External communications lead jobs

Healthwatch

Healthwatch was set up in 2013 to champion the rights of health and social care users, and hold the health and social care system to account for how well it engages with the public.

Healthwatch has a remit which covers all publicly funded health and social care services for adults and children.

The Advocacy Project delivers Healthwatch Brent, Healthwatch Westminster and Healthwatch Kensington & Chelsea – three of 152 local Healthwatch organisations. We’re building on the important work that’s been done to date, while bringing new insights from the voices of seldom heard and hard to hear groups.

About the role

In this role you will promote Healthwatch to local residents and stakeholders, and support people to get involved in our work. You’ll be a skilled communicator, comfortable networking and engaging with a diverse range of local residents. This role is primarily based in Westminster, and we’re looking for someone who can understand and relate to the diverse local population.

Your role will involve finding innovative ways to present the information the team gathers to key audiences. This will range from face-to-face conversations with partners and funders through to producing imaginative materials. This includes producing accessible reports and presentations to make sure we can maximise the impact of people’s feedback.

You’ll be responsible for a variety of internal and external communications for the Healthwatch Westminster producing impactful communications across all platforms including our website, social media channels and newsletter. You’ll also produce informative and engaging content for our websites, keeping it fresh and relevant for our diverse audiences.

As well as developing our online presence, you’ll own the Westminster engagement plan. This will involve identifying engagement opportunities, working with the Volunteer Coordinator to ensure we have good coverage at events across the borough, and getting out into the local community to promote our service and hear from local residents.

Working as part of a small team, you’ll be involved in many aspects of the organisation. You’ll need to be flexible, with a ‘can do’ attitude to meet the evolving needs of the service. You will need to work in close collaboration with our other Healthwatch services in Kensington & Chelsea and Brent, and occasionally support communications and engagement in those areas when the need arises.

Key responsibilities

Engagement

î  Develop a vibrant engagement plan for Healthwatch Kensington & Chelsea, ensuring that we reach a wide range of residents from different communities, with an emphasis on those most likely to experience poor health outcomes.

î  Develop effective relationships with local voluntary organisations and community groups to promote the Healthwatch service and carry out engagement activities and signposting sessions.

î  Practice culturally responsive engagement, demonstrating the ability to communicate and effectively interact with people across cultures with diverse protected characteristics, whilst maintaining openness and showing respect to people who have a different social or cultural background to your own.

î  Keep abreast of good engagement practice and actively seek out innovative ways to capture and express people’s views/experiences, including engagement techniques appropriate to different audiences.

î  Work in partnership with local community groups to support engagement in projects, including coproduction and joint communications.

î  Take a lead role in making sure all Healthwatch Kensington & Chelsea activities involve people from all sections of the community, including seldom-heard communities.

î  Work closely with the Volunteer Coordinator to ensure that volunteers are able to participate in engagement plans.

Communications

î  Create engaging and up-to-date digital media content across all digital channels, including web content, Twitter and Facebook.

î  Create regular newsletters and e-bulletins, circulating these to key stakeholders to support engagement.

î  Design reports, presentations and stationery templates for the Healthwatch service, making sure all materials keep to the Healthwatch brand guidelines.

î  Answer and respond appropriately to calls about the service, seeking guidance from the team where appropriate to give signposting support via phone and email.

î  Keep up to date with best practice from Healthwatch England, by reading, attending courses and networking.

î  Carry out any other tasks needed for the service to run smoothly, as directed by the Healthwatch Manager.

General responsibilities

î  Participate in team meetings, training and organisational development.

î  Contribute to monitoring reports.

î  Keep to our policies, including health & safety, safeguarding and risk regulations.

î  Work to our mission, vision, and values.

î  Work flexibly to meet the needs of the service, in line with the changing local and national landscape and carry out other projects and tasks as needed.

Person specification

Essential

î  Good understanding of the NHS / social care, in particular the importance of patient voice and engagement for improving and developing services

î  Experience of carrying out community engagement

î  Experience producing communication materials for a variety of channels and audiences

î  Experience of working with diverse communities, particularly in Kensington & Chelsea/ North West London

î  Good understanding of health inequality and the role Healthwatch can play in reducing this.

î  Excellent interpersonal skills and ability to work effectively with a wide variety of stakeholders ranging from local residents, colleagues, partners, trustees and commissioners.

î  Excellent organisational skills, ability to take initiative and plan your own workload.

î  Commitment to working within The Advocacy Project and Healthwatch code of conduct, equality and safeguarding policies.

î  Willingness to attend further training and to adopt new procedures.

î  Willingness to promote Healthwatch and The Advocacy Project in line with our mission, vision and values

Desirable

î  Evidence of ongoing personal development and training related to the role.

î  Previous experience of working within a Healthwatch service.

î  Experience of creating visual content such as digital graphics or video.

Benefits of working for us

We’re committed to providing an empowering, flexible and supportive working environment for all our staff.

Our employee benefits include 30 days annual leave (including up to 3 days between Christmas and New Year), participation in a pension scheme with 6% employer contribution, access to a free confidential counselling service, and an interest-free travel/bike loan.

All our staff are supported to learn and develop in a variety of ways, including a monthly lecture series where we invite sector experts to talk to our staff on topical issues.

We are a Disability Confident Committed and Mindful Employer.

About the role

We’re seeking a senior media and PR officer – policy, campaigns and public health to join our talented and ambitious media and PR team for six months. Supporting the delivery of annual media plans for these areas of work, you’ll leverage our position as leading experts on breast cancer to secure media profile that increases our influence, engagement and support among target audiences, championing the needs of people affected by breast cancer, engaging key policy decision-makers and the NHS through our change-making campaigns and calls to action, and communicating our vital breast health awareness and health information and messaging to key stakeholders and the public to help make change happen now.

This role is a fixed term contract until end of February 2027.
 
About you 

You’ll be great at building trusted and influential relationships across internal and external contacts up to a senior level including colleagues, journalists, contacts at stakeholder organisations (such as NHS and NICE), people affected by breast cancer who support our work, and celebrities and influencers who support Breast Cancer Now. 

With an understanding and passion for policy, campaigns, and public health you’ll draw on your experience of working across health communications and/or media/PR environments to digest and distil complex and sensitive information into compelling media copy, with an eye for spotting proactive and reactive media opportunities to secure impactful profile.

Used to working in a fast-moving environment, you’ll work at pace without compromising quality of work and working closely with the senior media and PR manager – policy, campaigns and public health to effectively handle multiple tasks and meet deadlines to amplify the charity’s share of voice as a determined leader, driving progress and changing the future for anyone affected by breast cancer.

Effective at working independently, you’ll also be a team player who works closely with and contributes to the wider success of the media and PR team.

Job description and benefits

The job description and our attractive benefits are available for you to download.

Primary location of role and hybrid working

This role is primarily based in our London office. Our hybrid working model allows you to work up to 3 days per week at home.

When applying 

We hope you choose to apply for this role. To support your application, you’ll be asked to submit your anonymised CV and a supporting statement. Please refer to the essential criteria on the person specification and clearly provide as much information as you can with examples, to demonstrate how and where you meet the criteria.

If you’ve any immediate questions please contact us. 

Our commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion

We’re committed to promoting equity, valuing diversity and creating an inclusive environment – for everyone who works for us, works with us, supports us and who 
we support.

We reserve the right to close this advert early. Therefore, to avoid disappointment please submit your application as soon as possible, if you’re interested in this opportunity.

Closing date Friday 3 July 2026 9am
Interview dates Wednesday 15 and Thursday 16 July 2026

External Communications Manager

Salary: £40,000–£42,000 FTE
Hours: 30 hours per week
Location: Remote, with regular travel to FitzRoy services, team and stakeholder meetings as agreed. The role requires attendance in London once per month and applicants must be able to commute to services in Norfolk, Nottingham and Hampshire.
Reports to: Head of Communications
Directorate: Business Development and Partnerships

FitzRoy is a national charity supporting people with learning disabilities, autism and mental health needs to live lives rooted in choice, meaning and happiness.

We are strengthening our external voice and looking for a confident, perceptive and warm communicator to help more people understand FitzRoy’s expertise and impact and increase our influence.

This is a moment of change for social care. We want to play a more active role in shaping its future, ensuring the people at the heart of it are seen, heard and involved in the decisions that matter.

About the role

As External Communications Manager, you will help build FitzRoy’s profile and reputation by identifying the stories, insight and opportunities that show what good support looks like in real life.

You will work closely with the Head of Communications, fundraising, business development and operational colleagues to turn external communications priorities into practical plans, content and opportunities.

This is a delivery role with real influence. You will be expected to bring ideas, advise colleagues, shape practical plans and turn opportunities into action.

What you will do

You will:

• develop proactive external communications activity that raises awareness of FitzRoy’s work, expertise and impact
• spot opportunities for FitzRoy to contribute constructively to sector conversations
• identify realistic opportunities for media, sector press, partner or local coverage
• gather stories, photos, video and quotes that help people understand what good support looks like in real life
• use social media, website content, audience insight and analytics to strengthen FitzRoy’s external profile

About you

You may come from charity communications, PR, journalism, public affairs, stakeholder communications or another external communications background.

You do not need to have worked in social care before, but you will need to be interested in people, willing to learn quickly and able to handle stories about people’s lives with care, respect and good judgement.

We are looking for someone who is:

• an excellent writer and editor
• confident developing clear, accessible content for different audiences
• warm, curious and able to build rapport quickly
• able to spot strong stories, ideas and opportunities
• confident creating social media and website content shaped by audience insight
• comfortable working independently and managing competing priorities
• able to think strategically about audiences and influence, while being practical about what can be delivered in a small team
• confident gathering content including photos, videos and quotes
• willing and able to travel to FitzRoy services and meetings as needed

A full clean driving licence and access to a car for work travel are required, as some services are not easily accessible by public transport.

Working at FitzRoy

You will join a small, friendly communications team with big ambitions. This role will suit someone who enjoys a mix of planning, writing, relationship-building, story-gathering and hands-on delivery.

You will help us show the difference good support makes – and help ensure the voices, experiences and achievements of people with learning disabilities, autism and mental health needs are seen and heard.

How to apply

To apply, please submit your application and a covering letter.

We do not expect your covering letter to address every point in the person specification. We would like you to tell us:

• what interests you about this role and FitzRoy
• three things you would bring to the role
• a piece of communications work you are proud of and why
• how you approach using social media, website content and audience insight to build external profile
• how you would approach telling stories about people’s lives with care, respect and good judgement

If you are using AI tools to write your application, please use them with caution. We are looking for your own voice and writing style.

Marie Curie is the UK’s leading end-of-life charity. We are the largest non-NHS provider of end-of-life care in the UK, the only provider across all 4 nations, delivering community nursing and end of life care, while providing information and support on all aspects of dying, death, and bereavement. Our leading research pushes the boundaries of what we know about good end-of-life, and our campaigns fight for a world where everyone gets to have the best possible quality of life while living with an illness, they’re likely to die from.

Our communications department develops and implements the Marie Curie external communications strategy that embeds our corporate identity and reputation in a strategic manner amongst the public, stakeholders, communities, media and regulatory arena.

As our Head of Communications, you will play a leading role in helping grow and position Marie Curie as the expert in end-of-life care, increasing our audience, influence and amplifying our voice. This is a unique opportunity to shape the conversation around end-of-life care, using the power of communications to drive change and make a meaningful impact in a truly mission-driven organisation.

Your Impact: 

• Develop, implement and manage our external communications in line with our organisational strategy and values.
• Work closely in collaboration across directorates and initiatives, ensuring our messaging is aligned and effective.
• Together with the Director Corporate and Strategic Communications and the Head of PR and Media, lead in periods of crisis communications with response plans and key messages.
• Lead, guide and develop the communications team.

Key Criteria:

• Experience in a similar role, creating and delivering organisation wide communication plans that support business objectives.
• Strong track record of leading on major communication campaigns, including change communications.
• Experience managing, leading and developing a team.
• Experience working in a complex organisation, bringing together and aligning different departments.
• Excellent interpersonal and leadership skills, with the ability to develop strong relationships and influence across all levels.
• Strong project management skills with experience aligning and managing campaigns, projects and products to organisational objectives.

Please see the full job description .

Application & Interview Process

• As part of your online application, you will be asked for a CV and supplementary details. Please review both the advert and job description and outline your most relevant skills, experience and knowledge for the role.
• Close date for applications: Monday 29 June. We encourage early applications as we may close the job advert sooner after receiving a sufficient number of applications.

Salary: £58,500 - 65,000 depending on experience.

Contract:  Full time, permanent.

Based:  UK homebased. Occasional travel to our headquarters in London will be required.

At Marie Curie, our values are central to everything we do. They guide how we care for people, how we work together, and how we make decisions every day. We are committed to creating a workplace that is safe for everyone — staff and volunteers alike — supportive, inclusive and rewarding.  We take stringent steps to ensure that anyone who joins our organisation are suitable for their roles and are committed to safeguarding all our people from harm. We actively consider our impact on the planet, embedding sustainability into everyday decisions to create a lasting, positive difference for the individuals we care for and the world we share.

We believe everyone should have the opportunity to thrive and fulfil their potential. Marie Curie is deeply committed to diversity, equity and inclusion, recognising both the social justice imperative and the strength a diverse workforce brings.  We actively encourage applications from people of all cultures, perspectives and lived experiences.

We are happy to make reasonable adjustments throughout the recruitment process. If you require any support, please contact us at .

Every application we receive is personally reviewed by a member of our Talent Acquisition team, and in return, we ask that your application authentically reflects you — your experience, perspective and voice.

Salary: £27,180 – £33,580 per annum

Hours: 35 per week

Contract: FTC – 12 months Maternity Cover

Location: Home Based – some UK travel will be required

Job reference number: 1719

We are looking to recruit a Communications Officer to support and lead on Cranstoun’s communications output. The role is offered as a fixed-term until July 2027 as maternity cover, with immediate availability preferred.

The successful candidate will join a small team and work with the Head of Communications to coordinate internal and external communications, including media relations. They will be a key member of our team, working to promote high quality digital output via social media and the opportunity to work and manage projects.

You will have excellent writing and oral skills and be confident in communicating sensitive topics externally to press and the public.

Raising the profile of our services nationwide and locally is key to the way we continue to grow the work that we do. The Communications Officer will work closely with local partners, including commissioners to promote the work that happens in our services. They will also support our campaigning work.

This role is a great opportunity to grow and develop communications and PR skills across a wide range of areas in the social justice space that Cranstoun works in. Those areas are: Alcohol & Other Drugs, Children & Young People, Criminal Justice, Domestic Abuse and Housing & Homelessness.

This role will be remote with the opportunity to travel nationwide.

This post is subject to a Standard DBS check.

For more details and to apply, please visit our website via the apply button.

Closing date: 24 June 2026.

We are an inclusive employer, committed to promoting equality and diversity in all areas of our work. 

Registered Charity No: 1061582 

Digital Communications Coordinator 
Location: Hybrid (typically 3 days in the office), central Manchester with occasional travel 
Contract: Permanent, full-time 
Salary: £25,000 - £30,000 
Closing date: 10am, Monday 13th July 2026 

About Belong 

Belong – The Cohesion and Integration Network is a national organisation working to strengthen social cohesion and integration across the UK. Through research, policy development and place-based programmes, we bring people together, support communities and champion approaches that help create a more connected and less divided society. 

Belong is entering an exciting new phase of growth. With a strengthened national profile, an ambitious strategy and a passionate team, we are looking for talented people who share our commitment to creating positive change. 

About the Role 

As Digital Communications Coordinator, you will play an important role in helping Belong communicate its work, impact and ideas to a growing national audience. Working closely with the Communications & Engagement Manager and wider team, you will support the delivery of digital communications that raise awareness of Belong’s work and strengthen engagement with communities, partners and stakeholders. 

This varied role combines content creation, digital communications and audience engagement. You will support social media activity, website content and email communications, helping to ensure Belong’s messages are communicated clearly, consistently and creatively across a range of channels. You will also contribute to communications planning, create digital assets, support website updates and help coordinate newsletters and wider engagement activity. 

This is an excellent opportunity for someone who enjoys creating engaging content, bringing ideas to life and working across a range of projects that contribute to positive social change. 

About You 

You will be an organised and proactive individual with experience managing social media channels and supporting digital communications activities, ideally within a charity, public policy, research or wider social impact environment. 

You will have strong written communication skills, excellent attention to detail and the ability to manage multiple priorities effectively. You will be confident creating content for different audiences, using digital platforms and tools, and working collaboratively with colleagues and external partners. 

Most importantly, you will be passionate about Belong’s mission and values. You will bring creativity, curiosity and a solutions-focused approach, alongside a genuine desire to learn and develop within a communications and engagement role. 

Benefits 

• 30 days’ annual leave per year 

• Hybrid working (typically 3 days in the office) 

• Enhanced sick pay 

• Enhanced maternity and paternity pay 

How to Apply 

Please click ‘Apply’ to be redirected to our recruitment partner's site, where you can download the Candidate Information Pack and find details of how to apply. As part of your application, you will be asked to answer three questions. 

1. Please tell us about a communications project, campaign or piece of content that you are particularly proud of and the role you played in its success. (max. 300 words) 

1. Please describe a situation where you had to communicate with or engage a range of different audiences to achieve a positive outcome. (max. 300 words) 

1. Belong works with people, communities and organisations from a wide range of backgrounds and perspectives. What values or principles guide how you communicate and engage with others? (max. 300 words) 

Deadline: 10am on Monday 13th July 2026 
Interviews:   21st or 22nd July 2026 (in-person in Manchester)

For questions or to arrange an informal conversation, please contact Atkinson HR Consulting.

Belong’s Commitment to Inclusion 

Belong is committed to equity, diversity and inclusion. We welcome applications from people of all backgrounds and particularly encourage individuals from communities under-represented in the charity sector to apply. Impostor syndrome can disproportionately impact candidates from marginalised groups—if you are unsure whether to apply, we encourage you to do so.

EIA is seeking to recruit an Outreach and Communications Officer to strengthen the visibility, influence and coordination of its climate campaign.

The role sits at the intersection of communications, public affairs and stakeholder engagement. The postholder will focus on translating and amplifying EIA’s policy and advocacy work through media, stakeholder engagement and external positioning. An important aspect of the role will be to support engagement and coordination with EIA partners, to build the movement and amplify their efforts.

The postholder will not be responsible for developing detailed policy positions or leading policy campaigns but will work closely with the campaigns team to ensure EIA’s analysis and priorities are effectively communicated and reach key audiences.

Key areas of responsibility

Media and strategic communications

· Support the development and delivery of communications strategies aligned with campaign priorities

· Build and maintain relationships with journalists, editors and key media outlets

· Identify strategic opportunities for media engagement and external visibility, particularly around key policy moments

· Shape narratives, draft and place op-eds, comment pieces and reactive media lines

· Translate campaign priorities and technical analysis into clear, compelling messaging for media, policymakers and external stakeholders

· Contribute to campaign strategy by advising on outreach, positioning and narrative development.

Stakeholder engagement

· Support the development and maintenance of relationships with policymakers, including Members of the European Parliament (MEPs), Members of the British Parliament, European Union institutions and other relevant stakeholders

· Support campaigners in planning and delivering stakeholder engagement, including preparing messaging and coordinating meetings

· Support the organisation of events, including identifying and securing speakers and managing outreach and invitations

· Attend key international meetings and fora (e.g. COP, Montreal Protocol) to identify strategic developments and key messages, and produce timely communications outputs, including media lines, briefings and stakeholder updates.

Coalition and network coordination

· Support engagement with subgrantees, including onboarding, facilitating their integration into relevant coalitions and ensuring alignment with EIA’s communications and outreach objectives

· Act as a point of contact for subgrantees on coordination and communications

· Support coordination across partners and stakeholders during key moments, ensuring alignment on messaging and effective external engagement.

Person Specification

Essential

· Demonstrated experience in communications, public affairs, campaigning or media work within NGOs, civil society or advocacy organisations

· Proven experience engaging with journalists and securing media coverage

· Understanding of global and EU climate change policy and/or environmental governance

· Ability to analyse political and policy contexts and translate them into clear, strategic messaging

· Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to produce high-quality content for different audiences

· Strong organisational skills and ability to manage multiple priorities

· Professionalism and ability to work collaboratively within a team

· Fluency in English, with knowledge of additional languages an advantage

· Ability to travel at short notice

The Role

What we're looking for

Essential criteria:

• Excellent project management, communication, presentation skills, report writing and drafting skills
• High level of initiative, problem solving and decision-making skills
• Excellent organisation skills and attention to detail
• Excellent ability to build, develop and maintain working relationships with other team members and with senior internal and external stakeholders
• Excellent analytical, computer and database skills

Please see the job description for more details.

What's in it for you

Are you an experienced fundraiser and communicator ready to make a meaningful impact? Nottingham Women’s Centre is seeking a talented Fundraising and Communications Manager to play a key role in our next phase of growth and development.

At Nottingham Women’s Centre, we are a vibrant, feminist organisation dedicated to supporting women to overcome barriers, amplify their voices and build better futures. Through a wide range of services – including counselling, advice, courses, wellbeing activities and campaigning – we create opportunities for women to thrive.

The Fundraising and Communications Manager will lead the delivery of our fundraising and communications strategy, helping to increase income, engagement and visibility. You’ll build and manage a small team, oversee integrated campaigns, and drive forward diverse income streams, including trusts and grants, digital fundraising, major gifts, community and corporate partnerships and events. You’ll also play a central role in shaping supporter journeys and strengthening relationships with funders, partners and stakeholders.

We’re looking for someone with a strong track record of delivering successful fundraising activity, excellent communication and copywriting skills, and experience of managing people and projects. You’ll be confident using insight and data to guide decision-making and maximise impact. A commitment to feminist values and equality is essential.

In return, you’ll join a supportive, values-led organisation where your ideas and contributions are genuinely valued. We offer flexible and hybrid working, generous annual leave, a strong focus on wellbeing, and opportunities to engage in wider organisational and community work.

This is an exciting opportunity to shape the future of a growing organisation and contribute to life-changing work for women across Nottingham.

Please review the full Fundraising and Communications Manager job description below for further details.

Are you a confident digital communicator with a passion for fundraising and social impact? Nottingham Women’s Centre is looking for a Fundraising and Digital Communications Officer to help grow our digital presence and income, supporting life-changing work for women across Nottingham.

We are a vibrant, feminist organisation dedicated to helping women overcome barriers, amplify their voices and build better futures. Through services including counselling, advice, wellbeing activities and campaigning, we create opportunities for women to thrive.

The Fundraising and Digital Communications Officer will lead on delivering engaging digital fundraising and communications activity. You’ll manage email marketing and social media channels, grow our online audiences, and create compelling campaigns that increase awareness, engagement and donations. Working closely with colleagues, you’ll ensure a consistent and effective digital presence across fundraising, services and campaigns.

You’ll also play a key role in improving supporter journeys, using data and insight to optimise campaigns, segment audiences and maximise impact. Alongside this, you’ll contribute to the ongoing development of our CRM and digital platforms, helping to strengthen how we connect with supporters.

We’re looking for someone with experience in digital marketing and fundraising, strong copywriting skills, and confidence using tools such as email marketing platforms and social media scheduling and analytics tools. You’ll be organised, creative and comfortable managing multiple campaigns, with a strong commitment to equality and feminist values.

You’ll join a supportive, values-led organisation where your work will have a direct and meaningful impact. We offer flexible and hybrid working, generous leave, and a strong focus on wellbeing and collaboration.

This is a great opportunity to grow your career while helping deliver vital services for women.

Please review the full Fundraising and Digital Communications Officer job description below for further details.

Company Description

Marie Curie is the UK’s leading end-of-life charity. We are the largest non-NHS provider of end-of-life care in the UK, the only provider across all 4 nations, delivering community nursing and hospice care across the country, while providing information and support on all aspects of dying, death, and bereavement. Our leading research pushes the boundaries of what we know about good end-of-life, and our campaigns fight for a world where everyone gets to have the best possible quality of life while living with an illness, they’re likely to die from. 

Team and role overview 

At Marie Curie, our Case for Support team plays a vital role in the delivery of our strategy and supporting fundraising growth, by creating compelling cases for support and innovative propositions for our highest-value campaigns. Working alongside passionate, purpose-driven professionals, you’ll help us maximize impact and create meaningful connections with our supporters. 

As a Case for Support Lead, you will be instrumental in developing impactful narratives that resonate with our supporters and drive our mission forward. Your work will provide essential, up-to-date information about our clinical services, research and policy work. This will support all fundraising teams to build accurate and inspiring fundraising campaigns. By identifying funding opportunities and crafting tailored cases for support, you’ll ensure that our high-value fundraising teams continue to achieve transformational impact. 

What you will be doing:

• Create compelling case for support narratives about all aspects of Marie Curie’s work, articulating the need, solution, and impact for various audiences. 
• Collaborate with service, policy, and research teams to gain a deep understanding of their work and goals, gathering insights to support funding applications and campaigns. 
• Work closely with high-value income streams, supporting Trusts & Foundations, Philanthropy and Corporate teams by coordinating with internal stakeholders to develop compelling propositions. 
• Provide all fundraising teams with accurate, self-service information, including writing narratives and interpreting data. 
• Delivery of online Discovery Sessions with fundraising teams to improve their understanding of our cause. 

What we are looking for: 

• Proven experience in fundraising, service delivery, cause-led communications, or evaluation work. 
• Creative thinker with an independent, autonomous approach to work. 
• Strong communication skills to inspire others and positively influence opinions, with the ability to gain respect at all levels and drive practical, meaningful change. 
• Skilled at understanding and interpreting complex information and data and articulating it in a compelling way, both in writing and verbally. 
• Excellent people skills with a proven ability to integrate quickly into complex organizations. 
• Financial literacy with experience in interpreting budget information. 

Please see the full job description  

Additional Information

Application & Interview Process 

• As part of your online application, you will be asked for a CV and supplementary details. Please review both the advert and job description and outline your most relevant skills, experience and knowledge for the role. 
• Close date for applications but may close early: 2nd July 2026 
• Interviews due to take place 9th and 13th July2026 

** Important we encourage you to apply early as we may close the job advert sooner after receiving a sufficient number of suitable applications**. 

Salary: £36,900 to £39,900 

Contract:Permanent Full-Time 35 hours per week

Based: Remote based within the United Kingdom, occasional travel may be required travel costs covered 

Benefits you’ll LOVE: 

• Flexible working. We’re happy to discuss flexible working at the interview stage. 
• 25 days annual leave (exclusive of Bank Holidays) 
• Marie Curie Group Personal Pension Scheme (we will match your contribution up to 7.5%) 
• Loan schemes for bikes; computers and season tickets 
• Continuous professional development opportunities. 
• Industry-leading training programmes 
• Wellbeing and Employee Assistance Programmes 
• Enhanced bereavement, family friendly and sickness benefits 
• Access to Blue Light Card membership 
• Subsidised Eye Care 

At Marie Curie, our values are central to everything we do. They guide how we care for people, how we work together, and how we make decisions every day. We are committed to creating a workplace that is safe for everyone — staff and volunteers alike — supportive, inclusive and rewarding.  We take stringent steps to ensure that anyone who joins our organisation are suitable for their roles and are committed to safeguarding all our people from harm. We actively consider our impact on the planet, embedding sustainability into everyday decisions to create a lasting, positive difference for the individuals we care for and the world we share.

We believe everyone should have the opportunity to thrive and fulfil their potential. Marie Curie is deeply committed to diversity, equity and inclusion, recognising both the social justice imperative and the strength a diverse workforce brings.  We actively encourage applications from people of all cultures, perspectives and lived experiences.

We are happy to make reasonable adjustments throughout the recruitment process. If you require any support, please contact us at .

Every application we receive is personally reviewed by a member of our Talent Acquisition team, and in return, we ask that your application authentically reflects you — your experience, perspective and voice.

Hours: 37.5 hours per week

Location: London, UK (Hybrid – 50% office attendance)

Summary Purpose - what you will be achieving:

The Policy Directorate brings together the Academy’s policy, analysis and external affairs functions to address major science and health policy issues in the UK and internationally. The Directorate works as a single, coordinated team, focusing resources on priority areas, applying strategic approaches, generating high-quality evidence and insights, and engaging effectively with government, stakeholders and partners to inform decision-making and influence policy.

You will lead and integrate the Academy’s external affairs function—spanning policy influence, parliamentary and government engagement, and sector engagement through FORUM—to strengthen our reach, visibility and impact.

By drawing on the Academy’s Fellowship, networks and reputation, you will ensure coherence across all external-facing policy activities and play a senior leadership role in delivering the Academy’s transformation priorities. You will position the Academy as an authoritative voice on medical science and health, and ensure that our external engagement is strategic, aligns with the wider organisation’s approach to stakeholder management, and strengthens our influence.

About the Role

Strategic leadership across external affairs

• Lead and integrate policy engagement and relationships to deliver a coherent external affairs strategy.
• Ensure alignment between external affairs activities related to policy and wider Academy strategic priorities (through COO).
• Provide strategic advice on public affairs opportunities, political risk, reputational management and external positioning.

Team leadership, governance and performance

• Lead a unified external affairs team, embedding KPI-driven planning, performance management and evaluation.
• Build capability, progression pathways and consistent project management approaches within the team.
• Manage political risk on behalf of the Academy, ensuring effective governance, narrative discipline and coherent external messaging.
• Ensure cross-Academy planning and alignment between external affairs, policy development, policy analysis, communications and engagement functions.

Strategic programme and portfolio leadership

• Oversee priority influencing programmes, ensuring coherence, sequencing and impactful delivery.
• Provide external-facing leadership for high-profile programmes.
• Support cross-sector initiatives and commissions by providing strategic political insight and external influence.

Political, parliamentary and institutional influence

• Lead the Academy’s UK parliamentary and government engagement strategy, including select committee interactions, parliamentary briefings and relationship building with MPs, Peers and parliamentary staff.
• Position the Academy as an authoritative voice on medical science, policy priorities and the wider health system.
• Build and sustain high-level influencing relationships across parliament and political parties, national bodies, arm’s-length agencies, health systems and sector leaders.

FORUM and commercial

• Oversee and evolve the Academy’s FORUM to align with policy priorities and maximise its impact as a neutral, cross-sector convening space exploring scientific innovation, technological trends and strategic priorities shaping UK healthcare.
• Lead the transformation of FORUM into a leading UK convenor, including membership growth, securing contributions from organisations, and delivering at least six high-quality convenings per year.
• Contribute to income-generating initiatives within approved budgets and ensure external-facing activities support organisational sustainability.

Leadership within the organisation

• As a member of the Academy Leadership Team (Heads and Directors), contribute to organisational strategy, cultural development and the transformation programme.
• Provide senior leadership on organisational measurement, impact reporting and securing external funding.

Financial and governance responsibilities

• Oversee budgets associated with external affairs and related programmes.
• Ensure compliance with governance processes, financial controls and risk management.

Requirements

• Strong track record in public affairs, political strategy or policy influencing, with demonstrable success securing policy adoption and measurable outcomes.
• Experience leading communications, media or public-facing activity in a complex environment.
• Understanding of the UK science, research and public health landscape, including inequalities, national strategies and institutional dynamics.
• Proven experience managing teams, building capability and integrating multidisciplinary functions.

Benefits

We provide our staff with a comprehensive benefits package outlined as follows:

Competitive rewards

• Generous pension scheme with flexible contributions – we contribute between 8% - 13% of your gross salary (with employee contributions of 3% - 8%).
• Life assurance at three times your salary.

Work-life Balance

• Hybrid and agile working. 50% office attendance.
• 26 days annual leave, plus Christmas closure days and bank holidays.
• Buying and selling leave.
• Family-friendly policies including enhanced maternity and paternity leave (subject to a qualifying period).

Wellbeing and Development

• Complimentary subscriptions to Headspace and Classpass to support your physical and mental wellbeing.
• Support through tailored learning and development.

Additional Benefits

• A range of enhanced benefits become available once you’ve completed your probation period.

For more information and to apply, please visit our careers portal.

Closing date: 9:00am on Monday 22 June 2026.

Interviews will likely be held w/c 6 July 2026.

• ​Job Title - Communications & Engagement Lead
• Responsible to - Chief Executive Officer
• Salary - £23,000 actual (based on £31,500 full time)
• Contract - Part-Time (28 hours per week) - From time to time, you may be required to work some evenings and weekends. These are usually communicated well in advance and the time will be given back to you in lieu. We expect team members to work in-person 60% of the time whether that’s at our office in MediaCity or at our delivery locations in Greater Manchester. This is a one-year fixed-term contract, with the likelihood of renewal subject to funding availability.

Important dates

• Applications to be received by 11pm on Sunday 5 July 2026 
• Video Screening to be complete by 11pm on Thursday 9 July 2026 
• Interviews held on Monday 20 and Tuesday 21 July 2026.

ABOUT YOUTH LEADS UK

Youth Leads UK is an award-winning charity that believes young people matter. We support young people furthest from opportunity to build skills, create change, and shape the decisions that affect their lives – from classrooms to communities to boardrooms. We run leadership programmes, deliver social action projects, and publish Youth Leads Magazine – a platform for youth voice and creativity.

Working with thousands of young people across Greater Manchester for over a decade, we are experts in enabling young people to step outside their comfort zones, build real-world skills and grow in confidence. We back young people to lead, in our programmes, in policy spaces and in shaping Britain's future.

Please see our website ‘About Us’ page for more information about our vision, mission and values.

WHY WORK WITH US?

At Youth Leads UK, we believe in creating an environment that helps you thrive both personally and professionally. We offer 30 days of annual leave (including bank holidays) and a part-closure over Christmas and New Year. Our wellbeing programme includes regular socials and time for mental health initiatives, and our base at MediaCity, one of Greater Manchester's most vibrant and sustainable locations, ensures a positive and connected working environment.

We are deeply committed to diversity, equality, and inclusion. That’s why we are a Living Wage Employer, signed up to the Greater Manchester Good Employer’s Charter, and the #ShowTheSalary campaign. It’s important to us that our staff team reflects the communities we serve. We guarantee interviews for our Youth Leads UK alumni, care experienced or disabled individuals, so please let us know in your application if you meet this criteria. We promote equal opportunities and we value the unique perspectives of diverse team members.

As a youth-led organisation, we prioritise employing individuals under 30, aligning with our mission to foster strong connections and relatability with the young people we support. This is in accordance with the Equality Act and reflects our belief in empowering young voices to shape our work. 
 

ROLE SUMMARY

This is the lead communications role at Youth Leads UK - the person who holds our voice, shapes our stories, and makes sure the world hears what our young people are doing and why it matters.

Working closely with the CEO and eventually supported by two Youth Content Creators, you will own the communications and engagement function across all channels and audiences. You will set the tone, maintain the brand, lead our campaigns, and ensure everything we put out reflects who we are and what we stand for.
 

WHAT YOU’LL BE DOING

Strategy and brand

• Own the Youth Leads UK communications strategy, ensuring our channels, campaigns, and content are coherent, consistent, and purposeful
• Act as the guardian of our brand — maintaining voice, tone, and visual identity across everything we produce
• Work closely with the CEO to align communications activity with organisational priorities and the Generation:NOW strategy
• Analyse performance across channels and use insight to inform what we do next

Campaigns and content

• Lead the development and delivery of youth-led campaigns on issues that matter to our communities - from mental health and civic participation to cost of living and representation
• Oversee the planning and production of Youth Leads Magazine - three editions per year, created by and for young people
• Lead on long-form and strategic content including press releases, impact reports, website articles, and stakeholder communications
• Set the brief for social media content and oversee delivery by the Youth Content Creators, ensuring quality, consistency, and brand alignment
• Manage email communications including newsletters and stakeholder updates

Developing young people

• Provide day-to-day communications direction to two Youth Content Creators — setting briefs, reviewing content, and ensuring brand consistency
• Actively mentor and develop the Youth Content Creators, helping them build skills, confidence, and understanding of professional communications practice. The youth content creators will be line managed by the Head of Programmes, who you will work closely with
• Champion youth voice across all communications output, ensuring young people are authentically represented and genuinely involved in how we tell our story

Media and public profile

• Build and maintain relationships with journalists, editors, and media contacts across local, regional, and national outlets
• Draft and issue press releases, media statements, and reactive comments
• Identify and pursue opportunities to place youth voice in public debate - through opinion pieces, broadcast appearances, panel contributions, and more
• Support the CEO and young people to prepare for media appearances and public-facing engagements

Communicating our impact

• Work with the wider team to translate programme outcomes, data, and young people’s stories into compelling content for a range of audiences
• Produce materials that communicate Youth Leads UK’s impact clearly and powerfully to partners, funders, and the public
• Ensure our digital presence - website, social channels, email - reflects the quality and ambition of our work

OTHER AREAS OF RESPONSIBILITY

• Ensure young people play a strong leadership role across our work
• Keep up to date on new developments and trends within the youth sector
• Administrative duties as required, such as minute-taking, arranging travel and booking venues
• Representing Youth Leads UK at conferences and events
• Act as an ambassador for the organisation
• Ensure Youth Leads UK’s Health and Safety and Safeguarding and any other appropriate policies are adhered to where necessary
• Take reasonable care of your own health and safety and that of others who might be affected by your work as required by law and described in the relevant operating policies and procedures
• Be committed to safeguarding principles and be willing to put the welfare of children and young people at the forefront of your work
• An understanding and belief in the inclusion of all staff, partners and young people irrespective of race, gender, sexuality, age, religion, ability, identity and experience
• Actively promotes and embeds an understanding of equality, diversity, and an inclusive culture
• Able to take personal accountability for key work areas

KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS REQUIRED

ESSENTIAL

• Strong writing skills - able to produce compelling content across formats, from social media captions to press releases to long-form articles
• Experience developing and delivering communications strategies or campaigns
• Solid understanding of brand, voice, and audience - and how to maintain consistency across channels
• Experience managing or overseeing social media channels for an organisation or campaign
• Ability to use analytics to evaluate performance and make informed decisions about future activity
• Experience writing press releases or supporting media and press engagement
• Confidence building relationships with journalists, media contacts, or external stakeholders
• Excellent organisational skills - able to manage multiple priorities, meet deadlines, and maintain quality under pressure
• Genuine commitment to youth empowerment, social justice, and amplifying underrepresented voices
• Experience with video content production or editing
• Understanding of safeguarding principles when working with young people (training provided)

DESIRABLE

• Proficiency in Canva for creating and adapting branded content
• Experience with email marketing tools and understanding of what makes an effective newsletter or stakeholder communication
• Experience using Adobe Lightroom, Photoshop, or similar tools (training available)
• Experience working in or with the charity, public, or youth sector
• Understanding of civic leadership, social action, or community engagement
• Experience directing, briefing, or supporting others to deliver communications work
• Familiarity with website content management systems
• Experience mentoring or developing junior colleagues or young people

We recruit based on potential, not polish - so don’t worry if one or two of the above are missing - most things can be taught!

ORGANISATIONAL INFORMATION

Youth Leads UK has a small yet mighty team, so you may be required to take on other duties and responsibilities from time to time.

All staff are expected to:

• Adhere to the policies and procedures in the Youth Leads UK staff policy handbook.
• Maintain confidentiality at all times in line with organisational policies.
• Successfully complete an enhanced DBS check and provide two independent references before appointment.
• Actively promote an inclusive and diverse culture within the organisation.

The post holder must have confirmation of eligibility to work in the UK (the successful candidate will be required to provide documentary evidence before a job offer is confirmed).

This role requires that you are resident and have the right to work in the UK.

About NEON  

NEON is a not-for-profit organisation that exists to help social justice movements win. We build capacity and infrastructure to accelerate the transition to a new economy. We work across a wide range of progressive issues including climate, housing, healthcare and migration. Across our three hubs (movement building, communications and operations) we support a network of over 1000 movement organisations working towards political and social justice in the UK. 

This role is anchored within NEON’s Comms Hub. Established 10 years ago, the Comms Hub is a powerful, effective, pillar of the UK’s progressive communications infrastructure. The Hub convenes, networks, and books progressive spokespeople into the media at scale (averaging 1,500-2,000 media bookings a year), produces clear, usable tested messaging guidance that cuts through, and trains comms professionals (around 500 people annually). Our team serves as a go-to resource for strategic comms advice and planning, and crisis-comms support for groups across the progressive movement. NEON’s Comms Hub is relied on by a wide-range of organisations: from grassroots campaigners to expert insiders.  The Comms Hub has five programmes, and Digital will be the sixth programme.

Read more about the structure of the Comms Hub here, before applying. 

Purpose of this role

The Head of Digital is an exciting new role at NEON. This role will be responsible for designing and running a flagship new digital programme, that will sit at the heart of NEON’s Communications Hub. The aim of the digital programme will be to help connect, strengthen and scale the UK’s progressive digital comms infrastructure. 

Right now, progressive movements are losing the "air game" to far-right voices who are effectively using podcasts, social media, new media platforms and smart, aggressive, experimental digital strategies to dominate and shape national debates. 

Working closely with our experienced Comms Hub team, and our trusted networks, this role is a unique opportunity to be part of building the digital comms networks, skills and strategies progressive movements need to take on the rising far right – and win. 

At NEON, that would mean: convening and co-ordinating communities of digital comms experts, creators, editors and strategists; designing and delivering effective targeted digital skills training that will build capacity and confidence; supporting our 24/7 spokesperson and media booking team by setting up effective clipping and distribution programmes; and identifying opportunities to collaborate with our partners to run high-impact reactive digital strategies that shift the conversation. 

What you’ll be doing: 

The successful candidate will play an active role in shaping the strategy and focus of this programme, as well as the sequencing of the roll out of key workstreams. However, this role is likely to be anchored around the following key responsibilities. In this role, you will: 

1. Lead the strategy development and delivery of the new digital comms programme, alongside the Co-Directors of the Comms Hub.

2. Set up and manage a supportive, reactive social media unit within our existing Spokesperson Network, with the support of our Media and Messaging teams. This unit will clip interviews and create original content for our established network of spokespeople, and help to secure bookings in new digital-first media outlets. 

3. Work closely with the whole Comms Hub team, to design and convene a powerful co-ordinated network of progressive creators and influencers. Built from our existing spokesperson pool, as well as new networks, members of this digital creator network will be individuals with the backing of social movements and the reach, potential and positioning to shape the national debate. Together with the Heads of Messaging, Training and Media, you will help to provide this network with hands-on training and strategy support, evidence-based messaging, and traditional and new media booking opportunities. 

4. Design and oversee a strategic, effective suite of digital training offers, designed to upskill influential progressive spokespeople, movements and groups, at scale. This will include shaping our existing training programmes, as well as designing and developing new offers. This could include: a half-day follow-up to our flagship 3-day spokesperson training, a one-day digital strategy training for comms teams within our networks, and shaping our bespoke, issue-specific and crisis-focused trainings to support groups dealing with online-hate or abuse. This workstream will be supported by our Head of Training, relevant Comms Hub team members and delivered with the support of external consultant trainers. 

5. Identify opportunities to trial and run effective digital ‘experiments’ with partners and movement groups within the Comms Hub. For example, this could look like collaborating with a network of migrants-rights groups to create co-ordinated digital content to push-back against a far-right attack at a moment of ‘whirlwind’. Or spotting an opportunity to work with the Head of Messaging to trial a new AI-driven platform to A/B test messaging in targeted ads during a movement campaign on wealth taxes. 

6. Set up a network of consultants to support and deliver the core programme workstreams including: freelance videographers, editors, digital strategists and trainers. 

7. Provide on-going 1:1 support to our spokespeople and allied organisations, particularly during moments of crisis and ‘whirl-wind’.

8. Provide regular insights to our partners on the digital trends shaping public opinion and national discourse. 

9. Play an active role in the wider Comms Hub strategy and day-to-day operations, including attending our weekly strategy meetings,  feeding into key messaging and narrative development projects, and supporting delivery across the hub. 

10. Oversee and the digital programme’s finances and budget on a month-to-month basis, and the programmes’ Fundraising Strategy, with the support of the Co-Directors of Comms and the Head of Fundraising. 

11. Play an active part in the wider NEON team, contributing to organisation-wide plans. 

Who you are: 

You will be someone with:

• 5–10 years’ experience in digital comms, including developing and deploying a strategy for multi-year multi-project programmes of work

• A track record of creating innovative, high-impact digital campaigns and content that push forward a progressive agenda

• Hands-on experience of creating shareable and persuasive video and digital content, campaigns and strategies that cut through, reache new audiences at scale, mobilise movements and persuade new audiences of progressive ideas

• A strong understanding of digital media, and a natural enthusiasm for tracking and responding to new trends in a fast-changing digital media landscape 

• Someone who enjoys piloting new approaches, experimenting with new techniques and quickly jumping on opportunities to tell compelling progressive stories online.

• Experience developing the tone, positioning and personal brand of an organisation, spokesperson or individual online.

• A strong understanding of the news agenda – you’ll enjoy being plugged in to how online conversations are changing, and be able to quickly jump on opportunities to tell a compelling alternative progressive story. 

• Experience collaborating with creators, influencers, and a range of partners to deliver creative, hard-hitting campaigns, grow reach, drive action and really change minds

• A strong understanding of different audience types, and experience adapting messaging and using digital testing methods to assess impact and improve performance.

• Experience designing and running effective, inclusive training for diverse groups of people, with the ability to help others land powerful, shareable content too.

• Politically aware and motivated by progressive causes, with a commitment to centring anti-oppression in your work and helping ensure people — especially those from marginalised backgrounds — stay safe online and get their voices heard.

• Excellent team-working and relationship-building skills, with experience building networks, making connections and working across differences.

• Experience of fundraising, including building and maintaining funder relationships and making a compelling case for projects to a range of stakeholders.

We know that people from certain backgrounds and identities are often excluded in progressive movements and we’re committed to doing what we can to correct this. 

So:

1. We particularly welcome applications from marginalised groups, especially people of colour and other ethnic minorities, people who identify as LGBTQIA, Disabled people and those who identify as working class or have done so in the past.

2. We know the work goes way beyond "diversity", it's about making the space inclusive too. So we are continuously working on that at NEON. So far this includes tangible things like a flexible work policy so people have genuine flexibility around where and when they work and a 28 hour week as standard; a gender-neutral parenting/leave policy, an anti-oppression strategy which is held at senior level given how important it is to the organisation. It also includes the day-to-day work of creating psychological safety for everyone at NEON and celebrating the wisdom of black, indigenous, queer, Disabled and other cultures in the way we work and behave

There are no formal education requirements for this role. As long as you can show us you have the skills we don’t mind where you got them from! Also important to us is your potential to learn and grow in the role so even if you don’t have 100% of the skills listed we want to hear from you.

Dates: 

Application deadline: 28th June  2026, 11.59pm

Interview dates: First round of interviews: 8th & 9th July 2026, second round of interviews: 14th July 2026

Please visit our website for more details and to apply.