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London, Greater London (Hybrid)
8.01 miles
£42,000 per year
Full-time
Contract (maternity cover 12 months fixed term contract)
Job description
Who we are
Chefs in Schools is a young, ambitious charity that’s rapidly growing. Our mission is to improve kids' health, through improving school food & food education. Working in areas of high deprivation, we support and train schools and their kitchen teams to serve the best, freshest and tastiest food possible, alongside meaningful food education. We share our learning and resources freely, aiming to inspire and enable others to follow our lead.
We’re backed by some of the biggest names in food and have ambitious targets to ensure every child has access to incredible school food and food education, setting them up for life with the skills and knowledge to feed themselves well.
About you and the role
This role will take our charity’s mission to a wider audience at an exciting time of development and growth. For a small communications team, we punch above our weight - regularly hitting the headlines, getting featured on agenda-setting news shows, receiving pro-bono support from renowned agencies and we have high-profile ambassadors, such as Prue Leith, Henry Dimbley and Thomasina Miers in our corner.
We need someone who’s creative, strategic and has great media contacts, or the knowhow to forge them, who can ensure a steady stream of coverage that gets our work in front of key audiences. This is an exciting time. Change is coming to school food - the government has committed to updating the school food standards and you’ll be part of the effort to transform the food kids eat in school every day. You’ll enjoy problem solving, crafting ideas and media opportunities, from stunts to stories.
You’ll be working on exciting projects, experience some incredible food and be surrounded by an ambitious, diverse and dynamic team, all passionate about the power great food and food education in schools has to shape and change young lives.
The responsibilities, skills and experience listed below are intended to give you an idea of what we need for this role. If you don’t meet every requirement but feel you would be able to work with us to deliver the majority of them, we urge you to apply anyway. We are dedicated to building a diverse and inclusive workplace, and for us the most important ‘experience’ is passion for our mission. You may be just the right candidate for this or other roles. We encourage applicants from all backgrounds, especially those from underrepresented communities, to apply.
We want to get to know you at the interview and understand we can do this best if you’re at ease. We’re an inclusive employer and work hard to create a welcoming working environment for everyone, including appointing a neurodiversity champion to help us identify how we can make our work environment work for everyone. If you need adjustments to the interview process please let us know.
As we work with children & young people, an offer of employment will be subject to satisfactory references and DBS clearance, in line with our safeguarding policy.
Key responsibilities:
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Work with the Head of Communications to develop and deliver content, media moments and campaigns that help raise awareness of our cause and achieve our wider strategic goals.
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Work closely with colleagues, school chefs and teachers to unearth compelling content that will connect with key audiences.
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Identify, create and secure opportunities for coverage of our charity’s mission in target publications and platforms.
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Create and deliver communications plans and assets.
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Build networks and contacts within mainstream, education and food-related traditional and social media platforms to secure proactive story and content placement.
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Deal with reactive media queries to tight deadlines, overseeing preparation of briefs and Q&As.
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Oversee the ongoing development of our website and work to improve user experience.
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Evaluate the success of campaigns, setting and tracking key metrics, feeding learnings back into future work in a cycle of continuous improvement.
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Monitor and control spending against delegated budget, clearing any anticipated variance with the Head of Communications in advance.
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Develop and deliver a patron and ambassador strategy.
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Oversee content creation for our online platforms, resources and marketing materials, ensuring brand consistency and appropriate audience targeting.
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Ensure any data collection via our website or other platforms is compliant with GDPR and any related or superseding legislation.
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Line manage and mentor the Communications Officer and Social Media Officer, with a commitment to ensuring their development.
Skills & experience:
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3+ years prior experience in a similar role.
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You have interest and belief in our mission to improve kids’ health through improving food and food education in schools.
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You are organised, methodical, strong on detail, and able to map out deadlines and plan ahead.
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Experience of line management in a hybrid working environment. You must be committed to developing the team.
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You have proven success designing and delivering communications plans and campaigns.
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You have experience successfully pitching stories and/or collaborations to media, journalists and influencers.
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You understand how to create engaging content - both written and visual.
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You spot opportunities for coverage and know how to make them happen.
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You’re up to date on media and communications trends and able to stay ahead of the curve.
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You’re capable of managing multiple projects simultaneously.
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You’re confident enough to deputise for the Head of Communications, such as deciding which reactive media queries to pursue, presenting at events and crisis management.
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You can constructively critique the work of others with an emphasis on learning and continuous improvement.
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You have excellent writing skills and communication skills.
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Experience of education media would be nice.
Benefits
You would be joining a friendly, supportive team who works hard but believe in a healthy work/life balance. We were voted one of CODE Hospitality’s happiest places to work in 2024. We seek a diverse range of perspectives, skills, experience and knowledge. Joining a small, collaborative team means you’ll be able to contribute to and draw on various projects and strategic insights.
We offer 33 days of holiday per year including bank holidays, 3 additional office closure days over the Christmas period as well as wellbeing days over the summer school holidays. We also have a Cycle to Work scheme, hybrid working, enhanced parental leave, and free access to the CODE app for discounted restaurants & hospitality venues. We are committed to developing our team and will support you with relevant training opportunities including £250 towards elective training and development of your choice.
We also offer Bupa Dental Insurance, Income Protection Insurance, as well as access to the Aviva Smart Health Platform which offers health benefits including free rapid access online GP appointments, free counselling and wellbeing support.
Application process
In line with our commitment to ensuring a fair and unbiased recruitment process, we invite candidates to answer a series of questions related to their day-to-day job. Please follow this link to answer the questions and submit your application along with your CV.
We recommend that you develop your answers offline and copy them in when you’re ready to ensure you don’t lose your work if interrupted.
Your answers will go through our sifting process: all answers will be anonymised, randomised and then reviewed by a panel of reviewers. A long list of candidates will then additionally have their CVs reviewed. Shortlisted candidates will be invited to a 30 mins online interview. Successful candidates will be invited to attend a second, in-person interview at our office in Brixton, London.
For the first interview, we will ask you to submit a short written exercise.
Expected duration of this application process: 4-6 weeks
Posted by
Chefs in Schools
View profile
Registered Charity
11 - 20
Registered Charity
11 - 20
We’re on a mission to transform kids’ health through food – plate by plate, class by class, school by school.
Refreshed on: Monday, 14 July 2025
Closing date: 23 July 2025 at 12:00
Tags: Campaigns, Communications
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.
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Whitechapel, Greater London (Hybrid)
5.15 miles
£31,220 (+ London Weighting of £3,358 where applicable)
Full-time
Permanent
Job description
Citizens UK
Citizens UK is the UK’s biggest, most diverse and most effective people-powered alliance. We bring communities and local organisations together to work on issues that matter; from campaigning for zebra crossings on dangerous roads, to reforming the immigration system, to the Living Wage campaign. We have a track record of winning change through hundreds of local and national campaigns. We know everyday people have the ability to shape the world around them. We believe that through developing local leaders, we can drive nationwide change and create community-led solutions to big and small problems.
Our Sponsor Refugees team fits within our ‘Migrants and Refugees’ theme of work, which combines place-based and multi-issue organising through our Migrants and Refugees Organising (MARO) team, and effective national campaigns, alongside the pioneering community sponsorship of refugees. Staff joining Sponsor Refugees are joining a thriving team that works collaboratively with the wider Migrants and Refugees theme and with a range of other Citizens UK teams.
Our MARO team fits within our ‘Migrants and Refugees’ theme of work, which combines place-based and multi-issue organising, with effective national campaigns, and the pioneering community sponsorship of refugees through our Sponsor Refugees team. Staff joining MARO are joining a thriving team that works collaboratively with the wider Migrants and Refugees theme and with a range of other Citizens UK teams.
Living Wage Foundation
The Living Wage is an independent movement of businesses, organisations and people who believe that a hard day’s work deserves a fair day’s pay. The Living Wage campaign was launched by London Citizens in 2001 and aims to ensure low paid workers have enough money to get by and enough time for community and family life.
The Living Wage is an hourly rate calculated according to the basic cost of living in the UK that employers choose to pay on a voluntary basis. The Living Wage Foundation recognises and celebrates employers that pay the real Living Wage through an accreditation programme which awards the Living Wage Employer Mark.
The independently-calculated rates are announced during Living Wage Week each November when we celebrate our growing network of Living Wage employers. There are now more than 15,000 accredited Living Wage employers across the UK which has secured pay rises for over 475,000 employees.
The Living Wage Foundation is part of Citizens UK – a community organising charity which works with a broad base of institutions across the political spectrum. At the Living Wage Foundation, we take a deliberately broad-based approach and accredit all organisations who pay the real Living Wage to their directly and indirectly employed staff and are committed to tackling in work poverty. As a team we work across a range of industries and sectors to achieve this mission. We seek pragmatic coalitions in order to progress specific campaigns, and partnership around a particular issue such as Living Wage, does not imply an endorsement of broader purpose and policies.
Purpose
At Citizens UK, our organisers and project staff work within communities to develop leaders, strengthen organisations, campaign for change and organise across difference. There are various project roles and operational, communication, finance and HR roles that support the organisation and project staff and organisers to deliver on this mission and work. This work is rewarding and can be challenging; it requires a personal commitment to inclusion, a willingness to listen and disagree respectfully, and an interest in working in an organisation where our staff, member institutions and leaders will come from a diversity of backgrounds and often hold views that may be very different from our own. More information about how we operate within this context and build trusted relationships across difference can be found on our website and is covered in induction. Onboarding and navigating this relational culture, and type of work, is supported by line managers and further training.
The Living Wage Foundation has an exciting opportunity to join our dynamic team as an Operations and Data Officer. We are looking for a highly motivated and organised individual to help maintain, develop and continuously improve our data and systems. The role will be an integral part of the Living Wage Operations and Insight Team, providing technical support to ensure the integrity of our systems, and supporting with development projects.
The Operations and Data Officer will need to be highly numerate and have great analytical skills to support our monitoring and evaluation functions, working with the Head of Operations and Insight on financial and budgeting management, reconciliation and forecasting for the Living Wage Foundation. The suitable candidate will be detail-oriented, be able to demonstrate their ability to seek out improvements and problem solve creatively and have experience working with Salesforce or equivalent CRM systems.
Main Responsibilities
Working as the Operations and Data Officer– LWF for Citizens UK, reporting to Senior Data & Operations Manager, LWF, your main responsibilities will include:
Project Management
Deliver work targets on time and to standard to support the Foundation’s data and systems: :
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Support the day-to-day operations and management of all systems within the Living Wage Foundation designed to enable the functioning of Living Wage accreditation schemes.
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Proactively seek out systems improvements to make our processes more efficient so the Living Wage Foundation continues to provide an excellent service to the Living Wage network.
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Provide operational support for all aspects of the accreditation and recognition systems, including identifying and fixing errors.
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Maintain integrity of Salesforce database; identify and source incomplete information within the database; take responsibility for tidying, cleansing and backing up existing data.
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Support maintenance of integrated systems, including syncing data to Act-On and the website.
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Work with Operations and Data Manager to keep templates, forms and related communications materials up to date
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Manage merchandise administration including email inbox, day to day queries, and Shopify administration.
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Support Operations and Data Manager to manage budgets for external contracts (e.g. with developers and suppliers).
Learning and expertise
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Keep up-to-date with functional good practice and technical updates to all our systems, including within the third sector.
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Support with network data enquiries, including analysing data, creating Salesforce reports and dashboards for colleagues.
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Work with colleagues to identify learning & development needs and support Operations and Data Manager to develop and deliver inductions, training and guidance to meet requirements.
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Keep internal training manuals up to date to ensure the Foundation’s team can access clear and consistent information about our systems and processes.
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Support Operations and Data Manager to monitor the impact of internal trainings, support, resources and guidance – update and improve internal support offer as required.
Communications
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Create and write dashboards and reports to support the analysis of our performance.
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Champion systems throughout the organisation and advocate for systems-based solutions. Offer ad hoc guidance to the team and help communicate any changes to systems.
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Run systems surgeries for colleagues to answer ad hoc enquiries and support learning.
Develop and manage external relationships
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Communicate effectively with our external contractors (e.g. merchandise suppliers) to ensure contracts are fulfilled in a timely manner.
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Help identify suitable new suppliers to meet organisational need.
Develop and manage internal relationships
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Support Operations and Data Manager to identify technical solutions to meet organisational requirements.
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Monitor and respond to operations and data enquiries from colleagues. Work effectively with colleagues across Citizens UK, actively participate in the team and organisational wide events.
Income and resources
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Maintain Salesforce data integrity to support accurate and timely invoicing. Help ensure the integrity and safety of our data advising wider organisation on best practice where appropriate.
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Support Operations and Data Manager to track expenditure for Shopify and merchandise suppliers.
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Contribute to plans and proposals to grow sources of income or resources.
Contribute towards Citizens UK’s strategic objectives
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Responsibility for delivering agreed areas of the Foundation’s work plan.
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To work collaboratively with the LWF team and across Citizens UK to ensure that we are meeting the expectations of our network and stakeholders.
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Display self-awareness of DEI issues and good practice, considering impact on direct reports and stakeholders.
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Understand how your role contributes to the purpose of the Foundation and the core mission of Citizens UK.
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Implement Citizens UK’s and the Foundation policies, procedures, and values in own work and that of the team.
Personal Specification
(D) Desirable, (E) Essential
Qualifications
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Degree or equivalent professional qualification or experience (D)
Experience
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A minimum of 2 years proven, comprehensive experience in an operations role (E)
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Experience of analysing business requirements and turning them into technical solutions (E)
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Experience of providing technical support to a team (E)
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Experience of administrating and updating Salesforce or similar databases, and using database integrations such as Zapier, QuickBooks, Form Assembly and email marketing platforms (D)
Key skills and knowledge
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Strong analytical skills with the ability to interpret large quantities of data to evaluate and improve performance (E)
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Interest in and good understanding of database and systems management and integration (E)
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Ability to take in and interpret information and communicate in a succinct manner (E)
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Demonstrable ability to find creative solutions to complex problems and implement new systems (E)
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High levels of numeracy with strong attention to detail (E)
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Excellent time management skills with the ability to juggle a wide range of competing demands (E)
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Strong IT skills to include MS Office and database software (E)
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Sound knowledge of data protection regulations and GDPR (E)
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Understanding of the policy and campaign landscape in the UK (D)
Personal qualities & values
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A proactive approach to all areas of work with a ‘can do’ attitude and a flexible approach to work demands (E)
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A strong commitment to the Living Wage campaign and the principles of Citizens UK (E)
About the application process
We work within diverse communities bringing people together. In line with our Inclusion value, we would love to see applications from LGBTQIA+ people, people from racialised communities, people living with disabilities and people of faith, all to better represent the communities we work in. We want our employees to have the working conditions that allows them to fully participate, be able to be their best authentic selves and thrive doing so, and we have employee networks to support staff. Even if you don’t quite meet all the required criteria still consider applying, as we invest in our employees and support them to develop the skills and knowledge required to deliver their role.
Interview date: W/C 4th August
Want to find out more about us and the role?
If you would like further information on the role, the organisation, or our commitment to addressing under-representation and the development and progression of all colleagues, we would be happy to answer any questions.
Join us for a 45-minute lunchtime webinar to learn more about working at the Living Wage Foundation/Citizens UK. Anyone can attend to find out more about the role, all enquiries welcome. In the past, candidates have found this a helpful space for understanding whether the role is right for them.
The webinar will take place on Monday 7 July from 13:00-13:45 on Zoom. Sign up here.
Posted by
Posted on: Tuesday, 24 June 2025
Closing date: 20 July 2025 at 23:30
Tags: Campaigns
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.
Does something look incorrect in this job listing?