.png){kind=logo}
Join our Team!
We are entering an exciting period of change to transform understanding of Crohn's and Colitis across society, increase our reach and, ultimately, work towards a cure for the conditions.
We have an exciting new opportunity to join us as our Head of Communications and be a driving force in making that shift by creatively leading strategic communications and campaigns.
You will also play an important role by working with an external agency on the development of a new legacy proposition and supporting materials, as well as working on internal legacy promotions and staff training.
In this role you will lead our media, social media, campaigns and engagement functions, as well as project teams across the charity. You'll grow our engagement with diverse audiences and support them to take action towards ambitious campaign goals.
Full details of the job description and person specification are found in our Recruitment pack for download below.
About you
We are looking for an experienced, creative and driven communications leader who will be committed to improving the lives of people affected by Crohn's and Colitis.... could this be you? Are you:
- experienced in leading multidisciplinary campaigns that delivered ambitious results?
- an effective coach with experience of building high performing teams?
- seasoned in driving media relations to deliver results?
- a calm and experienced leader, demonstrating sound judgement even with the pressure is on?
- adaptable to the ever changing trends in communication, embracing them as opportunities to innovate and strengthen engagement?
- aware of social media and campaigning tools to amplify the community voice in communications?
If this sounds like you then we would love to hear from you.
Our location
We are based in Hatfield, Hertfordshire, so we are easily accessible by road and rail. In this role there is plenty of scope for working from home, although there will be occasions when you will need to attend directorate days and face to face meetings. In addition, the charity meets four times a year at the office in Hatfield for our mandatory 'All Staff Together' days.
Benefits:
- 25 days annual leave plus bank holidays, increasing by one day per year up to 30 days
- Salary Sacrifice Pension scheme
- Flexible working options
- Enhanced maternity, adoption and paternity pay
- 24/7 Employee Assistance Programme
- Wellbeing programme
- Interest free loan for season tickets
- Cycle to work scheme
- Free parking and secure bike locks
- Training and development financial support and/or study leave
- Performance review and development scheme
Please submit a CV and supporting statement outlining why you’d like to apply, how you fulfil the person specification, and what you feel you will bring to the role, so you’ll need to refer to the Recruitment Pack found on our website.
Closing date: Monday 17 November, 9am.
Interviews will take place via Teams on 24 November 2025.
Please note: no applications will move forward within the recruiting process without a supporting statement.
We are an inclusive employer and offer equal opportunities to all regardless of an individual’s age, disability, gender identity, marriage or civil partnership status, race, religion or belief, sex and sexual orientation.
We are not a licensed sponsor at this time.
.png){kind=logo}
Registered Charity
51 - 100
We break taboos, drive pioneering research, bring people together & campaign to improve lives. We are leading the fight against Crohn's & Colitis
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.
Thank you!
We are looking for an experienced senior manager to lead our strategic communications, external engagement and network development. The post holder will champion The Politics Project’s mission, strengthen its profile, and foster partnerships that help empower young people.
ABOUT THE POLITICS PROJECT
The Politics Project supports young people to use their voice by providing them with outstanding democratic education. We work with young people, teachers, youth practitioners and politicians to help them learn, teach and engage in democracy. We are a non-partisan organisation working across the UK.
ABOUT DEMOCRACY CLASSROOM
Democracy Classroom is a partnership of over 100 civil society organisations from the youth, education and democracy sectors working together to support young people to engage in elections and democracy.
The network is supported by the Democracy Classroom Platform, which brings together over 1000 free educational resources for teachers and youth practitioners.
Democracy Classroom is a non-partisan, UK-wide initiative and a leading voice for the sector, reaching teachers and youth practitioners in 95% of the UK’s parliamentary constituencies. It coordinates the collective voice of organisations committed to democratic education, including through its joint submission to the Department for Education’s Curriculum and Assessment Review and the publication of The Roadmap to Votes at 16, a collaborative vision for the implementation of Votes at 16.
ABOUT THE ROLE
The Head of Communications and Networks will amplify The Politics Project’s voice, build strategic partnerships and strengthen collaboration across the youth, education and democracy sectors. You will lead on communications, stakeholder engagement and the continued development of the Democracy Classroom Network.
You will oversee a team responsible for communications, partnerships and events, providing leadership and guidance to ensure clear messaging, impactful storytelling and strong, coordinated engagement across the sector. The post holder will combine strategic thinking with strong operational delivery, managing both the external profile of the organisation and the networks that underpin its reach and influence.
Key responsibilities include:
Communications
- Develop and lead The Politics Project’s communications strategy to raise visibility and strengthen reputation.
- Ensure clear, consistent messaging across all channels, including website, social media, newsletters and press.
- Lead media relations, drafting press releases, handling journalist enquiries and identifying media opportunities.
- Monitor and evaluate communications activity to measure reach, engagement and influence.
Partnerships and networks
- Work with the Partnerships Manager and Director to cultivate and manage relationships with key stakeholders across civil society, government, education and youth sectors.
- Oversee the day-to-day running of the Democracy Classroom Network, including partner communications, newsletters and database management.
- Create opportunities for collaboration and knowledge-sharing between organisations, policymakers and institutions.
- Oversee the Democracy Classroom Platform and ensure it continues to grow as a trusted resource hub for teachers and practitioners.
- Act as The Politics Project’s representative and ambassador at external meetings, conferences and events.
Leadership and management
- Lead and mentor the communications and networks team, including line management of the Partnerships Manager, Communications Lead and Programme Coordinator.
- Manage relationships with freelance designers, illustrators and developers.
- Oversee evaluation and monitoring of communications and network activities, producing reports as required.
- Manage budgets and allocate resources effectively for communications, campaigns and events.
- Contribute to the organisation’s strategic planning and cross-programme collaboration.
- Carry out other duties as required in support of the organisation.
This is a fast-paced senior management role in a small but growing organisation. The post includes a six-month probation period and is fixed-term until March 2027, with the potential of extension depending on funding. Occasional travel within the UK and some evening or weekend work will be required.
BENEFITS
- 33 days’ annual leave including Bank Holidays (inclusive of 3 days’ leave between Christmas and New Year).
- 4% employer pension contribution.
- Professional development and training opportunities.
- Friendly, inclusive and supportive working environment.
ABOUT YOU
You are an experienced communications and partnerships leader who is passionate about democratic engagement and young people’s participation. You will bring creativity, strategic insight and strong relationship-building skills to strengthen The Politics Project’s profile and expand the Democracy Classroom Network.
You will have a track record of managing people and projects, developing communications strategies, and building collaborations across complex stakeholder landscapes. You will be confident in navigating the intersections of education, youth engagement and democracy, and able to balance strategic oversight with hands-on delivery.
Above all, you are a strong leader, communicator and collaborator who can inspire others, think strategically, and deliver tangible results in a fast-paced, mission-driven environment.
In accordance with our Child Protection and Safeguarding procedures, this position requires an enhanced DBS check that will be provided.
SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE
Essential
- Proven experience in leading communications, external engagement or partnership functions at a senior level.
- Experience managing and motivating teams, including staff and freelancers.
- Demonstrable success in developing and delivering communications strategies that raise profile and influence change.
- Strong understanding of press, media and digital channels, including social media campaigns and storytelling.
- Excellent writing, editing and presentation skills, with the ability to translate complex ideas into accessible content.
- Proven ability to build and maintain networks with diverse stakeholders, including NGOs, policymakers and funders.
- Excellent organisational and project management skills, with the ability to juggle multiple priorities and meet deadlines.
- Strong analytical skills and understanding of data and metrics to evaluate communications impact.
- Confident public speaker and facilitator, able to act as a credible spokesperson and ambassador.
- Proficiency in digital communications tools (social media platforms, email marketing, CMS, analytics tools).
Desirable
- Experience managing networks or coalitions across multiple sectors.
- Experience overseeing digital platforms and online communities.
- Understanding of UK education, youth and democratic engagement policy landscapes.
TO APPLY
Please submit your CV and a covering letter (maximum one side of A4) via the CharityJob website.
Closing date: 11:30 pm, Sunday 9th November 2025
Interviews: Week commencing Monday 17th November 2025
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.
Thank you!
Actively Interviewing
This organisation is scheduling interviews as applications come in. They're ready to hire as soon as they find the right person. Don't miss your opportunity, apply now!
Global Canopy is a data-driven not for profit that targets the market forces destroying nature. We do this by improving transparency and accountability. We provide innovative open-access data, clear metrics, and actionable insights to leading companies, financial institutions, governments and campaigning organisations worldwide.
About Corporate Performance
A growing number of companies and financial institutions are seeking to mitigate their impacts on nature. But many have made commitments that are not being met, and others are failing to take any action at all. We hold to account through our Forest 500 project, assessing the policies and performance of influential companies and financial institutions. We also support financial institutions and investors with our suite of Deforestation-free Finance Guidance and a forthcoming new tool, DEFT Pathway, to support effective engagement with high-risk companies. We support the finance sector, policy makers and other stakeholders by providing market-leading data on deforestation and ESG metrics through Forest IQ.
Role overview
An exciting opportunity for a creative and highly motivated candidate with strong technical expertise to help increase Global Canopy's impact by making world-leading environmental and financial data more accessible to our key audiences in the finance sector, business and civil society.
The role will focus on the DEFT Pathway and related products. DEFT is a transparent, easy-to-use framework that maps out practical steps for companies to transition to deforestation-free supply chains. Hosted by best-in-class data platform Forest IQ, DEFT Pathway helps financial institutions to engage effectively with companies on deforestation.
A key objective is to make the DEFT Pathway data accessible by building user-friendly frontend components. The data is complex and multi-dimensional and will require considerable creativity to communicate in an understandable and compelling way in order to maximise its impact. You will collaborate with designers, researchers and product managers to fulfill these aims.
As a full stack developer, you will also design and implement the backend to allow the data powering the visualisations to be accessed in a secure way. You will work with data engineers and researchers to ensure the database is well-structured and that queries are performant.
The tech team is small, so you will need to operate with a high degree of independence, and will have the opportunity to influence key technical decisions. We are looking for someone who finds this prospect exciting rather than daunting!
Requirements:
To be successful in this role, these are the things that will matter the most:
- Excellent full stack web development skills, ideally using python and typescript
- Knowledge of python frameworks for the backend, such as FastAPI, Flask and/or Django
- Knowledge of javascript frameworks for the frontend (preferably React/Next.js), and common data visualisation libraries such as d3
- Experience querying PostgreSQL databases, potentially using SQLAlchemy as an ORM
- Experience working with cloud infrastructure, preferably AWS
Essential behavioural competencies:
- Self-starter, happy working in a small team with a large degree of independence
- A keen eye for quality, and an appreciation of the importance of automated testing
- A desire to follow industry standard software development processes
Desirable:
- 3+ years experience
- Experience using Agile project management methods and appreciation of the benefits of these
- Knowledge of the Corporate Performance domain
Benefits
Salary: £60K full-time equivalent. This role sits within Band C on Global Canopy’s remuneration framework.
Nature of contract: Full time (37.5 hours) or part time (30 hours, 0.8 FTE). Fixed term for 21 months (approximately the end of 2027). We are a flexible employer and welcome candidates wishing to work flexibly.
Base: Our office is in Oxford, UK with flexible home-working arrangements in place.
Holidays: 36 days (including bank/public holidays) for discretionary use across the annual leave year. Option to purchase up to an additional 5 days or equivalent of one week’s leave.
Other benefits including healthcare cash-back plan, life assurance, group income assurance, employee assistance programme, and more.
How to Apply
To apply for the position, you will need to follow the links and submit an up-to-date CV and answer four short-form (100 words) questions.
The closing date for applications is 19 November 2025 at 09:00 UK time. Early application is encouraged as we will be conducting rolling interviews. We may close applications early if suitable candidates are identified. We aim to respond to all candidates within ten days of receiving their application.
At Global Canopy, we value diversity and inclusion. You can read our diversity statement on our website. We encourage applications from all backgrounds and are committed to having a team with a diverse set of skills, experiences and abilities. We are committed to reducing systemic barriers in our recruitment processes.
Global Canopy works on issues of tropical deforestation. We are particularly interested in strengthening our team to include those with a background from forest regions such as Latin America and South East Asia. We welcome applications from people from these regions. Anyone with the right-to-work in the UK is welcome to apply. Visa sponsorship is not available for this position.
Global Canopy is an inclusive employer and accommodations will be made to allow anyone who requires additional support to apply for this role. Please get in touch with us if you require any additional support.
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.