Starting Salary: £54,269 - £59,422 (including LW)
Contract: Permanent
Location: Romero House, London - Hybrid working with a minimum of 40% of your time in the London head Office
Job Profile
CAFOD has an ambition to be digital first in our marketing and communications, to stay ahead of emerging trends and make the most of what digital technology can offer to strengthen our relationships with our supporters and in our ways of working across the organisation. Digital technology has already transformed our communications and will continue to do so. This senior communications and marketing role will be responsible for steering the ongoing digital transformation of CAFODs work, primarily in the supporter programme and also across the wider organisation.
This role encompasses overall responsibility for the brand, digital marketing, messaging, proactive and reactive media relations, with a core focus on digital transformation across all platforms. This post will play a key role in guiding our digital shop fronts and marketing efforts, evolving supporter journeys, steering our email programme and leading on the digital infrastructure to enable delivery of our supporter programme. It will ensure that digital engagement and conversion is embedded and an integral part of our communications planning.
This role will drive innovation and data-informed insight across the full spectrum of communications and wider organisation functions. It will embed a digital-first approach across teams and guide and accompany the wider organisation on harnessing opportunities of new technologies, making digital engagement integral to communications planning.
This role will drive brand awareness, brand advocacy and action across our programmes to ensure CAFOD is top of mind amongst the Catholic Community of England and Wales, helping to grow support from our constituency. You will bring proven senior-level experience in digital communications and marketing, ideally within the charity sector. With a strong understanding of communications at a senior level with expert knowledge of digital channels, audience engagement, and online conversion, you also have a strategic grasp of how digital integrates into broader communications and supporter strategies. Your leadership style is collaborative and visionary, and you have the gravitas and expertise to set the digital marketing direction for a large organisation, while bringing all teams along with your vision.
Key Responsibilities
- Lead the strategic development, direction setting and delivery of an ambitious, insight-led digital-first communications strategy that enhances supporter journeys, increases engagement and drives measurable growth in support of our supporter programme, especially our parishioner-first fundraising strategy.
- Act as CAFODs senior expert on communications, advising the Executive team, across departments and influencing strategic decision-making, including on digital direction and development, at the highest level.
- Lead complex cross-organisational projects that improve our digital supporter experience, from acquisition to long-term engagement and conversion, ensuring timeliness and consistency with supporter programme priorities, especially the parishioner-first fundraising strategy and approach.
- Provide leadership and overall oversight of external communications and messaging, including brand consistency and press/media engagement, ensuring consistency between our fundraising efforts, our campaigning work and profiling our international work to supporters and key stakeholders.
- Lead and oversee the digital teams - email marketing programme, social media engagement, digital developments, campaigns and the website, to ensure user experience is optimised and platforms support our supporter programme and broader organisational strategic objectives and ambitions.
- Lead the media team to explore and encourage new approaches including how we further maximise the digital media landscape.
- Line manage senior specialists across digital marketing, website, and media and PR, ensuring high performance and professional growth.
- Work closely with IT, data and external agencies to ensure agile, secure and effective digital delivery across platforms.
- Represent the organisation externally where appropriate, with a focus on digital thought leadership.
- Develop and manage the communications budget effectively, aligning resources to priority areas and demonstrating clear impact. Agree and ensure accountability for objectives and KPIs as part of the wider supporter strategy, fostering a culture of ongoing learning, adaptation and improvement.
Safeguarding
All CAFOD staff share responsibility to promote and maintain a strong safeguarding culture, including identifying the key actions they should take given their role and responsibilities.
Person Specification
- Extensive experience in a senior digital communications and marketing leadership role, with demonstrable success in developing and delivering integrated and audience-led multi-channel communications and marketing strategies.
- Strong experience of overseeing development of supporter journeys and objectives, website development, CRM integration and email engagement and conversion.
- Passionate about digital innovation and technologies, with deep knowledge of platforms, formats, and trends.
- Committed to insight-led and data-driven approaches with skills to use digital tools, platforms and analytics to shape decisions and measure impact.
- Excellent leadership, inter-personal and team management skills, with the ability to develop and motivate multi-disciplinary teams.
- Strong cross-functional project management ability, with experience leading organisational change in digital capability.
- Understanding of broader communications and marketing disciplines, with the ability to ensure alignment and brand consistency and also oversee media and PR work, including reputational risk and crisis communications.
- Understanding of the Catholic church in England and Wales and knowledge of Catholic Social Teaching.
- A track record of strong written and spoken communication skills.
- Highly organised, able to manage a busy workload and consistently meet deadlines.
Safeguarding for Children and Vulnerable Adults
CAFOD recognises the personal dignity and rights of children and vulnerable adults, towards whom it has a special responsibility and a duty of care and respect. CAFOD, and all its staff and volunteers, undertake to do all in our power to create a safe environment for children, young people and vulnerable adults and to prevent their physical, sexual or emotional abuse. CAFOD is committed to acting at all times in the best interests of children and vulnerable adults, seeing these interests as paramount. Any candidate offered a job with CAFOD will be expected to adhere to CAFOD’s Safeguarding policy and sign CAFOD’s Code of Conduct as an appendix to their contract of employment and agree to conduct themselves in accordance with the provisions of these documents.
All offers of employment will be subject to satisfactory references, and appropriate screening checks can include criminal records and terrorism finance checks. CAFOD also participates in the Inter Agency Misconduct Disclosure Scheme. In line with this Scheme, we will request information from job 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. By submitting an application, the job applicant confirms his/her understanding of, and consent to, these recruitment procedures.
CAFOD is the official Catholic aid agency for England and Wales tackling poverty and injustice across the world.
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.
About us
London Marathon Events (part of the London Marathon Group) works to inspire, champion and increase activity in all ages, abilities and demographics. We do this through our successful event portfolio (which includes the TCS London Marathon and TCS Mini London Marathon, Brighton Marathon, The Big Half, Vitality London 10,000, Vitality Westminster Mile, Standard Chartered Great City Race and Swim Serpentine), through our extensive outreach programmes working with schools and community groups in London and across the UK and through our network of wholly owned or partially owned companies, such as Maverick, Run 4 Wales, Loch Ness Marathon Ltd, Caledonian Concepts, Athletic Ventures and Friday Night Lights
Our events raise millions for charities every year to improve the lives of individuals and communities and we passionately believe in the power of sport.
Our values are integral to who we are, how we work and what we do:
• Impact – together we create positive change
• Innovate – together we enable new ideas
• Everyone – together we champion inclusivity
• Customer first – together we go the extra mile for all
Diversity, inclusion and wellbeing are at the heart of everything we do, and we want to ensure they are at the heart of our company. We strongly value diversity within our workforce and recognise that different people bring different perspectives, lived experience, ideas and culture to the company. This difference brings with it great strengths, including diversity of thought. So, if you’re ready to be a force for good, lead change and want to make a difference to society, keep reading.
Overview of the role
This role is designed to deliver professional and efficient People services across all aspects of the employee journey, supporting managers and the senior leadership teams at London Marathon Events and the London Marathon Foundation. From onboarding through to employee departure, the position ensures every people-related activity is handled with care and precision.
Operating within the People and Culture department, the role maintains the essential People Advisory function, providing expert guidance throughout the employee lifecycle, and in particular on employee relations and compensation and benefits. It is responsible for producing and implementing all necessary documentation, processes, and practices to support the business effectively.
The position works in close partnership with the Talent team for recruitment and learning initiatives, as well as with the Senior People Partner and People Officer. Collaboration with the Workforce team is also key, especially regarding event staffing activities for the LMG Staff.
Reporting to the Group Head of People, Culture and Workforce, this role ensures knowledge, best practices, and support are consistently delivered to meet the organisation’s needs
Key Responsibilities:
People Advice
- Serving as the first point of contact for all people-related queries from managers and employees across LMF and LME, providing timely and accurate advice on organisational policies and procedures.
- Delivering day-to-day support and interpretation of people policies, ensuring consistent and fair application across the business.
- Overseeing compensation and benefits practices, including benchmarking roles, and ensuring consistent application of our pay policy.
- Delivering a competitive benefits package, continuously reviewing and promoting our offering,
- Offering expert guidance and practical solutions on matters spanning the entire employee lifecycle—including hiring, probation, performance management, employee relations, and offboarding.
- Advising and managing all LMF and LME routine employee relations cases such as performance improvements, grievances, disciplinary issues, and absence management, ensuring best practice and compliance with legal and organisational standards.
- Supporting managers in understanding and applying people policies, encouraging proactive resolution of queries and fostering a positive workplace environment.
- Reviewing and drafting people policies and maintaining an overview of people related compliance activities.
- Maintaining up-to-date knowledge of policy changes and employment legislation, communicating key updates and their implications to colleagues as required.
Business Partnering for London Marathon Foundation
- Building and maintaining strong, proactive relationships with the London Marathon Foundation (LMF), acting as a trusted advisor on all people-related matters.
- Understanding the unique needs and strategic objectives of those business areas, tailoring people support and solutions to align with their specific contexts and goals.
- Supporting leaders and managers within the allocated business area on workforce planning, organisational design, talent mapping and development, grading and organisational effectiveness, ensuring best practice is embedded in recruitment, staff engagement, and retention.
- Facilitating regular check-ins with LMF leaders to identify workforce challenges, provide guidance on performance management, and help resolve people-related issues swiftly and effectively.
- Championing diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives within LMF and schools, and adapting DEI strategies to reflect the unique cultures and communities they serve.
- Providing data-driven insights about staff trends, turnover, and engagement within LMF and schools, supporting informed decision-making.
Other Responsibilities:
- Ensuring policies and procedures are promoted and accessible to employees.
- Checking people correspondence, such as employee contracts, right to work checks, offer letters, bonus letters etc.
- Ensuring yearly performance reviews are completed, accurately stored and easily accessible.
- Processing purchase orders and invoices with the Procurement and Accounts teams.
- Learning & Development where required (delivering workshops, people induction etc)
- Reviewing opportunities for reward, benefits, recognition and celebrating achievements.
Required Skills and Experience:
Essential
- Extensive experience of working within a people team, including creation of policies, procedures and employee documentation
- Extensive experience with employee relations, including a sensitive and sensible approach to resolving conflict in the workplace
- Management of invoices / procurement process
- CIPD level 5 or equivalent qualification
- Experience of using Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook
- Ability to communicate with people at all levels
- Highly organised and ability to be analytical
- Strong attention to detail
- Highly proactive, and seeks continuous improvement.
- Thrives in a fast-paced environment and has an ability to meet tight deadlines
Desired
- Benchmarking/ Data Analytics
- C-me / other psychometric Profiling
Technical
- Employment law and HR compliance
- Previous experience of using HRIS Systems
- Exposure to benchmarking processes such as Xpert HR, Hays or Willis Tower Watson
- Experience of using a Finance system to pay supplied invoices and generate PO
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.