We believe that change for people affected by ME won't just happen; it must be made. That's why action and impact are at the heart of everything we do. Whether that's helping people today with support, information, or care. Or working towards securing future change through our research and campaigning work. The intent of everything we do is to pursue positive impact for the lives, rights, and futures of people affected by ME.
As Communications Manager you will play a pivotal role in delivering strategic, impactful communications that advance Action for ME’s work, improve understanding and recognition of ME and support fundraising efforts
The Communications Manager will be responsible for the day-to-day delivery of the communications strategy, leading a team of two other communications staff. You will work closely with colleagues across the fundraising, policy, research and services departments, delivering clear and compelling storytelling, and maximising visibility across media, digital platforms and key stakeholder networks.
Key duties
Leadership and Management
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Work to ensure that people with ME are at the heart of everything we do through meaningful engagement and participation to influence all aspects of communications and marketing.
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Contribute to the development of, and then lead implementation of, the Communications Strategy, ensuring the appropriate involvement of key stakeholders, scoping, evaluating, and improving our practice.
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Maintain a data-insight led approach to the communications work providing regular management information and key performance indicator reports.
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Work as a member of the Extended Leadership Team.
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Line manage Communications Team members, supporting them to set and achieve performance objectives through regular one-to-ones and 12-monthly appraisals.
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Be responsible for Communications budget and the relationship with services providers required for the production of the charity’s digital and printed information and support resources.
Communications and Marketing
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Raise the profile of the impact of ME, and of Action for ME and its work, to enable the organisation to reach more people and better support need, by establishing a regular cadence of appropriate but innovative product across all main social media channels.
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Ensure fundraising is supported by embedding clear calls to action around donations and membership growth as a matter of course.
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Under the direction of the Director of Fundraising, develop all website, press and social media content for charity appeals.
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Market the charity’s Support and Healthcare services, including key digital and printed information and support resources, to the ME community and the professionals working with them, working closely with respective service leads.
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Contribute to income generation by working closely with the Director of Fundraising to develop the communication and marketing materials needed to implement the organisation’s Fundraising Strategy.
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Coordinate the charity’s response to any crisis communications, including developing appropriate crisis management plans and working outside of office hours as required.
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Establish effective systems/processes for gathering, supporting, maintaining, and managing case studies for a range of purposes (including press and media opportunities, public affairs and policy work, and fundraising).
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Draft and issue press releases and media statements and ensure appropriate follow-up by telephoning journalists, contacting picture desks etc. as appropriate.
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Alongside the CEO and any commissioned agency, develop relationships with key press, media and communications stakeholders to enhance the charity’s work.
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Oversee the production of the annual report, on budget, to schedule, taking overall editorial responsibility for content.
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Oversee the ongoing development of our digital engagement including our website and social media and being the point of contact on website issues.
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Fulfil the role of brand gateway keeper, ensuring all digital and printed communications, including information and support resources, adhere to brand guidelines, house style and organisational tone.
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Maintain an up-to-date knowledge and oversight of how ME and related key issues (e.g. Long Covid) are discussed in the media and wider ME community.
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Build networks to enhance the charity’s strategic communications and marketing work.
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Build and maintain an effective social media monitoring regime, ensuring fit for purpose rules of engagement are in place and applied consistently.
Other Key Accountabilities
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Ensure that all relevant service standards are met including compliance with best practice, legal and regulatory frameworks and internal standards.
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Ensure best value in all our work.
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Undertake any other duty within your ability and within reason, as may be required, from time-to-time, at the discretion of your line manager.
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On occasions, provide management support and cover within the organisation, as needed.
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Act as an advocate for the charity and its work.
Person specification
Experience, Knowledge and Understanding
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A minimum of 2 years’ experience working in a communications management role
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Experience of developing integrated, insight and audience-led communications plans including social media
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Experience of website and brand management
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Experience of delivering successful campaigns
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Experience of engaging with press and/or media including writing press releases and media briefings
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Experience of working collaboratively with different teams/departments
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Experience of working in charity communications (desirable)
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An understanding of ME and the impact on people affected by it (desirable)
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Experience of integrating fundraising with communications (desirable)
Skills, Behaviours and Values
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Adaptable and highly organised with an ability to work methodically, managing and prioritising a varied workload, use your own initiative, work independently, and work well in a team.
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Strong MS Office skills including the ability to use Word, Excel, databases and web-related programmes and software.
Registered Charity
21 - 50
Our mission is to improve the lives of people affected by ME. Better meeting their needs today while taking action to secure change for tomorrow.
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.
Thank you!
Multimedia Producer: Brand & Content role
Level: Senior Officer
Line Management: None
Reporting to: Head of Communications
Contract type/length: 2-year contract, renewable
Hours: Full-time, 37.5 hours per week
Location: Remote (UTC-4 to UTC+5) (with some international travel for events)
Candidates must be located within ±4 hours of the UK timezone (GMT/BST) to ensure sufficient team crossover.
Closing date: 9am (UK time) on Monday 13th July.
The Opportunity
Join United for Global Mental Health as our Multimedia Producer and help drive the global mental health agenda forward. In this new role, you will be the bridge between our evidence-led policy work and what our key audiences see and feel, by crafting content that influences and moves them. You will lead the creation of bold, professional-grade multimedia assets that amplify our advocacy and help to secure funding. If you are a creative storyteller driven to make mental health advocacy unforgettable, we want to hear from you.
About Us
United for Global Mental Health is dedicated to creating a world that enables good mental health for all. We draw on our expertise in policy, advocacy, and financing to work with organisations who share our commitment to driving mental health up the political agenda - and securing additional funding for mental health at national and global level. We founded and act as the secretariat for the Global Mental Health Action Network, an open coalition of mental health professionals of over 10,000 individuals and organisations across 170 countries.
About You
This is a high-impact role designed to serve as UnitedGMH’s and GMHAN’s in-house creative engine. Following the development of our new Communications Strategy, this position will focus on producing bold multimedia content. You will be responsible for elevating the visual identity of the organisation, ensuring that our evidence-led advocacy is translated into world-class video, data visualisation, and graphic design that captures the attention of global decision-makers, advocates and donors.
Key Responsibilities
1. High-End Video & Audio Production
Signature Podcast: Lead the end-to-end production of the new UnitedGMH ‘podcast clips’ always-on product, including recording, editing, and the creation of high-quality "social-first" video clips.
Staff Commentary and Thematic Films: Coach and directly film UnitedGMH experts and partners to produce professional, timely commentary and thematic films that cement our reputation as sector leaders.
Field Storytelling: Capture and edit evergreen Global Mental Health Action Network (GMHAN) member stories and policy case studies during global advocacy moments (e.g., World Health Assembly, UN General Assembly) to build a powerful library of movement-building content.
2. Graphic Design & Data Visualisation
Evidence Translation: Work closely with policy leads to turn complex data into bold visualisations that make mental health statistics instantly understandable and moving.
Brand Guardianship: Act as the lead designer for UnitedGMH assets, including reports, to ensure digital assets consistently meet a "memorable thought leader" standard. This role requires a high-quality design track record utilising professional design software (e.g., Adobe Creative Suite); we are seeking an original creator, not a ‘Canva designer’.
Donor Communications: Create bespoke, high-quality creative assets for major donor and partnership moments (e.g., Wellcome, Pinterest, lululemon).
3. Digital Growth & Website Optics
Always-On Paid Ads: Design, test, and deliver creative assets for "always-on" paid advertising campaigns across platforms such as Meta and LinkedIn to drive GMHAN network growth, advocacy awareness, and donor prospecting.
Website Upheaval: Lead on the visual "optics" and user experience (UX) of the UnitedGMH website, ensuring it functions as a high-performing advocacy hub.
Channel Innovation: Support the Comms Officer and Comms Advisor in creating visually engaging content for the workstreams they deliver.
Competencies & Skills
- Multimedia Expertise: Advanced proficiency in video editing (e.g., Premiere Pro, CapCut), audio production, and the Adobe Creative Suite (After Effects, Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign).
- Creative Translation: The ability to take "dry" policy evidence and transform it into a compelling visual narrative that triggers action.
- Strategic Targeting: Understanding how to tailor creative content for specific high-level audiences, including government ministers and global health journalists.
- Self-Starter Output: Able to manage a high-volume production schedule and deliver high-quality products with limited supervision, sometimes while travelling for global events.
- Travel: Willingness to travel internationally to support at global events up to 5 times per year for up to a week at a time.
- Technical Proficiency: Experience with podcasting platforms (e.g., Riverside) and paid social ad platforms.
- Dynamic Adaptability: Comfortable operating in a fast-paced, fluid environment with evolving processes and shifting priorities. We are a globally-distributed, collaborative, friendly team, but we move quickly and organically; you will thrive if you enjoy working across multiple projects simultaneously, building relationships with various stakeholders, and bringing creative structure to a busy, fast-moving landscape.
Nice to have
- Motion Graphics: Experience in professional motion design and animation to bring static data, reports, and digital campaigns to life.
- Sector Expertise: Demonstrable experience delivering high-quality communication materials specifically related to international development, global advocacy, global health and/or mental health.
- Ethical Content Production: A clear track record of remotely commissioning and managing local photographers and videographers for global event coverage and case study collection, strictly adhering to ethical communication and informed consent principles.
- Additional language skills: Note this position requires fluent English.
Unfortunately, we are not able to recruit team members in the following countries/regions: Afghanistan, Belarus, Central African Republic, Cuba, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Iran, Iraq, Libya, Myanmar (Burma), North Korea, Russia, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, Ukraine (specifically the occupied regions of Crimea, Donetsk, Kherson, Luhansk, and Zaporizhzhya), Venezuela, Yemen, and Zimbabwe.
For non-UK candidates: Please note that you would be hired via Deel as an Employer of Record.
Interviews:
Interviews will be conducted remotely. There will be 2 interview rounds and a task to complete.
How to apply:
To apply, please submit your cover letter, outlining how you meet the responsibilities and candidate profile, and a CV, via the Charity Job site.
