Communications Manager

About Morden College

We’re an almshouse charity with a proud history of providing homes, support, and care for older people in south-east London for over 300 years. Today, we’re building on that legacy with a clear and ambitious strategy focused on enabling our residents to live as independently, safely, and meaningfully as possible. We aim to create thriving communities where every person feels known, valued, and supported.

We provide almshouse accommodation and care services to over 250 older people across two sites in Blackheath and Beckenham, including our 28-bed care home and domiciliary care services. Our vibrant and diverse resident community enjoys a wide range of events and activities, and each site offers welcoming spaces for socialising, including bars and Café 19 in the award-winning John Morden Centre.

At the heart of everything we do is a commitment to dignity, purpose, and inclusion. We actively combat loneliness, challenge ageism, and promote healthy ageing. As part of our team, you’ll help foster social connection and contribute to a community where both residents and staff can thrive. We embrace equity, diversity, and technology to deliver sustainable, high-quality services that make a lasting difference.

Role overview

Communications plays a vital role in helping Morden College deliver its vision and strategic ambitions.

We're looking for an experienced Communications Manager who can create clear, engaging and impactful communications that help residents and colleagues feel informed, connected and involved in the future of Morden College.

This is a highly collaborative role at the heart of our organisation. Working across teams, you'll help bring our strategy, values and ambitions to life through communications that build understanding, trust and a shared sense of purpose. You'll support colleagues and leaders to communicate effectively, explain change clearly, celebrate success and ensure residents receive timely, accessible and meaningful information.

We're looking for an exceptional writer and communicator with a talent for turning complex information into clear, engaging content. You'll be naturally curious, enjoy building relationships, and have a strong editorial eye for what matters most to different audiences.  You'll know how to communicate with clarity, empathy and impact.

You'll lead the development and delivery of internal and resident communications across a range of channels, including newsletters, website content, the resident portal, leadership communications and our staff intranet. You'll also play a key role in strengthening communication practices across Morden College, improving planning and ways of working, supporting colleagues to communicate confidently, and ensuring communication is consistent, accessible and audience-focused.

You'll oversee the day-to-day development of key communication platforms helping to ensure they remain effective tools for information sharing, engagement and community connection.

Most importantly, you'll help ensure our communications reflect who we are: an ambitious, responsible, compassionate and collaborative organisation committed to creating thriving communities where people in later life can live with independence, dignity and purpose.

Main Responsibilities of the role
1. Communications planning and ways of working

Develop a structure, consistent and audience-focused approach to communications across Morden College by:

• Creating communication plans, schedules and content calendars
• Establishing clear processes for requesting, developing and approving communications.
• Introducing guidance on lead times, responsibilities and expectations
• Supporting teams to plan communications proactively
• Developing templates, tools and guidance to improve the quality and consistency of communications
• Building understanding of how colleagues can work effectively with the Communications function
• Supporting the development and effective use of digital communication systems, including CRM-based platforms, to improve audience understanding, communication planning and engagement
• Working collaboratively with colleagues to ensure communication systems support accurate information management, effective targeting and a positive user experience
• Using insight, feedback and engagement data to continually improve communications and strengthen audience engagement

2. Content and storytelling

Capture engaging and high-quality communications that help residents and colleagues understand, connect with and contribute to life at Morden College.  This includes:

• Resident newsletters
• Website stories and organisational updates
• Annual report and impact reporting content
• Stories celebrating residents, colleagues and partners
• Communications about strategic priorities, service improvements and organisational change
• Content that demonstrates how Morden College is evolving to support more people in later life

3. Resident communications

Working closely with colleagues in Resident Services to:

• Develop and maintain website and resident portal content
• Create accessible communications for residents using a range of channels
• Support resident meetings, engagement activities and events
• Deliver information campaigns across our communities
• Ensuring communications are inclusive, accessible and easy to understand

4. Colleague communications

Working across the Charity to deliver effective internal communications, including:

• SharePoint intranet content
• CEO updates and leadership communications
• Quarterly College Conversations staff briefings
• Organisational announcements
• Change communications
• Support HR with colleague engagement initiatives
• Working closely with the Records Management Lead to promote good information-sharing and best practice in document management

5. Supporting organisational change 

Support leaders and teams to communicate change effectively, including:

• Progress against strategic priorities
• New services and initiatives
• Technology and new ways of working
• Sustainability and ESG activity
• Service improvements and organisational developments

6. Communication standards and brand

Champion high-quality communications by:

• Promoting brand guidance and tone of voice using the Morden College Message House
• Supporting colleagues to communicate effectively and confidently
• Encouraging accessible communication practices
• Developing templates, guidance and communication resources
• Promoting high standards of writing, editing and content creation
• Arranging and using high-quality photography, video and visual content
• Supporting effective communication planning and coordination across the organisation

Person specification

About you

You are an experienced and confident communications professional who combines strong writing skills with the ability to build relationships, influence colleagues and create effective ways of working.  You enjoy understanding complex organisations, finding the stories that matter and turning complex information into clear, engaging communications.

You are organised, proactive and confident working with people across all levels of an organisation. You will bring a collaborative approach, helping colleagues communicate more effectively while ensuring communications are planned, consistent and aligned with Morden College’s values and priorities.

Essential criteria

• Experience working in a communications role, particularly internal communications, colleague engagement or organisational communications
• Excellent writing, editing and proofreading skills.
• Experience creating engaging communications across a range of channels and audiences
• Experience developing communication plans and coordinating communications activity
• Experience managing websites, newsletters, intranets or other communication platforms
• Ability to understand complex information and translate it into clear, accessible and engaging messages
• Experience building effective relationships and working collaboratively with colleagues at all levels
• Strong organisational skills with the ability to manage multiple priorities and deadlines
• Understanding of inclusive and accessible communication practices
• A proactive, collaborative and solutions-focused approach

Desirable criteria

• Experience working in a charity, housing, care, health, community or similar organisation
• Experience communicating with residents, service users or community groups
• Experience supporting organisational change and engagement activities
• Experience using SharePoint, CRM systems or similar intranet platforms
• Experience using audience insight and analytics to improve engagement
• Understanding of GDPR, information-sharing and good digital practice
• Experience supporting the development or implementation of CRM systems, customer databases or digital engagement platforms.
• Understanding of digital inclusion and approaches to increasing confidence in using technology
• Experience creating photography, video or visual content.
• Experience working with older people or services that support people in later life

Location: Blackheath with option to work at our Beckenham site 

Reports to: Head of Impact

DBS Disclosure: Enhanced

Please note the applications for this role will close on 02/09/2026 with the interview dates to be confirmed.