Communications & Engagement Officer

We can’t change what we don’t understand. That’s why, in a world of extreme inequality and political polarisation, we believe it’s not our differences that divide us, but our inability to recognise, discuss, debate, and respect those differences.

Cumberland Lodge is an educational charity that exists to empower young people to lead the conversation around social division – providing them with the skills, perspective, and confidence to question, challenge, and understand, some of the most complex social issues of our time.

Day-to-day, our buildings and facilities operate as a social enterprise, hosting multi-day residential retreats, workshops, conferences, and similar events on a commercial basis. Our regular clients include university departments, legal and medical training bodies, and many other public sector, private sector, and not-for-profit organisations.

We have ambitious plans to scale up our work, increasing awareness of our charitable mission, and growing a network of supporters committed to helping develop more just and inclusive societies. In the newly-created role of Communications & Engagement Officer, you’ll play a key part in helping us to achieve this.

Coming up in 2024, we’ve got our youth arts takeover, where teenagers will reflect on the history of our building. Our Programme Team is travelling the country listening to young people’s views on democracy in the UK. And we’re building a new online community to connect people who are interested in what we do.

All of these projects, and others, bring opportunities to engage with new and existing audiences – whether that’s through news updates, testimonials, or TikTok videos. No two days are ever the same for our team, and there’s plenty of room for creativity and new ideas.

The Communications & Engagement Officer will help to increase awareness of, and engagement with, Cumberland Lodge, working with the Communications & Engagement Manager and Digital Communications Officer to deliver the Communications & Engagement Strategy.

Content generation

You will:

• generate regular content about our work, including news stories, newsletters, and social media posts, ensuring consistency with our brand and messaging
• identify and plan for content opportunities, contributing ideas for how these can be adapted for different channels and audiences
• assist with media and PR activities, being alert to proactive opportunities to engage with the media as well as responding to media enquiries
• work with the Digital Communications Officer, Programme Team, and Outreach Officer on the planning, scripting, and recording of video and audio content.

Supporter engagement

You will:

• take the lead on improving our engagement with supporters and growing the membership of our supporter base, working alongside the Communications & Engagement Manager to develop and deliver e-newsletter campaigns to welcome, thank, and retain supporters, as well as keeping them up to date with the latest news and events from Cumberland Lodge.

Monitoring and impact

You will:

• monitor media coverage, working with the Digital Communications Officer to report monthly to the Communications & Engagement Manager, who in turn reports quarterly to the Board of Trustees
• assist with the gathering and recording of case studies and testimonials.

Other

You will also carry out other activities as may from time to time be reasonably required, including deputising for the Communications & Engagement Manager.

Person specification

You’ll have:

• demonstrable experience of working in communications, PR, or journalism
• a good standard of education, with excellent written and verbal communication skills
• strong storytelling skills, with the ability to shape and adapt content and key messages for different channels and audiences
• experience of managing regular newsletter communications, ideally using email marketing platforms (such as Constant Contact, Mailchimp or similar)
• experience of monitoring the news agenda to identify relevant content opportunities, and working with colleagues to maximise them
• experience of pitching to/writing for media, and responding to media enquiries
• the ability to meet tight deadlines, while being able to prioritise a busy workload/manage consecutive projects
• great interpersonal skills, with a welcoming and collaborative approach to working with colleagues across our organisation, ranging from our hospitality teams and chefs, to our programme and finance teams, and senior management.

You may also have:

• a relevant qualification/membership of a professional body (such as CIPR/NCTJ)
• experience of using Adobe software including InDesign
• experience of database/contacts management and GDPR
• experience of working with external agencies to deliver key projects.

Location: Based at Cumberland Lodge in Windsor Great Park, with the possibility of home-working up to two days per week. Applicants should be aware that Cumberland Lodge is not easily accessible by public transport, therefore access to a car would be beneficial.

Benefits

Annual leave: 33 days including Bank Holidays which will be pro-rata. The charity is closed over the Christmas period which will be deducted from the leave allocation.

Pension: Standard Life contributory pension (10% contributions to support 5% personal contributions, with the option to increase personal contributions over and above 5%).

Additional benefits: Annualised hours working pattern. Lunch provided on-site. Death in service benefit 4 x salary after a probation period. Employee support benefits, likely to include access to a virtual GP service and mental health support.

How to apply

We seek to embody our vision of more peaceful, open, and inclusive societies as an employer, and we positively encourage applications from suitably qualified and eligible candidates regardless of sex, race, disability, age, sexual orientation, gender reassignment, religion or belief, marital status, or pregnancy and maternity.

To apply for the role of Communications & Engagement Officer, please send a CV and a covering letter explaining why you wish to apply and how you meet the criteria, to: Melissa Galvan, HR Officer by an email via the button below.

Closing date: 11:59pm on Wednesday 5 June.

Interviews: Tuesday 18 and Wednesday 19 June, on-site at Cumberland Lodge.

No Agencies Please