Head of Communications

Bite Back 2030-1
HEAD OF COMMUNICATIONS – JOB DESCRIPTION

Salary: £50,000 – £65,000 FTE gross per annum dependent upon experience

Contract: Permanent

Hours: Full time

Location: London / Hybrid / Remote

People can work flexibly as per Bite Back 2030’s hybrid working policy
noting that office based employees are expected to be in the office 2 days per
week; remote staff are required to travel to our London HQ at least once a
month.

NB This is a UK based role; you must have the right to work in the UK to be
considered.

Role Description

This is an exciting opportunity to lead the newly-merged Digital & Communications Team to unlock the communications potential of Bite Back’s new brand. In September 2023, Bite Back released a new brand, created in partnership with renowned agency Wolff Olins, designed to take our impact to the next level. We also made the decision to merge our Digital and Communications teams to strengthen our storytelling capabilities across all communications channels. We’re now looking for an enthusiastic leader to join our team who is committed to our mission and passionate about the role communications plays in making change.

Responsibilities

Key responsibilities include:

• Strategy:
  • Develop an overarching communications and digital strategy, informed by our organisational strategy and including approaches for:
    • Increasing traditional media coverage
    • Raising brand awareness
    • Growing and engaging digital audiences
    • Ensuring high quality always-on digital content
    • Tailoring our approaches to suit our priority digital channels
    • Segmenting our various supporter audiences as needed.
  • Act as guardian of our core narrative, ensuring it’s reflected across all our activity and communications.
  • Team leadership:
    • Lead our Digital & Communications team to develop and execute effective communications strategies across on- and offline communications channels, including social media, email marketing, digital product, video, editorial and traditional media.
    • Implement team processes that facilitate collaboration and support all team members in delivering their best work.
    • Support team members to increase autonomy and take on increasing levels of ownership of key tasks and projects.
    • Institute clear processes for creating and approving key communications guides and core messaging, ensuring our narrative and tone of voice remains consistent across all digital & comms materials.
    • Line manage our Designer, Digital Senior Manager and Comms & Content Senior Manager to ensure all team activity is insights-driven, consistent and aligned.
    • Set up clear approval processes so all of our content and messaging is properly reviewed before being released to the public.
• Cross-functional integration:
  • Work closely with the Director of Strategy & Delivery, Head of Campaigns and Head of Programmes to ensure the entire Strategy & Delivery function is aligned and making the most of collaboration opportunities.
  • Overseeing consistency of our narrative and communications approach across content and materials created by or for other teams.
  • Work with the Head of Youth & Training to train our young people on key messaging and communications skills.
• Brand promotion:
  • Support our Chief Brand Officer to develop communications strategies around high profile brand moments.
  • Objectives will include securing media coverage, creating compelling multimedia content, amplifying digital content to engage new and existing audiences and exploring influential partnerships that could take our message further.
• Campaign communications:
  • Work with the Head of Campaigns to develop communications and media strategies around priority campaigns, ensuring our campaigns are targeting and reaching the right audiences in the right way to ensure the highest number of campaign actions are taken.
• Content oversight and planning:
  • Support the Comms & Content Senior Manager in developing a strong “always on” content plan and calendar that reflects the overarching communications strategy and the audience insights collected by the Digital Senior Manager.
  • Act as final sign-off on content, including email marketing, editorial articles for our digital platform, social media content plans, design and video assets.
• Securing traditional media:
  • Manage the Comms & Content Senior Manager and Communications Executive to secure traditional media coverage of Bite Back’s work, through press releases, reactive quotes and new research findings.
• Supplier & agency management:
  • Oversee relationships with our existing comms and digital suppliers including web development agency, funding partners, and agencies.
  • Oversee tender processes for new suppliers and ensure quality of execution.
  • Draft funding bids for new communications and digital projects where opportunities arise.
• Influencer engagement:
  • Identify and pursue relationships with influential individuals who can advocate for Bite Back’s mission and advance our public profile.
  • Support the Digital Senior Manager in the development of a digital influencer strategy and oversee their management of relationships with ambassadors and/or influencer agencies.
• Budget management:
  • Oversee communications and digital budget, planning spend to hit objectives and KPIs.
  • Work with the Head of Finance & Operations to plan spend over the year and re-forecast as necessary.
• Monitoring and evaluation:
  • Champion a data-led approach to communications and digital strategy, defining and measuring success metrics to drive increased audience size, supporter list growth, and engagement with Bite Back content, campaigns and programmes.

Skills / experience (required)

The ideal candidate would have the following experience and qualities:

• In depth professional communications and digital experience.
• An understanding of both digital and traditional communications channels and how they work together in a seamless strategy.
• Experience managing teams and devising effective ways of working to encourage collaboration. You will be able to align a team around your strategy for raising the profile of our brand and campaigns, and have the confidence to take people in your chosen direction.
• Experience overseeing the creation of the materials needed to execute your communications strategy including message guides, channel strategies, content production, social media calendars, press releases, media packs, email marketing plans, etc.
• A well-established set of senior contacts in the media and the ability to demonstrate an on-going commitment to maintaining and growing senior media contacts, along with a deep understanding of how to manage press enquiries and deal with journalists.
• An eye for storytelling and content and understanding of how it needs to flex across different communications channels and audiences.
• Exceptional English language writing skills that can be adapted to your audience.
• Experience and commitment to leading data-led digital strategies
• Appreciation for the power of visual communications, and experience overseeing production of design, illustration, video or other visual brand assets.
• Experience managing digital specialists.
• Experience developing the strategic capabilities and communications skills of junior team members.
• Understanding of digital channels and content – including social media, email marketing, digital product and video – and content management systems.

You will be able to show the following qualities:

• A bold and open mind – you will be prepared to think differently about issues.
• A level head – you will be comfortable working both reactively and proactively.
• A sense of humour – we believe work should be fun and that we all perform at our very best when we enjoy what we do.
• Leadership – you enjoy leading teams and developing individuals to expand their skillsets
• Creativity – you will come at issues from new and unusual angles and be prepared to work hard on finding fresh and surprising angles.
• Resilience – you will be prepared to keep going or as our values say, set back won’t set you back.
• A passion for our mission.

Skills / experience (desired):

• Experience in working with young people is welcomed but not essential.

Please apply with a CV and a statement answering the following questions:

1. What experience do you have building communications strategies that leverage both traditional and digital channels to achieve measurable impact objectives? (400 words max)
2. How do you believe digital and traditional communications channels need to work together in the current communications landscape? (250 words max)
3. Please tell us about your leadership experience. What experience do you have leading a team to work as one and deliver on a shared goal? (400 words max)
4. What do you think goes into a successful media campaign and how do you ensure your message reaches the right audience(s)? (250 words max)

Please send your application by email via the button below.

We kindly ask you to complete our Equal Opportunities Form to make sure we can continue to be as fair and inclusive as possible . click apply for full job details