Stories & impact communications officer

This role represents an opportunity to make a real difference to anti-poverty work at QSA and in the UK more broadly. Communications are increasingly central to developing our impact, and our intention is to generate more high quality, moving content that showcases:

•       The deep impact of the support provided by QSA to people living on a low income or experiencing homelessness. Our services are created to fill ‘niches’ – the support people tell us that they need and is not being provided elsewhere. We aim to help people find dignity, comfort, connection and peace.

•       The support provided by 4in10, London’s child poverty network hosted by QSA, and the impact of its collective action.

•       Our campaigning and research work – and the changes it can bring about in policy and practice, with the goal of reducing poverty and alleviating its effects.

You will be helping thousands of people to access QSA’s life-changing services; to find resonance and community in our communications; to support life-changing anti-poverty work; to get involved in campaigns that move the needle; and more.

At QSA our values guide us to deliver services with compassion and dignity, and they also guide us in our workplace. Our small team is mutually supportive, conscientious and deeply committed to the aims of our work.

This role will involve building relationships with an extremely broad range of people, with a very strong focus on the people who participate in our services. An ethical storytelling approach is at the heart of QSA’s communications. Putting this into practice will involve bringing stories forward in deep collaboration with storytellers; with empathy, integrity, authenticity, and a commitment to amplifying voices that can go unheard. We want people to feel in control of how their stories are shared, as much as we want people to be moved by content that engages and inspires.

The communications officer role also involves many of the ‘bread and butter’ tasks of an effective communications function: content production, analytics, social media management and so on. We are currently in the midst of a full-scale overhaul of the QSA website.

More important than coming with experience in every part of these duties, however, is a curiosity and enthusiasm to learn and take on healthy challenges (in which we aim to give you the support you need); as well as a flair for getting to the heart of the story – not only in the content itself, but also in understanding the bigger picture of our communications and our direction of travel together.

Purpose of role

To develop the communications output of QSA across all platforms, supporting delivery of the aims of QSA’s organisational and fundraising & communications strategies. To centre QSA’s communications work in an ethical storytelling approach.

Duties & responsibilities

1. To contribute to a plan and timetable for QSA’s communications work. 
2. To uphold clear protocols on how we gather and share stories and impact, to hold ourselves to the highest standards around ethics and wellbeing.  
3. To work in the community and across all QSA’s services, to get to know the people who access them, sensitively inviting people to share their stories or consent to photos. 
4. To compile and share ethical and compelling storytelling content across a range of media. 
5. To co-manage all of QSA’s communications platforms including social media (including community management), email marketing and website. 
6. To generate and publish regular digital communications and fundraising content (including video, audio and copy), across our owned and shared platforms, and printed materials. 
7. To pull together content into regular email briefings for QSA’s supporters and donors. 
8. To provide communications support to the wider QSA team. 
9. To engage with other QSA teams about website content, being responsible for adding in this content, liaising with our web agency as required.  
10. To follow a GEO-first approach to QSA’s web development, to promote growth in traffic and engagement. 
11. To actively drive growth and engagement across QSA’s social media, website and email marketing. 
12. To work within QSA brand guidelines to provide recognisable and reliable content, while also keeping content fresh and engaging.  
13. To work with third party suppliers or freelancers as required, eg. for graphic design or other communications assets.  
14. To undertake event marketing of QSA’s fundraising events. 
15. To track analytics to evaluate the impact of the content we produce and promote across all our platforms. 
16. To plan and create content for individual giving campaigns and digital fundraising. 
17. To maintain an up-to-date awareness of best and emerging practice in non-profit communications, and to share new ideas for growth. 
18. To work within, and actively promote, the policies and procedures of QSA. 
19. Any other duties, as appropriate to the role, as agreed by the QSA director. 

Person specification

Experience 

1. Experience of working for or volunteering for a charity, especially if UK-based and community focussed, is highly desirable. 
2. Experience of communications work, in a paid or voluntary capacity, is highly desirable. 

Ability 

1. Excellent people-facing skills, able to confidently build rapport with people, and sensitively approach difficult topics.  
2. Ability to build collaborative working relationships across a wide range of people, including team members, colleagues, and QSA donors.  
3. Ability to confidently produce and share content online, such as stories, images, videos. 
4. Ability to produce engaging content for social media platforms, email marketing and web.  
5. Ability to track and understand digital marketing analytics. 
6. Ability to be flexible and adapt and respond to new challenges/opportunities while maintaining attention to detail. 

Knowledge 

1. Knowledge of social media platforms and their different audiences, and how to tailor content appropriate to each.  
2. Knowledge of poverty on families, households and communities in the UK and an understanding of/empathy for the impact of living on a low income.  

Other 

1. Curiosity and enthusiasm for digital and offline communications.  
2. Commitment to and understanding of equity, diversity and inclusion in the workplace. 
3. A willingness to work within a Quaker ethos, as per the mission of QSA.

N.B. Please refer to the attached job pack for full details of this role.

Thank you for your interest.