Communications, Campaigns, Marketing & Design Manager

Job Title: Communications, Campaigns, Marketing & Design Officer

Employer: Thames Life Community Development Trust, Thames Community Hub, Bastable Avenue, Barking, IG11 0LG

Reports to:     CEO

Salary:              £28,000 / 30,000 FTE (Pro rata 14- 21 hrs per week) 

Location:         London Borough of Barking and Dagenham  

Contract:        3 months with further 6 months pending funding (maternity cover)

Start date:      tbc  

Thames Life Community Development Trust: 

Thames Life began in October 2017 as Thames Ward Community Project, with funding from the National Lottery Community Fund to combine a community organising and asset-based approach to one of the most deprived areas in the UK (Thames View and Barking Riverside Wards) and also an area of rapid development and regeneration.  The project was tasked to establish a resident-led community development trust leading to the establishment of a charity in June 2020. 

Thames Life is a charitable company and transforming the area into a place that people are proud of, where they can see a positive and exciting future and feel able to influence and shape the changes that are taking place over the next decade and beyond. Thames Life is laying the foundations for a community that has a strong identity and sense of common purpose; that takes great pride in the rich diversity of its residents; that feels it can shape its own future rather than simply be on the receiving end of decisions made elsewhere; that is better prepared to meet the challenges of major physical and demographic changes over the coming years; and that is determined to play its part in transforming services. 

Purpose: The Communications, Campaigns, Marketing and Design Officer will work with the CEO, resident trustees and the wider community to consolidate the communications infrastructure and ensure the promotion of resident voice through high quality communications, informed by regular community outreach.  The postholder will use strong marketing, social media and communications skills to enable residents to become active and enterprising citizens, working together for the common good of existing and future communities. This post is funded by Trust for London.   

Thames View and Barking Riverside Wards: The residents of Barking and Dagenham have a number of complex challenges facing its residents: lack of opportunity, economic precarity, housing insecurity and homelessness, high rates of domestic violence, and significantly higher levels of deprivation and unemployment than almost any other London borough.  Thames View and Riverside Wards reflect these adversities.  Barking Riverside Ward has a higher-than-average instance of domestic violence and obesity amongst children in reception in comparison with other wards.  It also has 80.6% Black, Asian and Multi Ethnic (BAME) population, with Thames View Ward having 76.4% BAME population. Thames View Ward has the second highest instance of unemployment benefit-related claimants across the borough wards with 64.6% of residents living in deprived households.   

Social cohesion has been a major problem over the last twenty years as the Borough has been transformed from a white working-class area to a multi-racial part of Greater London.  The next twenty years will bring another massive change, as large tracts of derelict land along the River Thames are reclaimed and developed to build 20,000 new homes on the Riverside site alone and close to 4,000 on the Thames Road redevelopment programme.

Main responsibilities: 

Strategic leadership and campaigns

·       Work with the CEO to develop/deliver comms strategies across the entire spectrum of resident-led communications disciplines including: media and public relations, internal comms, brand marketing, advertising, marketing, digital and social media and production of materials.

·       Report on and analyse all aspects of communications 

·       Develop key messages, lead on creating and maintaining appropriate and consistent language and terminology across all media 

·       Act as a ‘brand guardian’ ensuring consistency across all internal and external communications 

·       Identify issues that support a campaign focus and balance with mitigation of risk or benefit in regard to reputational  status

·       Keep up to date on best practice within the charity sector generally and particularly changes to data protection, communications innovation, legislation, and codes of practice 

 

Impact

·       Work with the CEO to develop and implement an impact framework for the organisation to ensure the work we do connects well with our vision, mission and aims and can be easily measured, evidenced and communicated using simple and consistent data collection tools.

 

Marketing and design

·       Take responsibility for researching and developing our marketing approach, delivering a simple marketing plan (either in conjunction with or as part of an expanded communications strategy) focused on how we raise awareness of, and engagement with, Thames Life and its associated projects and activities among residents locally, including appropriate KPIs to measure performance.

 

Newsletter and other Publications

 

·       Oversee production of community newspaper (River View) and support resident editorial board.  Lead on all aspects of production, design and distribution and liaise with funders as necessary to negotiate content etc.

·       Design, copy-write and distribute regular e-bulletins to promote publications, programme activities, events and other key information  

·       Oversee the management of our database 

·       Lead on copywriting and production of marketing materials and key publications including Annual Review.

 

Website

 

·       Take responsibility for the development and management of the website and blog, including generating content, making improvements to functionality, maximising its potential and monitoring its performance. 

 

Social media

 

·       Manage and expand social media presence, sourcing and sharing newsworthy information from across Thames Life’s activities.

·       Produce regular reports detailing social media activity to share with staff and steering group members 

 

Publicity and media

 

·       Increase the organisation’s profile across a range of media outlets, and with influencers and organisations 

·       Act as a spokesperson when necessary 

·       Develop relationships with target media representatives 

·       Write releases, articles and statements 

·       Respond to requests from the press for comments, views and supporting information and maximise opportunities for further engagement on relevant topics 

·       Supervise and advise other staff members and trustees in their drafting of communications plans and statements  

·       Identify opportunities for Thames Life programmes/activity to be nominated for awards

 

Internal communications

 

·       Enhance communications with colleagues and develop an understanding of Thames Life’s work and needs of its users 

·       Provide training to staff on branding where necessary and ensure staff are well briefed on key communications issues 

·       Analyse all aspects of communications on a quarterly basis and prepare a report to present 

 

Staff and supplier management

 

·       Manage any volunteers and interns 

·       Manage relationships with suppliers of services essential to communication work 

 

Other

 

·       Take an active role in Thames Life’s external events and campaigns

·       Support Thames Life’s fundraising, services, education and public affairs activities 

·       Participate in cross-functional projects 

·       Reach out to residents across the whole community, listening to and recording their views, building relationships with those who want to get involved, encouraging participation with a view to generating and supporting local action and campaigns.  

 

 

Person specification: 

Applicants will be assessed through a combination of application form, personal statement and interview. The successful applicant will be required to undertake a satisfactory Enhanced DBS check.

 

REQUIREMENTS

 

ESSENTIAL

DESIRABLE

QUALIFICATIONS

Subject of relevance to community work, strategic communications or marketing

 

✓

EXPERIENCE

Experience of managing websites and social media profiles

✓

 

Experience of producing and editing short promotional videos for use on social media

 

✓

Able to demonstrate previous experience of work in a community setting in areas with high levels of poverty/disadvantage 

 

✓

Able to demonstrate previous experience of campaigning; customer and public relations; social and market research; journalism and media; sales and merchandising; business and marketing

 

✓

KEY SKILLS AND KNOWLEDGE

Excellent communication skills – able to translate issues into opportunities for action and build successful well-defined campaigns led by local people 

✓

 

Functionally literate, able and willing to keep written and electronic records

✓

 

Capable computer user including email, word processing, social media, basic Excel spreadsheets.   

✓

 

Able to work constructively in team situations

✓

 

Knowledge of WordPress or similar website creation platform and content management system.

✓

 

Knowledge of Mailchimp or similar marketing platform

✓

 

Knowledge of Hootsuite or similar social media management platform

✓

 

Knowledge of local area

 

✓

PERSONAL QUALITIES & VALUES

Self-organised and with high level of self-motivation to achieve in the role and work independently

✓

 

Versatile and flexible approach to work. Able to manage own time effectively and work anti-social hours (evenings, weekends) as necessary

✓

 

Personal integrity. Willing to be accountable and adhere to a Code of Conduct, understand confidentiality and Data Protection issues. 

✓

 

Able to take challenge and criticism and deal with setbacks

✓

 

Respectful, open, and sensitive to others’ history and experience. Sensitive to local cultures and languages. Positively committed to anti-discriminatory practice and social justice and actively promote diversity

✓

 

Able to overcome negative and apathetic attitudes – motivate, inspire and enjoy and value helping others achieve and develop their potential (shows persistence and determination to achieve results)

✓

 

Committed to self-development and learning: able to apply, transfer and build on what they do. Willing to support the learning of others

✓

 

Demonstrates insight, experience, and resourcefulness - understands the context and practice of community action. 

 

✓

 

 

 

 

 

Terms and Conditions: 

 

Employer: Thames Life Community Development Trust 

 

Timescale: We would like to appoint the Communications, Campaigns, Marketing and Design Manager as soon as possible. This is a part time post, initially until 31st May 2025, with plans for renewal until December 2025 (maternity cover) pending the securing of wider organisational funding.  During that time we will seek to expand the team and implement sustainable long-term changes. We need an experienced Communications and Marketing Officer to help us take this project to the next level.  

 

Supervision and support: The Communications and Marketing Officer will be accountable to the CEO. S/he will be supported by the board of trustees and a wider resident steering group, including people with relevant experience of communications, marketing and community organising.   

 

Equal opportunities: Thames Life is an equal opportunities employer and is committed to the protection and safeguarding of children and young people in our recruitment procedures and in all our work across and beyond school. We adhere to statutory guidelines in respect to safe recruitment. All persons employed by Thames Life, in any capacity, will undergo an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check, and confirmation of employment is subject to a successful outcome.

   

Closing date for applications: tbc

Interviews:  tbc

 

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