Freedom for animals jobs

Social Media Officer at Freedom for Animals

Salary: £5,245.50 per annum
Contract: Part-time (7.5 hours per week), Temporary (12-month contract with the possibility of extension)
Location: Remote, with travel across the UK as required
Closing date: 31st July 2026 (We may appoint before the closing date, so early applications are encouraged)

Job Description

Freedom for Animals is one of the UK's longest-running animal rights organisations. Since 1957, we have been working to end the exploitation of animals through undercover investigations, research, campaigns, political lobbying, education and grassroots activism. Our vision is simple: Freedom for all animals.

We are now seeking an experienced Social Media Officer to help grow our online community, inspire action and strengthen Freedom for Animals' digital presence.

This is an exciting opportunity to play an important role in sharing powerful stories, promoting campaigns and engaging supporters across our social media channels. Working closely with our Co-Directors, Campaigns and Fundraising teams, and Graphic Designer, you will help communicate our work across our key campaign areas, including zoos, aquariums, mobile zoos, circuses, bird of prey centres and the exotic pet trade.

The successful candidate will join a small, dedicated and ambitious team where every member has the opportunity to make a real impact. You will plan and schedule engaging social media content, write compelling copy, help deliver coordinated campaign and fundraising activity, monitor performance and identify opportunities to increase engagement and reach.

We're looking for someone who understands how to use social media to inform, inspire and mobilise audiences. You'll be confident planning content, writing engaging copy, identifying trends and opportunities, and ensuring our social media channels reflect Freedom for Animals' voice, values and mission.

You will have experience managing social media accounts, excellent copywriting and communication skills, and the ability to work independently while collaborating effectively with colleagues. A strong understanding of social media platforms, analytics and audience engagement is essential, together with a genuine commitment to animal rights.

This is an excellent opportunity for an experienced social media professional looking to use their skills to create meaningful change for animals. Your work will help expose cruelty, inspire action, grow our movement and support campaigns that challenge the exploitation of animals across the UK.

To apply, please submit your CV together with a covering letter explaining how your skills, knowledge and experience meet the requirements of the role and person specification.

Freedom for Animals is committed to being an equal opportunities employer and to creating a diverse, equitable and inclusive workplace. We welcome applications from people of all backgrounds and communities.

The successful candidate will be expected to share Freedom for Animals' vision, values and commitment to ending the exploitation of animals.

Use your exceptional fundraising skills and experience to save endangered species from extinction and improve people's lives through closer connections with nature. Join our small but highly successful team based in the heart of Edinburgh Zoo and you will have an amazing opportunity to make an impact on conservation in Scotland and around the world! 

Who we are: 

The Royal Zoological Society of Scotland (RZSS) is a wildlife conservation charity with a bold vision: a world where nature is protected, valued and loved. Our 2030 strategy includes three ambitious pledges: to reverse the decline of 50 species; to create deeper connections with nature for more than one million people; and to enable more than 100 communities to better connect with nature. 

The importance of your role: 

Individual giving and corporate support are vital to the delivery of RZSS's ambitious strategy and the Fundraising Manager is a senior role. Working with the Head of Fundraising and colleagues across RZSS, the post-holder will manage a small team to deliver inspiring multi-channel campaigns for individual giving, legacies and patrons as well as expanding a new major donor programme. The postholder will also manage the corporate partners programme and support the expansion of corporate sponsorship opportunities. 

This hugely varied role will include responsibility for developing our donor journey, managing relationships with major donors, leading events and donor visits whilst ensuring all supporters receive excellent stewardship. The fundraising team are based in Edinburgh Zoo (albeit this role can be offered as a hybrid position). This is a permanent full-time position, working 37.5 hours per week. 

Some of the things you’ll do: 

• Contribute to and support the implementation and delivery of the fundraising strategy and annual fundraising plans to meet agreed engagement targets
• Manage the day-to-day operations of the Fundraising team, implementing innovative strategy and business plans, identifying opportunities, setting, and monitoring targets/budgets to maximise income from funders.
• Manage all aspects of the Fundraising team’s work on donation campaigns, legacy marketing and Patron’s programme. This includes developing the donor journey and working across RZSS teams on all aspects of marketing and implementing multi-channel fundraising campaigns.
• Take the lead on developing a new major donor programme, building on existing relationships, developing cultivation events, visits and meetings as well as writing proposals.
• Contribute to and manage assigned RZSS strategic projects to quality, time and budget targets ensuring clear and concise communication as projects progress.
• Work on large or complex fundraising projects with strategic impact to revenue, helping to define projects as well as identifying and engaging donors.
• Manage, motivate and develop direct reports, following good practice and working within HR policy guidelines, so their performance meets or exceeds agreed performance standards.

 What we’re looking for:

• CIOF fundraising qualifications or equivalent experience

• Knowledge of donor cultivation and stewardship principles 

• Good understanding of the external fundraising environment in Scotland 

• Ability to build and maintain effective relationships, communicating confidently with Leadership teams and other departments to deliver high-level cultivation and stewardship activity with a range of internal and external stakeholders 

• Practical application of using CRM databases e.g. Raisers Edge/ThankQ or another relevant database management system

• For further information on what the role involves and essential/desirable criteria - please see the ‘related documents’ section under the site location map. 

For further information on what the role involves and essential/desirable criteria – please see the attached job description.

From Puppy to Partnership: Help Transform Lives Through Fundraising
Manage our Puppy Sponsorship and Regular Giving programmes to make a tangible difference by directly funding life-changing assistance dogs for disabled people. 
 
About Canine Partners
At Canine Partners, we breed, train, and support expert assistance dogs to create loving, life-changing partnerships with disabled people. Across the UK, we support people with a variety of physical disabilities and their families, carefully matching them with a dog that suits their needs, personality, and lifestyle.
 
Our dogs bring confidence and independence, love and companionship, reducing reliance on carers and giving people the freedom to live life their own way.
 
The Role

Position: Individual Giving Officer (Sponsorship & Regular Giving)
Hours: 37.5 hours per week
Location: Homebased 
Travel: Occasional travel to the National Training Centre, in Leicestershire to support during busy appeals and quarterly fundraising meetings. 
 
You will be responsible for the management and growth of the charity’s puppy sponsorship and regular giving programmes. You will be building relationships with supporters and internal stakeholders, co-ordinating communications and updates, managing sponsorship and payment records and helping to raise funds to support the organisations aim and objectives.
 
What You'll Be Doing

• Raising funds via our new look Sponsor a Puppy scheme and regular giving programme. 
• Coordinate day to day operations of the puppy sponsorship programme.
• Act as the main point of contact for puppy sponsors and regular giving supporters.
• Build positive long-term relationships with supporters.
• Work with the Communications Team to create pupdates, social media posts and sponsorship campaigns and collect puppy photos, stories and progress updates from staff and volunteers.

 
About You

• Demonstrable experience in individual giving and appeal/communications management.
• Demonstrable experience of managing campaigns/ communications and appeals on all digital platforms.
• Ability to manage a varied workload and take initiative to prioritise.
• A successful track record of securing and maintaining income from individuals.
• Proven experience of effectively managing relationships with volunteers, supporters, and/or external stakeholders/audiences.

Most importantly, you will be passionate about the transformative impact that our assistance dogs provide to our beneficiaries.
 
Ready to Make a Difference?
If you are excited about this role, don't hesitate to apply! We welcome applicants who bring unique perspectives or transferable skills such as marketing, and would be delighted to hear from you. Please apply online with a comprehensive CV and supporting statement explaining how you believe you match the requirements of the role.
 
Please note we may interview candidates prior to the closing date. If we find a suitable candidate or receive a high volume of applications, we may close this advertisement prior to the closing date so apply now to ensure you don't miss out! Please be assured that we contact all candidates regarding the outcome of their application, this may take longer if we receive high volumes of applications.
 
Closing date: 10 August 2026
 
We recognise the benefit of diverse experience and welcome and encourage applications from all sections of the community. We are a disability confident committed employer.

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