Senior communications manager jobs in belfast, northern ireland

Why Access Social Care Exists 

Every day millions of older and disabled people are denied the social care they need. Most local authorities can’t meet the growing demand for care, and none are confident they can meet their legal duties in the future. This affects all of us - we will all need social care at some point in our lives. 

We all have a right to hold public bodies to account, but most of us cannot afford lawyers so rely on legal aid. The 92% drop in legal aid cases since 2010 means that we have nowhere to turn. Without access to justice, our rights do not exist. The rule of law is broken. 

What we do 

Access Social Care provides free legal advice and information for people with social care needs, helping achieve a better quality of life. We work with communities to increase knowledge of the law and our rights. We highlight the gap left by cuts to Legal Aid and provide advice for those who can’t afford it. 

With a 98% success rate, our network of lawyers provide access to justice when things go wrong. We collaborate with social services whilst ensuring legal obligations are met. We are working towards a future where social care is adequately funded and we all get the support we need. 

We provide rights awareness training to front line managers, and legal advice and support to families and individuals. As well as providing access to justice, our aim is to drive system level change through evidence-led influencing and strategic casework.

This is an exciting time to join ASC. We have a new strategy and are growing quickly including across our senior leadership team. We have more than doubled in size and income since we started operating in April 2020 and we anticipate that this strong growth will continue for the duration of our next strategic period. We are dedicated to the people who need our help, but we also care deeply about our team and we think that work should be an exciting and satisfying place to be.

About the role 

This role is pivotal to the growth and success of the charity. Its purpose is to support the Director of Partners and Engagement and fundraising team, and Head of Business Development, to lead the charity’s income generation. This includes activities in sourcing small, medium, and major (up to six figures) grant opportunities from trusts, foundations, and institutional/government funders, and individual donors where appropriate. Where opportunity presents, the role holder may also support the business development function. This could involve assisting in the development and implementation of new business growth opportunities  to boost income generation. The role will involve project and core-cost fundraising.

Responsibilities

· Work with the Director of Partners and Engagement and the fundraising team to maintain existing funds; research new income streams and prepare and submit business cases; and source new funding opportunities for Access Social Care’s projects and core-cost needs.

· Participate in planning and strategy meetings. Work with the Finance Director and other leaders to develop and implement annual fundraising/income generation plans, gift tables, and budgets to achieve income targets.

· Monitor income targets and provide regular progress reports and updates on performance against target.

· Create and implement cultivation plans for high-value donors. Build and maintain long-term relationships with trusts and foundations, individual donors, and other income-generation partnerships through meetings and the production of detailed reports and presentations to generate repeat donations and renew income streams.

· Lead on funding bid applications and reports including working with senior colleagues across the organisation to draft warm and cold acquisition, and bespoke written applications.

· Build, monitor and manage a pipeline of prospective Trust & Foundation and Funder opportunities.

· Keep comprehensive records of all fundraising and business development activities.

· Maintain excellent relationships with internal stakeholders ensuring an up-to-date knowledge of current activities of Access Social Care’s work and brand. Secure case studies to showcase the charity’s work.

· Represent the organisation at public events as required.

· Perform other duties as may be required by the Director of Partners and Engagement, Head of Business Development, and/or other senior leaders which you could be reasonably expected to perform in line with this job description. 

· Where appropriate and as opportunity arises, support the Head of Business Development with potential new business opportunities. This could include tasks such as: drafting proposals, seeking new opportunities as instructed, sustaining connections and supporting plans to enter strategic partnerships.

This list of tasks is not exhaustive and will be reviewed from time to time in discussion with the post holder.

Person Specification

All staff at ASC are expected to share and demonstrate our values:

Trustworthy

Recognised for excellence, we will be the best we can be in everything we do.  We will be truthful, independent and outcomes focussed.

Fair

We believe in treating people with kindness and compassion in a way that is right, reasonable and just.

Fearless

We will do what is right, not what is easy.  We will bravely challenge injustice.

Inclusive

Our beneficiaries’ voices will influence our thinking and decision making at all levels of our organisation. Collaborative in our thinking, we will work with others to achieve our goals.

Positive

We will be constructive and progressive in our challenge.  We will optimistically and dynamically drive for change.

In addition to our values, you will also need to be able to demonstrate or tell us about the following areas at your interview:

Person Specification

All staff at ASC are expected to share and demonstrate our values. In addition to our values, you will also need to be able to demonstrate or tell us about the following areas at your interview: 

Personal Attributes:

• Purpose driven with a commitment to our mission and values
• Commitment to working within the principles of equity, diversity and inclusion. Commitment to and interest in disability rights. 
• Self motivated, interest in developing knowledge and understanding trends in charitable trusts and foundations fundraising and business development
• Willingness to adapt and ability to work in an agile way to meet the income generation needs of the organisation 

Experience

• Experience in similar Income Generation role, with a proven track-record of success 
• Experience of working independently to develop and implement income generation strategies with a proven track record of securing five-figure gifts and delivering against targets
• Proven experience in managing and nurturing relationships with trust and foundation funders 

Skills

• Highly developed written and verbal communication skills. Ability to draft and present information including briefings, applications, and project reports to a range of audiences in a clear and confident manner 
• Strong networking skills, with the ability to build and maintain relationships both internally and externally to identify and leverage funding opportunities
• Organised and able to plan and prioritise to meet multiple deadlines 
• IT literate with strong online research skills to identify new funding opportunities, and experienced in using MS Word and MS Excel to manage and present information effectively
• High level of numeracy 

Desirable

• Understanding of health and social care issues and/or the law 

How to apply
 

We hope that having read this far, you will want to apply!

Please ensure that your CV and supporting statement do not include your name – use initials only. This will ensure that we avoid unconscious bias in our shortlisting process. To apply, please provide the following documents:

• An up-to-date CV
• A completed diversity monitoring form
• A supporting statement of no more than two pages, addressing:
  • The essential requirements of the person specification

Please ensure you have the right to work in the UK before expressing your interest in this role. We are sorry that we cannot consider applications from candidates who do not have the right to work in the UK.

We only reach out to candidates who have been shortlisted. If you do not receive communication from us within two weeks following the application deadline, please consider that we will not be moving forward with your application. 

Timeline for recruitment process

Closing date: 4th June 2025

A selection exercise will need to be completed by the 17th June 2025

Interviews will take place on the 26th & 27th June 2025

Please ensure you keep these dates free.

At Access Social care, we aren’t interested in tokenism. We know that if we are to make the biggest difference for the people that need us the most, we need to get Equality, Diversity and Inclusion and anti-racism right. Part of this is recruiting greater diversity in all our teams. 

With this in mind, we particularly welcome applications from candidates with experience of the communities we serve, including people with direct experience of the social care system, and from marginalised groups, particularly Black, Asian and minority ethnic groups, older and disabled people, and trans and non-binary people.