busier campaign periods.

7 Key Tasks and Responsibilities

Communications and content

1. Support the Senior Communications Manager to develop year-round content strategies and planning

2. Create clear copy for a range of channels (including website, emails, social media) which influences and motivates audiences to take action and support Alcohol Change UK’s work

3. Ensure all communications are well-framed, on-message and fit with our brand guidelines

4. Lead on our monthly newsletter, developing, writing and scheduling on Mailchimp, and using reports and insights to think creatively about how to engage our audiences effectively

5. Play a coordinating role for the organisation’s wider email communications, collaborating with colleagues from other departments to ensure regular engagement emails are on message, and on brand

Website maintenance and development

1. Create clear, well-written content for our website – particularly focusing on engaging Information and Advice content

2. Make regular updates to website content, and troubleshoot issues as they arise

3. Ensure ongoing implementation of our Search Engine Optimisation and accessibility best practices

4. Support the Senior Communications Manager with annual planning and implementation of improved user journeys and experiences

5. Act as a champion for the website, developing relationships with colleagues from across the organisation to support new projects, content and campaigns across the site

Enabling people to share their experiences

1. Empathetically and respectfully work with individuals to share their stories, creating a wide range of content (blogs, quotes and case studies) to be used flexibly across Alcohol Change UK’s channels

2. Follow up leads for people who want to share their experiences publicly

3. Utilise our CRM system to manage relationships and coordinate content by themes

4. Support colleagues from all teams to include impactful personal experiences, bringing our content and campaigns to life

Team support

1. Monitor team inboxes including dryjanuary@ and contact@ ensuring great customer service and that all enquiries are dealt with in a timely fashion

2. Complete monthly team KPI reports, with a specific focus on email and website engagement data, providing analysis for optimisation throughout the year 8

3. As required, support the Behaviour Change team with Facebook Community Group monitoring, completing slots on the agreed team rota

4. Provide ad-hoc support to the Digital team with social media monitoring and responses as required

Cross-organisational Role

1. Work closely with colleagues across the Communications team and wider charity to support their work and to act as ‘one team’

2. Contribute actively and positively to charity-wide strategies

Other Duties

1. Continually develop your knowledge of alcohol harm and solutions to it

2. Act as a positive ambassador for Alcohol Change UK at all times

3. Know, embrace and actively uphold the values of Alcohol Change UK at all times

4. Work flexible hours as necessary to meet the needs of the charity – time off in lieu will be earnt for any work required outside of normal working hours

Support through campaign periods

The post holder will be expected to support the team with additional tasks through our busiest period from November-January. All members of the communications team are expected to work at times during the Christmas and New Year period, including bank holidays. A rota system is in place and Time of in Lieu is provided for additional hours worked.