Editorial manager jobs in belfast

Position title: Communications Manager

Reports to: Director of Operations

Direct reports: None currently

Key stakeholders: UKMSA staff, members and volunteers, Board of Trustees, Sheds and Shedders, the public

Location: Remote (with occasional UK travel)

Salary: Level 4 – £35,000-£45,000

The Communications Manager plays a vital role in shaping how UK Men’s Sheds Association (UKMSA) communicates, both internally and externally, and with the community at its heart. Operating with a high degree of autonomy and professional expertise, the postholder leads the development and delivery of communication strategies that connect, inform, and inspire.

This is not just a messaging role. Rather, it’s about building trust, clarity, and connection across UKMSA communities. Internally, the Communications Manager helps staff feel informed, included, and united across a remote-working environment. The post holder will coordinate internal communications, shape the tone and culture of how information flows, and ensure the brand is consistently and professionally represented.

With volunteers, especially UKMSA’s Ambassadors, the Communications Manager plays a key part in ensuring people feel heard, valued, and kept in the loop, especially during moments of change or challenge. They will work closely with the Head of Volunteering and the wider team to keep the voices and experiences of Shedders, Sheds and Shed Networks at the centre of UKMSA’s communications.

Externally, the postholder curates and amplifies the stories, impact, and energy of the Shedding movement. They manage the website and social media channels, support the CEO and Chair in their digital visibility, and respond to external enquiries with professionalism and purpose.

This is a mission-driven role that sits at the heart of how UKMSA connects with the world. It requires emotional intelligence, editorial judgement, and a deep appreciation for the unique volunteer-led spirit of the movement. The postholder will be confident working across staff, volunteers, trustees, and media, joining the dots, finding the story, and ensuring communications always reflect UKMSA’s values and community.

Key responsibilities:

1. Internal communications

· Develop and deliver internal communication approaches that ensure staff across a remote-working environment are kept informed, connected, and engaged.

· Coordinate and facilitate regular team meetings, updates, and communications, including all-staff briefings, newsletters, and shared messaging.

· Work with the CEO and senior team to plan in-person staff meetings, designing the content, format and approach so the sessions align with staff and organisational requirements.

· Design and implement mechanisms that foster internal cohesion and trust, drawing on ideas and good practice for remote working teams.

· Work closely with the senior team to ensure that important updates - strategic, operational, or cultural - are communicated in a timely, consistent, and accessible way.

· Uphold and promote a consistent tone of voice across all internal messaging, ensuring that staff understand and reflect UKMSA’s values and identity in how they communicate.

· Working with the Operations Officer, support the creation and internal rollout of branded materials and ensure consistency in logo use, templates, formatting, and professional standards across the organisation.

2. Community and organisational communications

· Act as a key link between staff, trustees, volunteers (particularly Ambassadors), and other internal stakeholders to ensure information is shared clearly, consistently, and inclusively.

· Collaborate with the Head of Volunteering to ensure that UKMSA’s volunteers are kept informed and involved, particularly during organisational updates, change, or key moments.

· Help embed a culture of openness and two-way communication, ensuring volunteers and trustees feel heard, recognised, and informed, and that their contributions are visible and valued.

· Coordinate messaging across staff and teams so that different groups across UKMSA receive the right information, in the right way, at the right time.

· Support senior leaders in maintaining effective communication with the Board of Trustees, including updates, briefings, and key documents.

3. External communications

· Manage and maintain the UKMSA website and social media channels, working with our external web designer to ensure content is accurate, up to date, and aligned with the organisation’s values and tone.

· Source, shape, and share stories from Shedders, volunteers, and communities to celebrate and amplify the impact of the Shedding movement.

· Lead on the production of UKMSA’s regular newsletter Shoulder2Shoulder, Review and develop the newsletter on a regular basis, in collaboration with staff and volunteers.

· Collaborate with staff and volunteers to collect and develop case studies and lived experience content and ensure these are shared meaningfully and respectfully.

· Support the Membership Manager and Director of Income and Investments to ensure any promotional activity for external partners is aligned with UKMSA’s communications strategy, delivers clear value, and is proportionate.

· Support Director of Income and Investments to shape and deliver marketing campaigns and communications aimed at generating income and supporter engagement

· Support the CEO and Chair in their digital communications - drafting content, advising on tone and timing, and increasing the visibility of their leadership voices, in the service of UKMSA.

· Respond to media and external communications queries, draft press releases where appropriate, and act as the first point of contact for general communications enquiries.

· Monitor UKMSA’s external presence and ensure consistency in messaging, tone and branding, across platforms and partners.

Key expertise required:

· Professional communications experience, with a strong track record in planning and delivering internal and external communications in a mission-led or purpose-driven organisation.

· Excellent writing and editing skills, with the ability to tailor tone, structure, and content for different audiences: from staff and volunteers to trustees, partners, and the wider public.

· Confidence leading internal communications across a remote or distributed team, including experience developing engaging formats, regular updates, and a shared organisational voice.

· Experience working with or alongside volunteers, trustees, or community stakeholders, and a strong appreciation for the importance of inclusive, two-way communication.

· Brand and tone-of-voice awareness, with the ability to maintain consistency and quality across channels, platforms, and contributors.

· Digital confidence, with experience managing websites (e.g. WordPress), social media channels, and email communications tools (e.g. Mailchimp), and using them strategically to reach different audiences.

· Storytelling and content development skills, with the ability to source, sensitively shape, and amplify stories that reflect lived experience and community impact.

· Strong organisational and planning skills, able to manage multiple priorities, coordinate with colleagues across teams, and deliver work to deadline with attention to detail.

· Collaborative mindset, with the confidence to influence tone, content, and strategy while also being hands-on in delivery and responsive to others’ needs and input.

· Judgement and discretion, with experience handling sensitive information, managing risk in communications, and supporting senior leaders with professional external representation.

· Genuine connection to UKMSA’s mission, with a respectful, values-led approach that centres the role of volunteers and champions the voice of the Shedding movement.

What success looks like:

· Staff feel informed, connected, and part of a shared organisational culture, even while working remotely. Internal updates are timely, engaging, and reflect a consistent tone that supports clarity, trust, and inclusion.

· Volunteers and trustees feel included and valued; they know what’s happening, understand UKMSA’s direction, and feel that communication is a two-way conversation, not a broadcast.

· The organisation’s public-facing communications are professional, values-led, and consistent. Social media, the website, and external content reflect the tone, mission, and energy of the Shedding movement.

· The CEO and Chair have visible, coherent digital profiles, supported with high-quality content and strategic messaging that reflects the voice and values of UKMSA.

· Good news stories from Shedders and communities are regularly shared, boosting the visibility of the movement and building pride and momentum across the network.

· Communications activity is intentional and well-prioritised. There is a clear rhythm to communications, and reactive work is handled without pulling focus from core messaging and strategy.

· The Communications Manager is seen as a trusted and thoughtful voice, able to advise colleagues, manage sensitive messaging, and champion quality and consistency in how UKMSA speaks.

· Volunteers remain central, not just as recipients of messages, but as contributors to and shapers of UKMSA’s communication story.

This job is not:

· This is not a campaigning or advocacy role. The Communications Manager will not be responsible for policy development, public affairs, political engagement, or influencing strategy.

· This is not a research or insight role. While storytelling and community voice are central to this role, the postholder will not be responsible for conducting research, writing reports (although the post-holder will support staff to get their reports right), or managing evaluation processes.

· This is not a marketing or income generation role. Although the postholder will support the visibility and professionalism of UKMSA’s public-facing presence, they will not lead fundraising, product marketing, or commercial campaigns. They will work with the Membership Manager and Director of Income and Investment if this is required.

· This is not a senior strategic leadership role. While the postholder contributes to strategy within their area and works closely with senior colleagues, they are not expected to set or lead cross-organisational strategy.

· This is not a purely reactive or administrative role. The Communications Manager is expected to take initiative, bring ideas, and shape how UKMSA communicates - internally and externally - in proactive and creative ways.

Closing date:-9th October 1200hrs
Interview: 22nd October

We are looking for an awesome conference producer to grow our in person events offering for our community of Pupil Premium Leads across the 1,700 secondary schools in our network

Your role will be to produce face to face conferences that provide them honest, open and trusting spaces to share how they really achieve their results in practice.

Why?

So Pupil Premium Leads and Champions can learn what’s working (and what isn’t), so they can deliver the best education possible to all of their students, regardless of their background

What's the role?

Your job will be to produce in person conferences, with a difference, for Pupil Premium Leads in 

Events where practitioners don’t just share what’s worked but also what hasn’t. Openly and transparently.

The aim is to curate powerful and practical warts and all stories, which attendees can ask questions about and dig deep into each other's work.

• What we avoid
  • Glossy key notes delivered by non serving leaders telling serving leaders what to do
  • Only sharing their successes
  • Surface level panels that don’t say anything of substance about how leaders do what they do
  • Lots of passive sitting and listening in big audiences
  • Not developing deep and lasting relationships between attendees
  • Where the events are geared entirely towards promoting products and services more than the amazing PPM leaders and their practice
• What we deliver
• Dedicated to giving serving Pupil Premium Leaders - from diverse backgrounds - to the platform to share their work
• Sharing openly, honestly and transparently the challenges as well as the wins
• Small group discussions about very specific topics where attendees can go deep
• Workshop formats allowing speakers and attendees to learn from each other via intimate conversations
• Where we do everything we can to help attendees get to know each other, stay in touch and work together long term.

On the speaker/content side, you’ll:

• research what’s important to Pupil Premium Leaders

• find serving Pupil Premium Leaders who have expertise in those areas

• Invite and book them to be speakers and

• support them to be their best on the day.

On the attendee/learning/ side, you’ll:

• communicate the offering

• design sign up and onboarding processes

• promote the event across our social media and email channels and

• ensure delegates have everything they need to get the best out of the event.

On both sides you’ll:

• lead the follow up and evaluation of the events.

On the partnerships side you’ll:

• generate leads from potential partners and sponsor

• contact them with information about sponsorship packages

• manage the relationships with partners

• Events where sponsors provide thought leadership not sales pitches​

�� How you’ll be driving our mission forward

Researching topics that matter to Pupil Premium Leaders right now

• Emailing/messaging them to ask what they’ve had success with and need help with

• Creating a database of strengths and needs across the community

• Reading education press, policy and practitioner led blogs.

• Engaging with conversations on social media

Finding, inviting and booking speakers

• Using national datasets to find schools and Pupil Premium Leaders who are succeeding against the odds

• Digging into PPM practice and Pupil Premium Leaders’ blogs/posts to build a list of possible speakers

• Crafting emails that invite Pupil Premium Leaders you may have never met to speak at the conference

• Following up and leading Pupil Premium Leaders through the speaker onboarding journey

Supporting speakers to be their best

• Designing editorial guidelines and communicating them with speakers

• Supporting them to find a focus for their sessions and feeding back on the content

• Gathering pre-event information such as speaker details, access need, session titles/objectives and resources etc

• Automating workflows and emails using Zapier and Airtable

• Sharing all pre-event information they need in good time

Designing attendee sign up and welcoming processes

• Designing and building pre-event registration processes and forms

• Gathering pre-event information from attendees eg attendee details, access/dietary needs and 

• Automating workflows and emails using Zapier and Airtable

• Sharing all pre-event information so they can get the most out of the conferences

Promoting the event across our channels

• Working with a designer to commission graphics

• Writing social media posts on LinkedIn and Twitter

• Working with the Pupil Premium Leaders who are speaking to write sharable, top of funnel social media posts that inspire, entertain and inform Pupil Premium Leaders

• Designing, writing building email workflows and drip campaigns in our CRM (Hubspot)

Ensuring delegates have everything they need to get the most out of the conferences

• Tracking and auditing that all delegates have shared required pre-event information

• Writing succinct emails which delivered at the right time in a way that respects their workload and capacity

Evaluating the success of the conferences.

• Designing and building post event evaluation forms

• Seek, gather and analyse customer feedback and user data to ensure member success.

• Tracking and auditing evaluation completion

• Following up with both speakers and delegates to maximise

Who are you?

• A values driven educationalist
• Technophilic project manager who has a spreadsheet for everything
• Curious and empathic relationship builder
• Entrepreneurial, innovative and flexible
• Analytical but also a content-minded story finder and teller
• Feedback embracing learner in the pursuit of mastery of your craft

What experience and track record do you have?

It’s not essential you tick every box. But the more boxes you can tick the better. It goes without saying, we can help you gain and learn from the experiences you haven’t had yet.

• Education and/or teaching: Knowing how the MAT and schools system works is a must. Knowing who does what PPM role in schools will help bring the right people in the right conversations and the right time. Knowing and understanding the kinds of problems and types of conversations school leaders and teachers is also essential for this role

• Conference production: researching topics, inviting and booking speakers, crafting promotional materials, shouting loudly and proudly about the events and filling up spaces.

• Project management: Planning, tracking and delivering on project objectives across several workflows on time, every time. Managing multiple audiences who are likely to be at different stages of their engagement cycle.

• Customer Relationship Management: designing, building and automating CRMs including sales pipeline design and management eg Hubspot and Airtable

• Copywriting (and digital marketing and email workflow design): designing and writing posts and emails that convert - whether than be speaker invitations, promotional posts or conference onboarding emails.

• Digital marketing integration and automation: integrating and automating digital marketing platforms like eg MailChmip, Hubspot, Airtable and Zapier. Automating drip campaigns and email workflows.

What are the benefits?

• Exposure to the most inspirational and impactful PPM Leaders in the country 

• Opportunity to work within an early-stage, mission-driven organisation and shape its direction

• Flexible working culture/flexible working hours

• Pro rata £28,000-£33,000 dependent on experience

• Project-based and/or part-time contract based on performance milestones for the right candidate available - this role is approximately 3 days a week for 16 weeks a year: October-February. Possibility to expand conference work to new audiences if successful.

• Free annual membership to all of our premium spaces across the community worth up to £1,197+VAT.

• Dramatically grow your network of school leaders

Timeline:

• Applications open: 27th August 2025

• Deadline for applications: midnight Sunday 14th September

• First interviews: Starting week of 22nd September,

• Second interview: Starting week beginning 29th September,

• Notification of decision: by 3rd October,

• Start date: week beginning 6th October

We expect this to be a popular role. We will be inviting people to interview on a rolling basis. We advise submitting an application early.

How do you apply?

To apply for the role please send complete this application form no later than Sunday 7th September at midnight:

For the application form you’ll need:

1. CV - max 2 sides

2. Covering letter - outlining

   1. why you want to apply

   2. how your values, knowledge, skills and experience make you the best person for the role.

   3. a PS section at the bottom with confirmation of where you saw the job role; confirmation of your current salary and notice period; whether you have the right to work in the UK and a valid criminal check with the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS); any links to any portfolios/bodies of work you have completed in the past to demonstrate what you are capable of (this could be reports, writing, performance figures, social media campaigns, articles, videos); and indication of whether your availability will be limited during the recruitment period.

3. Contact details of references

For an informal and confidential discussion about the role prior to application, please download the attached job ad pdf.