Contract Communications, PR Jobs
Are you a Strategic Communications professional with expert understanding of how organisational strategy translates into a whole organisational approach to communications planning? Are you a planner in an agency thinking about working in the charity sector?
We are looking for a Head of Strategic Communications to work with senior leadership to translate organisational strategy and objectives into a clear and consistent narrative, underpinned by a rolling, integrated communications plan, to support the growth of our brand, income and impact, primarily by leveraging our earned and owned channels.
About this role:
As Head of Strategic Communications, you’ll:
- Lead the Communications and Digital Directorates planning processes to ensure the team is telling a coherent story and has the right processes systems and resources in place, to focus our messaging by working collaboratively with the team and directorates stakeholders.
- Launch a framework for a rolling annual communications plan for 2024/2025 that can drive growth in brand, income and impact through collaborative working.
- Produce quarterly, and monthly reports (as appropriate) that bring together multiple metrics to help optimise our communications campaigns, drawn from our project retros.
- Inspire and motivate a high performing team of Strategic Communications Managers (4 direct line reports) to oversee the planning, execution and evaluation of priority communications campaigns to support our portfolio of work.
About you:
To be successful in this role you’ll have experience as a senior leader in a communications role or as a planner in an agency setting. You will have experience of leading a high performing team, and you’ll have expert knowledge of planning, delivering and evaluating complex communications campaigns through collaborative working that brings together owned, and earned channels, working collaboratively within a matrix structure to drive performance. You’ll be a highly experienced project manager with a real understanding of the role of data and audience insight in developing and evaluating communications plans.
About Dogs Trust:
We love dogs. That’s why we do whatever we can to make sure every four-legged friend gets the love they deserve. We’ll never put a healthy dog down, so our work is focused on helping dogs in need, supporting owners every step of the walk, and creating a better world for dogs in the future. It’s what we’ve been doing since 1891 and how we’ve grown to become the UK’s leading dog charity, helping 12,000 loyal friends find their forever homes every year.
About the team:
The Strategic Comms team sits within the Comms and Digital directorate, it translates our organisational strategy into a clear, rolling communications plan that can drive growth and oversees the workflow within the directorate.
A dedicated team of Strategic Communications Managers working through a business partnering model develops and coordinates the development, delivery and evaluation of integrated communications plans drawing from expertise across Dogs Trust to support our income generation and impact work.
This is a 1 year fixed term contract position, which offers hybrid working (usually 2 days per week in the London office).
To apply for this position please click the APPLY NOW button. Our application process requires you complete an application form and a covering letter explaining your interest and suitability for the role. Please note that we may close this vacancy early if we receive enough suitable interest, so to avoid disappointment early application is encouraged.
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.
Actively Interviewing
This organisation is scheduling interviews as the applications come in. Don’t miss your opportunity, apply now!
Job Description
Title: Philanthropy Officer
Reports to: Management Team
Salary: £26,000 per annum pro rata. Potential to earn an annual bonus, based on performance.
Hours: 16 hours per week (flexible)
Based: Hospital based/Hybrid. Vale Wildlife Hospital, Beckford, Glos GL20 7AN
Terms: Initial 12-month contract, with a potential to become permanent. 28 days annual leave entitlement (pro rata).
About Vale Wildlife Hospital
Vale Wildlife Hospital is one of the UK’s largest wildlife rehabilitation hospitals, treating over 7,500 sick, injured, and orphaned animals and birds every year, with an aim to release as many of those casualties as possible, back to the wild, where they belong.
Vale Wildlife Hospital was founded back in 1984 and this year, celebrates 40 years of ‘Helping Britain’s Wildlife’.
The hospital is staffed 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year for any wildlife casualties to be brought in. Our trained staff also attend large mammal ‘call outs’ and assist emergency services with wildlife, when needed.
Our current running costs are over £60,000 every month and we receive no government funding.
Now we need to make a change to secure the future of Vale Wildlife Hospital, exploring networks and establishing a new model of philanthropic giving, building a pipeline of new supporters.
If you have a successful philanthropy background and want to make a difference to our beautiful British wildlife, we’d love to hear from you.
Role Purpose
This new role has been created to develop the charity’s grant income through compelling and bespoke applications to Trusts and Foundations in support of Vale Wildlife Hospital. To secure gifts and lasting relationships from individuals for our priority programmes.
Your experience of developing strong relationships with supporters, clients or customers alongside your confident, clear, and persuasive written and verbal communication skills will stand you in good stead to thrive in this new role.
We are a collaborative, unique and encouraging team, committed to making a big impact on British wildlife, but we also have fun along the way.
Main Duties
Key Tasks
- To take responsibility for securing donations from grant making Trusts and Foundations.
- To research and apply for eligible funding opportunities, having responsibility of the process (initial application through to monitoring and reporting).
- Ensure your approach follows the charity’s internal processes and policies, and abide to all relevant legislation, regulations, and industry standards.
- Maintain accurate and up-to-date records of all fundraising activity, including proposals, applications, and donor interactions, and be able to regularly report this activity back to the Management Team.
- Create compelling cases of need to help tell the ‘story’ and vision of Vale Wildlife Hospital.
- Support the development and delivery of an effective legacy-giving campaign.
General Duties
- Represent the organisational ethos and values to supporters and stakeholders.
- Attend events, networking opportunities, and other external meetings to build relationships with potential donors and raise the profile of the charity, ad hoc as time allows.
The duties and responsibilities described are not a comprehensive list and additional tasks may be assigned from time to time that are in line with the level of the role.
Experience
Essential
- Experience with interacting and developing relationships with supporters or customers using a variety of channels written and verbal.
- Ability to communicate in writing and orally in a succinct and engaging manner.
- At least two years’ experience administering grant programmes.
- Experience of grants administration procedures, protocols and customer care.
- Experience of prospect research within the not-for-profit sector.
Desirable
- Experience developing and managing relationships with fundraisers and other stakeholders.
Skills and Knowledge
We’re looking for someone who has
- Excellent organisational skills.
- A high level of enthusiasm, self-motivation and flexible approach.
- The ability to take initiative and work independently to manage pieces of work, including taking responsibility for managing projects.
- A good understanding of the charity sector and emerging trends in fundraising.
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.