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Head of Communications
Salary: Banding Level 5 £45,000 - £50,000
Contract type: Permanent / Working hours: Full time
Location: Taunton, Somerset. Opportunity for hybrid working
The Head of Communications is a fundamental role within the Somerset Wildlife Trust.
The role is responsible for leading the development and coordinated delivery of the Trust’s communications in line with the Wilder Somerset 2030 strategy. This includes identifying key audiences, crafting core messages, and selecting effective communication channels to raise awareness and understanding of the Trust’s work. The postholder will support staff across the organisation in achieving the strategy’s aims while managing a team of specialists and responding to emerging issues professionally and astutely.
Working across teams, the Head of Communications will develop and deliver an annual communications plan that meets the organisation's priorities.
Key Responsibilities and Tasks
Responsibility 1: Leadership & Cross Team Working
- Strategic Planning: Lead the development of the communications delivery plan and annual calendar, involving all areas of the Trust, defining key audiences, messages and channels with the aim of increasing awareness and understanding of the Trust. Provide effective leadership and build strong working relationships with departments across the charity to ensure integrated communications plans and campaigns are developed and implemented to achieve the maximum impact with external audiences.
- Communications Delivery Plan: Effective coordination of both messages and activity – both reactive and proactive throughout the year. Including improvements with revised website navigation and architecture, SEO improvements and content targeted at priority groups, including use of video, and influencers.
- Senior Leadership Team: Be an active member of the Senior Leadership Team taking collective responsibility for decision making, risk and budget management across the Trust. Work with the Senior Leadership Team to ensure all communications effectively contribute to and support all strategic goals of the Trust.
- Brand Marketing: Work with teams to improve our products and services and how these meet the needs of our audiences, including working with focus groups (with co-creation when relevant).
- Building Capability: Coordinate providing support and training for all staff to achieve effective communications, which supports the Trust’s overall brand and positioning, including mentoring the communications team.
- Systems & Processes: Maintain and develop systems for gathering information and communications planning within the Trust and from project partners, RSWT and SWT. Embedding into all teams’ ways of working.
Responsibility 2: Communications Delivery
- Line Management: Manage, support and develop a team of staff and volunteers to deliver the communications work programme, providing effective line management. Including the provision of specialist support and advice for the development of specific communication campaigns or tools across the organisation.
- Budgets: Ensure communication activity elsewhere in the Trust is produced within allocated budgets and timeframes.
- Performance: Set and manage KPIs and budget for communications programmes, monitoring and reporting performance and reforecasting in line with Trust requirements. Continuous improvement.
- Brand: Develop the Trust’s brand, ensuring a clear and distinctive brand proposition and engaging brand identity, which also supports the Trust as part of the Wildlife Trusts movement. Ensure the brand’s consistent use and monitor the link with the Trust strategy and values.
- Public Affairs: Oversee the PR and media relations (press office function), and act as a key charity spokesperson when required. Horizon scanning and being aware of emerging issues to develop opportunistic messages to optimise nature recovery actions.
- Crisis Management: Protect the Trust's reputation by ensuring the effectiveness of robust crisis management plans and the definition of clear policies and position statements.
- Design, Content & Print: Coordinate the Annual Report with teams and Trustees. Editor for the members’ magazine and print products to support membership retention and enable action for nature.
Responsibility 3: Campaigns for Change
- Strategic Campaign Planning: Work with our policy, advocacy and engagement specialists to design campaigns that move people through the engagement funnel, change behaviour, influence policy, and improve supporter retention. Work with the Exec Team to set campaign objectives tied to clear outcomes: acquisition, activation, retention, behaviour change, policy influence, or income generation.
- Supporter Journeys & Segmentation: Map and optimise journeys across channels (email, web, social media, print, events) with named next steps that move people toward deeper engagement and action.
- Marketing Campaign Leadership: Own the strategic design of multi-channel marketing campaigns and provide clear briefs and creative direction to the delivery team. Ensure channel integration so website journeys, email, print content and social media activity are coordinated and measurable. Keep storytelling compelling while optimising for acquisition and action.
- Advocacy & Policy Campaigns: Work across teams to design campaigns to influence systems change by leveraging our data and evidence, combining public voice, stakeholder engagement and targeted advocacy tactics.
- Behaviour Change Campaigns: Work with our engagement specialists to apply social marketing techniques and behavioural frameworks to shift norms and the adoption of actions for nature. Translate data and evidence into interventions that use communication tactics such as prompts, social proof, incentives and nudges to create measurable behaviour change.
We offer some fantastic benefits including:
- 7% employer pension contribution
- Life assurance
- Flexible and agile working
- Wellbeing support – EAP, wellbeing champions
- Diversity networks through RSWT/TWT
- Paid volunteer days
- Continuous Professional Development opportunities
- 33 days of holiday (25 + bank holidays) + Christmas shutdown
- Staff social calendar and events
- The opportunity to make a real and positive difference to nature, communities and the climate
Closing date: Monday 5th January 2026
Please note: We reserve the right to close the position early if application volumes are particularly high. We encourage you to get your application in sooner rather than later.
Interested?
If you would like to find out more, please click the apply button. You will be directed to our website to complete your application for this position.
Somerset Wildlife Trust have an Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Plan and are committed to continuing to improve the equality, diversity and inclusion of every aspect of our work; we know we need to engage with everyone to live our values and achieve our goals. We welcome applications from everyone and are happy to discuss any accommodations or arrangements that would make the recruitment process better for you, and the working environment should you be employed.
No agencies please.
Thank you!
Company Description
Marie Curie is the UK’s leading end-of-life charity. We are the largest non-NHS provider of end-of-life care in the UK, the only provider across all 4 nations, delivering community nursing and hospice care across the country, while providing information and support on all aspects of dying, death, and bereavement. Our leading research pushes the boundaries of what we know about good end-of-life, and our campaigns fight for a world where everyone gets to have the best possible quality of life while living with an illness, they’re likely to die from.
Job Description
Join Us in Making a Difference at Marie Curie
As a Community Fundraiser, you’ll be at the heart of building and championing our volunteer community. You will work closely with local fundraising and volunteering groups, inspiring them to create meaningful activities that raise vital funds for Marie Curie. Reporting to the Deputy Head of Region, you’ll collaborate with passionate fundraising colleagues to grow and energise our volunteer network—helping new and existing volunteers feel empowered, supported, and excited to make a difference in their communities.
Key Responsibilities
- Grow, recruit and support volunteering and fundraising groups, building trusted relationships and nurturing an engaged, motivated volunteer community.
- Lead local delivery of flagship campaigns, including The Great Daffodil Appeal, working alongside volunteers to maximise reach and impact.
- Champion volunteering in your area, increasing community involvement through active outreach, events, and relationship-building.
- Collaborate across teams and with external partners, ensuring volunteers have what they need to thrive and succeed.
- Maintain accurate records and uphold excellent fundraising practice, safeguarding volunteers and supporters.
- Use social media and local communication channels to celebrate volunteer achievements and inspire new supporters to get involved.
What You’ll Need
- Proven experience working with volunteers including recruitment, engagement, and ongoing support.
- Outstanding communication and relationship-building skills, with the ability to inspire confidence in individuals and groups.
- Strong organisational skills, including planning, prioritising and managing budgets.
- Good working knowledge of Microsoft Office and experience using databases or CRM systems.
- A full UK driving licence and flexibility to travel across the region, including some evenings and weekends.
Please see the full job description .
Application Process
As part of your online application, you will be asked for a CV. Please review both the advert and job description and outline your most relevant skills, experience and knowledge for the role. Please cite your preferred location.
Close date for applications: Sunday 4th January 2026 (due to the festive period we aim to shortlist candidates w/c 5th January 2026.)
Salary: £27,450 - £30,500
Contract: Full time hours (35 hours per week)
Based: Hybrid role, 3 days in Bradford Hospice
Benefits you’ll LOVE:
- Flexible working. We’re happy to discuss flexible working at the interview stage.
- 25 days annual leave (exclusive of Bank Holidays)
- Marie Curie Group Personal Pension Scheme (we will match your contribution up to 7.5%)
- Loan schemes for bikes; computers and season tickets
- Continuous professional development opportunities.
- Industry-leading training programmes
- Wellbeing and Employee Assistance Programmes
- Enhanced bereavement, family friendly and sickness benefits
- Access to Blue Light Card membership
- Subsidised Eye Care
Marie Curie is committed to its values, which underpin our work. We take stringent steps to ensure that the people who join our organisation through employment or volunteering, are suitable for their roles and are committed to safeguarding all our people from harm. This includes our staff, volunteers and all those who use or come into contact with our services. We are dedicated to creating not just a safe place to work but also a supportive and rewarding one.
We are committed to a world where everyone can thrive and fulfil their potential. We are devoted to the social justice imperatives and organisational benefits of full diversity, inclusion and equity in the workplace, and are a Stonewall champion. We actively encourage and welcome applications from candidates of diverse cultures, perspectives and lived experiences.
We're happy to accommodate any requests for reasonable adjustments. Please email any requests to
Additional Information
Marie Curie is committed to its values, which underpin our work. We take stringent steps to ensure that the people who join our organisation through employment or volunteering, are suitable for their roles and are committed to safeguarding all our people from harm. This includes our staff, volunteers and all those who use or come into contact with our services. We are dedicated to creating not just a safe place to work but also a supportive and rewarding one.
We are committed to a world where everyone can thrive and fulfil their potential. We are devoted to the social justice imperatives and organisational benefits of full diversity, inclusion and equity in the workplace, and are a Stonewall champion. We actively encourage and welcome applications from candidates of diverse cultures, perspectives and lived experiences.
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.
Thank you!
Purpose of the job
This role is responsible for the design of UK Youth’s support to young people, youth organisations and youth workers. This could include structured youth work programmes, funding and grants+ programmes, professional development programmes, and campaigns.
You will lead and oversee end-to-end design processes, ensuring that UK Youth develops fully packaged offers that respond to the evidence base and people’s needs, drive forward our strategy and achieve incredible impact. You will work across UK Youth teams, with external design partners, and meaningfully involving young people and the professionals who support them in the design process.
You will be experienced in developing high quality funding propositions (proactively and in response to new business opportunities). You will be confident in taking a human-centred design approach to tackle some of the youth sector’s knottiest problems. You will design solutions to important problems, ensuring that they are feasible, equitable, impactful and scalable.
In 2026, our priority topics for youth work programmes and network development are: mental health and wellbeing, employability, social cohesion and community safety.
As a leader, you will work closely with research, evaluation, policy, service delivery, network development, and fundraising teams. You will help to improve the skills and confidence of colleagues across UK Youth to apply design methods in their own work and collaborate effectively with the Design team.
Why work at UK Youth?
UK Youth wants all young people to be equipped to thrive and empowered to contribute at every stage of their lives. Youth work can be life changing (and even life saving.) In 2026, we will be launching our new strategy, positioning UK Youth to unlock youth work so that every young person in the UK can benefit. We work with others to ensure that the youth sector is strengthened and that provision is youth-led, evidence-informed, and delivers high-quality outcomes.
UK Youth plays a unique role in addressing the lack of investment in the youth sector, the lack of cross-sector understanding in how youth work makes a difference, and the limited opportunities to embed effective solutions. These factors lead to mass inequality of access to youth services for young people. Come and be part of this change in a driven and supportive team that puts evidence at the heart of our work.
Role Responsibilities
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Designing Solutions
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Developing new business and funding propositions
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Embedding Human Centred Design
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Building a strong external network to support the Design team’s work
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Operations
Experience we're after
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Significant experience of leading and overseeing the development of new business propositions and proposals to time-limited funding opportunities
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Significant experience of designing interventions (digital and/or physical) for young people and/or those who support them
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Experience using human-centred-design methods and mindsets; managing projects across the end-to-end design process
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Proven track record of inspiring and motivating diverse teams and improving collaborative ways of working across teams and departments
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Experience of developing high quality programme content and curricula for young people, youth workers and/or outdoor learning instructors (desirable)
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Experience of commissioning and managing external design freelancers and consultants (desirable)
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Experience of designing and/or delivering professional development programmes (desirable)
What we can offer you
We offer a competitive range of benefits, good work/life balance, excellent learning and development opportunities and vibrant organisational culture:
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Flexible/Agile Working
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27 days annual leave plus bank holidays (pro rata for part time employees)
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Funded training provided in; Safeguarding, GDPR, Information and Cyber Security & Equality & Diversity
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Other training available in support of your personal and professional development
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Pension scheme (currently UK Youth match employee contributions up to 5%)
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Membership of our life insurance scheme which would pay-out up to 4 times your salary
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Employee Assistance Programme to support employees both professionally and personally
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20% discount off bookings at Avon Tyrrell, our New Forest Outdoor Centre, including camping, lodges and outdoor activities.
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IT equipment provided for the duration of contract
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CycleScheme and TechScheme
How to apply
If you would like to be considered for this fantastic opportunity, please complete an application via our completely anonymised recruitment system provided by Applied which looks to create a fair and unbiased application process for all. Scroll to the top of the page and start your application.
Closing date: Sunday 4th January 2026 at 23:59pm
Provisional Interview Dates: 12th and 13th January 2026
As this role involves working in a regulated environment with young people, any offer will be conditional to satisfactory background checks, which include criminal record check and employment reference.
Registered Charity
51 - 100
UK Youth is a leading charity with a vision that all young people are equipped to thrive and empowered to contribute at every stage of their lives.
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.