Communications and public affairs officer jobs

We’re looking for an interim Social Media Officer to lead on engagement with our online communities. This is an exciting 12 month opportunity to shape the social media presence for Samaritans across a range of channels and join a high performing team.​

In this role you’ll monitor and respond to a wide range of enquiries over our social media platforms. You will be responding to those who have used our services or are struggling with their mental health, so the ability to communicate with sensitivity and empathy is key.​

You'll help colleagues across the organisation feel confident in how they use social media and play a vital role in ensuring our content and conversations reflect our brand and tone of voice. You will develop and maintain social media guidelines and standard response templates, as well as providing training and support when needed.​

You’ll also take the lead with our moderation agency to ensure the safety and wellbeing of our audiences, through quality checking and continuous improvement.​

If you’re an experienced Social Media Officer, who is passionate about meaningful online engagement, then we’d love to hear from you.

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Contract terms:

£31,000 - £33,000 Salary per annum, plus benefits and £1000 on call allowance

12 month fixed term contract (maternity cover)

Full time (35 hours)

We are passionate about flexible working, talk to us about your preferences

Linked to our Ewell (Surrey) office

In-person working: Meeting in person and working collaboratively are things we value. We work in person around 2 days or more per month

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​What you'll do:

• ​Monitor Samaritan’s social media channels, ensuring content is appropriate for audiences
• Develop, maintain and update standard response templates and moderation guidelines
• Provide timely, appropriate responses to a wide range of people engaging with Samaritans over social media
• Develop social Q&As for key campaigns, policy positions and news events in collaboration with other teams
• Provide advice, support, and training to branches and volunteers managing their own communities via social media
• Work closely with our moderation agency, ensuring adequate out of hours coverage and quality check responses
• Analyse audience engagement and feedback to identify trends and areas for improvement

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What you’ll bring:

• ​Experience of working on social media for a cause, campaign or high-profile brand, or in communications or marketing
• Great digital copywriting skills
• Strong understanding of digital marketing channels and techniques
• Experience in responding to a varied range of enquiries via social media
• Creative approach to creating and publishing digital content
• Ability to communicate sensitively, particularly around issues involving mental health and suicide
• Awareness of campaigns, news and trends within the charity sector and social media
• Ability to build strong working relationships with internal and external stakeholders
• Familiarity with Sprout Social (desirable)
• Experience working with volunteers or within the charity sector (desirable)​

See full Job Description and Person Specification 

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Why Samaritans?

At Samaritans, you’ll be part of a people-first organisation deeply committed to inclusion, compassion and learning. You’ll contribute to a team where your voice matters, your expertise makes a difference, and your work helps save lives.​

We welcome applications from individuals with lived experience and encourage those from underrepresented communities to apply.We are committed to creating an environment where all our people feel seen, heard and supported.​

You’ll join a values-led organisation with a powerful mission and a collaborative culture. We offer flexible hybrid working, excellent benefits, and the chance to make a tangible difference in suicide prevention across the UK and Ireland.​

For further information about Samaritans, including our charity structure, values, employee benefits, and application process, please read our recruitment brochure available here. You can also visit our careers website to access this.​

We recognise the enormous benefits and the social justice imperatives of ensuring diversity at every level of our organisation. Samaritans is wholly committed to inclusion and diversity and to building a culture and environment where everyone is appreciated for the unique person they are. To ensure Samaritans is representative of those we support and who support us, we particularly welcome applications from disabled, racialised minority and LGBTQ+ candidates, as these people are under-represented at Samaritans.

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Apply now

If this sounds like the opportunity for you, please apply. You will be asked to some answer short application questions and to upload your CV.​

Applications close: ​09:00am on Monday 13th April 2026

Interviews: w/c 20th April

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At Samaritans, human connection is at the heart of everything we do.

We do not use AI at any stage during the selection process. Your application will always be carefully reviewed by the recruiting manager or a member of the Talent Attraction Team.

We kindly ask that you avoid using AI tools to generate your application or interview answers. We want to hear your own ideas, insights, and writing style so your unique strengths can shine through.

We have an exciting opportunity for an experienced events professional to join the Living Wage Foundation team as an Events Manager. You will be responsible for developing, delivering, and supporting the team with innovative events to promote the Living Wage movement, support the existing employer network, increase public support for fair pay and encourage Living Wage accreditation.

You will be responsible for our annual Champion Awards ceremony and organising parliamentary events, roundtables and webinars for our network of employers and beyond, as well as providing strategic oversight of events at our annual Living Wage Week in November where we celebrate Living Wage Employers nationwide with multiple events.

The ideal candidate would be an energetic and organised events manager, with strong project management skills, the ability to communicate with senior stakeholders internally and externally and the skills to establish strong relationships. They would have experience running online and in-person events with clear objectives and connecting them to organisational strategy.

This post will be joining a Communications team that spans events, media, digital communications and research, with colleagues based across the UK with monthly in-person team meetings. They will be responsible for the line management of the Events Officer. They will report to the Senior Media & Communications Manager.

Person Specification

(D) Desirable, (E) Essential

Experience

· Experience managing in-person and online events (E)

· Experience communicating effectively with senior stakeholders (E)

· Experience using project management tools. (D)

· Experience using Microsoft 365 apps including Loop and Planner (D)

· Experience of line management (D)

Key skills and knowledge

· Knowledge of risk management protocols (E)

· Project management skills (E)

· Monitoring and evaluation skills, including analytical skills and ability to evaluate the impact of an event (E)

· Excellent attention to detail  (E)

· Ability to build strong relationships with colleagues and external stakeholders (E)

· Ability to communicate clearly and effectively with a wide variety of stakeholders  (E)

· Excellent planning, organisation, and prioritisation skills, including the ability to manage competing demands and deal with unforeseen issues  (E)

· Good IT skills, including experience using Microsoft 365 apps (D)

· Knowledge of marketing and communication best practice (D)

· Creative thinker and problem solver (E)

Personal qualities & values

· An interest and enthusiasm for planning strategically aligned events, and the mission of the Living Wage Foundation (E)

· Highly self-motivated with ability to work well independently as well as part of a team (E)

· A commitment for Diversity and Inclusion (E)

Salary: £62,651 per annum

Contract Type:                         Fixed Term Contract – Maternity Cover (up to 12 months)

Closing date:                         12 April 2026 at 11pm

Interview date:                      4 – 15 May 2026

About CARE

CARE International is a global humanitarian organisation leading the fight to end poverty in the world’s most challenging situations. Women and girls are at the centre of our work, because we cannot overcome poverty and inequality until all people have equal rights and opportunities. We know that when a crisis erupts, women are often the first to pick up the pieces, so we work alongside women, so they have the power to make change where it’s needed most. Founded in 1945, CARE currently works in over 100 countries and last year alone reached 53.4 million people through nearly 1,500 projects.

Why work for CARE International UK?

CARE International UK is currently developing its new 4-year Strategy working within the CARE International Vision 2030, which will launch in July 2026. The strategy will build on our focus on women’s leadership in crisis, seeking to work more directly with women’s rights/women-led organisations. The post-holder will be joining us just as we begin implementing the strategy, and this will be an exciting time to shape new and evolving ways of working with women’s rights activists from across the globe. The Advocacy and Influencing team are central to achieving the goals of the strategy by encouraging the UK  Government and other UK-based stakeholders to use their power on the world stage to counter the rollback on women’s rights.

The Head of Advocacy and Influencing is a key organisational leadership role and will be part of the CIUK Extended Leadership Team working with other heads of team and the senior leadership team to help run the organisation effectively and deliver the 4-year strategy.

About you

You will have significant experience of advocacy and/or public affairs with a track record of driving strategies that achieve measurable policy, attitude or legislative change. You will be a strategic thinker with excellent communication skills in English, and the ability to translate complex issues into plain English. You will have experience of project management and preferably budget management, particularly team or donor-funded project management. You will be media trained and confident speaking to and influencing a range of external senior stakeholders.

In past roles, you will have line managed colleagues and may have managed teams, and will know how to work with others, including in coalition with other organisations, to design and deliver advocacy campaigns. You will understand how to motivate your team to deliver against an organizational strategy. Your leadership style will be aligned with CIUK’s feminist leadership principles and values. You will have strong understanding of, and preferably experience working on, international development issues, in particular with reference to gender equality.

About the role

The Head of Advocacy and Influencing is a leadership role with significant responsibility for external analysis and positioning for CIUK - including through regular updates to the board Impact and Transformation Committee. The role is responsible for providing strategic direction for CIUK and CI’s advocacy and influencing and leading the team to deliver UK and globally facing advocacy campaigns. The role is responsible for ensuring high quality publications and managing sign off and profile risks as part of CIUK’s risk management strategy. The Head of Advocacy and Influencing will also act as a senior external spokesperson for the organization to the media, parliament and public events. The role has significant responsibility for positioning and meeting expectations of donors who fund the team’s work.  The Head of Advocacy and Influencing is critical for ensuring the CEO and SLT have up-to-date power analysis, political analysis and policy lines for external engagement with high level targets.  

As the manager and contract holder for the Centenary Action Group campaign and fundraising coordinator and a standing member on the Steering board of the Centenary Action Group, the role also manages CARE UK’s role as a convener and ally of the UK women’s rights movement in line with our global commitment to shift the power and localization.

The role covers four main areas of responsibility:

Strategic Leadership & Delivery

Play a key role in the delivery of CIUK’s new 4-year strategy. Lead cross-organisational teams to deliver high quality policy analysis, advocacy and campaign strategies to UK government, parliamentary and private sector targets. Work with communications to design and deliver integrated campaign plans.

External representation and relationship management

Build the visibility and reputation of CIUK by building and managing key external relationships in government, parliament, private sector and across the sector, including in coalitions and alliances. Provide strategic advice on political developments, external opportunities, and risks, ensuring timely and well-informed positioning, and prepare the CEO/SLT for high-level external engagements. Serve as a senior spokesperson for CIUK in political, media, and public forums. Work with the CARE confederation to develop advocacy lines and approaches.

Thought leadership and Policy Development

Provide strategic leadership of the Gates Foundation partnership, delivering against expectations and securing further funding from this and other donors. Ensure a rigorous evidence base for CIUK’s policy agenda, both by working with CIUK’s team of thematic experts, as well as commissioning and managing research projects where needed. Prepare and approve briefings, position papers, op-eds and other communications in support of CARE UK’s influencing goals. Oversee CIUK’s strategic role in Centenary Action, including representation on the Steering Group and overall coordination. 

Team and line management

Set and drive the advocacy and influencing team’s annual plans and contribution to the organisation’s strategic priorities. Be accountable to delivering on team KPIs and organisational KPIs that link to the team’s work, and for managing the team’s budget. Play a key role in the leadership of the Programme and Policy department. Provide strong line management to direct reports and demonstrate a strong personal commitment to CIUK’s equity, diversity and inclusion goals and feminist leadership principles.

Right to Work in the UK

All applicants must have the legal right to work in the United Kingdom at the time of appointment. Proof of right to work will be required as part of the recruitment process. For more information, please visit the UK Government's guidance on right to work. Where you do not have current right to work in the UK, then this will be discussed with you as part of the recruitment process. Please note that not all roles are eligible for sponsorship and further information (should you require sponsorship to work in the UK) on eligibility can be found here.

Safeguarding 

CARE International UK has a zero-tolerance approach to any abuse to, sexual harassment of or exploitation of, a vulnerable adult or child by any of our staff, representatives or partners. CARE International UK expects all staff to share this commitment through our Safeguarding Policy (link here) and our Code of Conduct (link here). They are responsible for ensuring they understand and work within the remit of these policies throughout their time at CARE International UK.

Safeguarding our beneficiaries is our top priority in everything we do, including recruitment. All offers of employment at CARE International UK are subject to: 

· Satisfactory references. CARE International UK participates in the Inter Agency Misconduct Disclosure Scheme (link here).  In line with this Scheme, we will request information from successful applicants’ previous employers about any findings of sexual exploitation, sexual abuse and/or sexual harassment during employment, or incidents under investigation when the applicant left employment. 

· Appropriate criminal record checks (including a Bridger check, link here).

By submitting an application, the applicant confirms his/her understanding of these recruitment procedures. 

Equality and Diversity

We are committed to Equality and value Diversity. We are a Disability Confident Employer and particularly welcome applications from disabled people. We guarantee interviews to disabled applicants who meet the essential criteria for the role (see person specification). If you require the candidate brief or need to submit your application in an alternative format, because of a disability, please do get in touch by sending an email to HR.

We are committed to building a diverse and inclusive workplace where everyone feels valued and respected. We particularly welcome applications from people of underrepresented backgrounds, including those from Black, Asian and other ethnic minority communities, and individuals who identify as LGBTQ+.

Job Title: Head of EDIS (Equality, Diversity and Inclusion in Science and Health)
Reporting to: Director of Development & External Relations
Responsible for: Line-management of two staff (EDIS Community Manager, EDIS Programme Manager) and responsible for the wider EDIS team, including the EDIS Programme Officer and Events Officer
Based: Our Head Office is based in Kensington, London SW7, but we have an agile working policy enabling people to work at another UK location up to 4 days/week. Requests for permanent remote working will be considered and we welcome applications from people based in other parts of the UK.
Terms: Full-time (35 hours per week), permanent. Requests for part-time or flexible working will be considered
Salary: £46,811 - £57,416 per annum

About Us

The British Science Association (BSA) was founded in 1831 and is a registered charity.

We are creating a future where science is more relevant, representative, and connected to society.

We have ambitious goals to put people at the heart of science.

About the Role

EDIS is a coalition of organisations working to improve equality, diversity and inclusion within the science and health research sectors. Originally established by The Francis Crick Institute (The Crick), Wellcome Trust (Wellcome) and GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), the British Science Association (BSA) has recently taken over the hosting of the coalition (from February 2026), working in partnership with the Crick, and funded by a seven-year grant from Wellcome.

The new Head of EDIS will provide strategic leadership for the EDIS programme, positioning EDIS as a trusted, influential voice and source of sector support on equity, diversity and inclusion across science and health research.

EDIS is a long-term programme with national reach. The Head of EDIS will be responsible for shaping and implementing the EDIS strategy in collaboration with internal and external stakeholders, ensuring activities are valued by members and aligned with the coalition’s values and objectives and contributing to the long-term sustainability and evolution of the programme beyond the grant period. The role holder will lead a dedicated team, cultivate a culture of inclusivity, and champion the impact of EDIS across and beyond the coalition, ultimately supporting the advancement of equitable practices and opportunities in science and health.

Key responsibilities

Develop and deliver the EDIS strategy

• Review and update the EDIS strategy, working with key stakeholders, including developing an implementation plan, KPIs and a theory of change.
• Lead on engagement with EDIS members and prospective members, the EDIS Advisory Group, and senior external stakeholders including funders, policy makers and national bodies to shape and deliver the EDIS strategy.
• Oversee delivery of the EDIS strategy, reporting on progress and collecting, using and sharing evidence, evaluation and learning to shape priorities, activities and outputs.

Recruit, lead, support and champion the EDIS team

• Recruit the ‘core’ EDIS team, with direct line management responsibilities for the EDIS Programme Manager and EDIS Community Manager.
• Develop a strong, collaborative team culture for EDIS, reflecting the values of the BSA and of EDIS, and inspiring the team to develop and contribute to the programme and strategy.
• Champion the work of EDIS across the BSA and more widely.

Develop and deliver EDIS activities

• Network and build strong relationships with EDIS members and prospective members.
• Support and work with the EDIS team to deliver the ‘embedding EDI’ workstream of the EDIS Strategy, and to provide overall co-ordination on the delivery of the other workstreams (Inclusive Research and Inclusive Leadership), including the development of shared definitions, principles, frameworks and practical guidance for the sector.
• Provide strategic oversight of EDIS activities, working closely with the BSA Grants (Community Engagement) team and our partners at the Crick.
• Act as a senior advocate and spokesperson for EDIS, working closely with the Policy & Public Affairs team to influence policy and practice and to position EDIS as a credible, evidence-led voice on EDI.

Support the EDIS membership

• Consult and collaborate with the EDIS members, and prospective members, to ensure that their views are listened and responded to.
• Steward current and prospective EDIS members, ensuring there is a vibrant, engaged community and membership offer. This may require regular travel, particularly to London.
• Lead on the sharing of insights and updates to EDIS members on key developments and updates.
• Work closely with Head of Fundraising and Membership to grow the EDIS membership, and to ensure the long-term financial sustainability of EDIS.

The successful candidate will have extensive experience of developing and delivering EDI strategies and Experience in leading a significant project, programme or discrete area, setting strategy, and influencing stakeholders towards its aims and objectives.

The closing date for applications is Monday 13 April at 12 noon.

First round interviews are due to take place in the week commencing Monday 20 April 2026, with second round interviews taking place on Tuesday 5 May and Wednesday 6 May 2026.

You will be informed as soon as possible after the application deadline whether you have been selected for interview.

Interested?

If you would like to find out more, please click the apply button. You will be directed to our website to complete your application for this position.

As part of the British Science Association’s commitment to being a Disability Confident employer, all disabled* applicants who meet the ‘essential criteria’ for this vacancy will be offered an interview under our guaranteed interview scheme.

No agencies please.