Interim Head of Communications

Location: Central London, hybrid (3 to 4 days per week on site)
Hours: Full-time, 35 hours per week
Contract: Temporary, 3 months
Salary: £24.52 to £27.25 per hour (+ £2.96 to £3.29 holiday pay) (circa £45,000 to £50,000 salaried equivalent)
Start Date: ASAP

We are delighted to be supporting a leading human rights organisation in the search for an experienced Interim Head of Communications to join their team on a temporary basis.

This is an exciting opportunity for a senior communications professional with significant human rights communications experience to support a highly respected organisation at a critical time. Working alongside leading researchers and advocates, the successful candidate will help deliver communications around complex, high-profile investigations and reports covering some of the world's most pressing human rights issues.

The organisation is seeking an individual who can make an immediate impact, bringing a deep understanding of the sensitivities, language and stakeholder considerations that underpin human rights communications. This is a highly hands-on role, requiring someone who is equally comfortable leading communications activity and producing high-quality editorial content under tight deadlines.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead communications activity for major human rights investigations, reports and advocacy initiatives.
• Develop and deliver communications plans that maximise the reach and impact of research findings.
• Draft and edit press releases, media statements, website content, social media copy and stakeholder communications.
• Translate complex and sensitive human rights research into compelling external communications for a range of audiences.
• Work closely with researchers and programme teams to support high-profile report launches and media activity.
• Act as the lead editorial reviewer across communications outputs, ensuring accuracy, consistency and appropriate framing.
• Manage multiple projects simultaneously in a fast-paced environment with competing deadlines.
• Build strong relationships with internal stakeholders and provide expert communications advice.
• Monitor media coverage, audience engagement and communications performance to maximise impact.

Key Requirements

• Significant senior communications experience gained specifically within a human rights organisation or closely related human rights-focused environment.
• Demonstrable experience communicating complex human rights issues, investigations, reports or advocacy campaigns to external audiences.
• Exceptional writing, editing and editorial skills, with experience producing high-quality content under tight deadlines.
• Strong understanding of the political, reputational and ethical considerations associated with human rights communications.
• Experience working alongside researchers, investigators, policy specialists or advocacy teams to bring complex findings to wider audiences.
• Ability to quickly assess and communicate sensitive subject matter with accuracy, nuance and credibility.
• A practical, delivery-focused approach and the ability to operate effectively with minimal onboarding or supervision.
• Experience supporting high-profile report launches, media engagement and digital communications activity.
• A strong personal commitment to human rights and social justice.

Please note: This role requires previous experience working within the human rights sector. Due to the immediate nature of the assignment, we are particularly interested in hearing from candidates who can demonstrate a track record of delivering communications for human rights investigations, research reports, advocacy initiatives or related programmes and who can quickly become operational in a fast-paced environment.

CVs will be reviewed on a rolling basis, so if you're interested in the role, please apply ASAP with your CV in a Word format.

At Prospectus, we believe recruitment should be human-led and we are committed to supporting you throughout your application journey. We welcome applicants from all backgrounds and do not discriminate based on age, gender, disability, race, religion, sexual orientation, marital status, or pregnancy/maternity. While AI may be used to support our administrative process, all applications are reviewed by people and all hiring decisions are made by experienced recruiters.