This is an exciting new role in a fast-growing organisation working with responsible businesses to change capitalism. The B Corp movement encourages businesses to manage their impact on society and the environment with as much rigour as they manage their profits.

The B Corp Movement

Certified B Corps seek to redefine success in business by putting social and environmental impact on a par with profit. B Corps manage the impact of their entire business through the B Impact Assessment and reach high standards of social and environmental performance. B Corps also amend their governing documents to consider the impact of their decisions on people and planet.  

The B Corp community is a global group of businesses who provide leadership through their commitments to people and planet, and create examples of success for others to follow. There are now over 3,200 B Corps in over 70 countries and covering 150 sectors. B Corps include Patagonia, The Body Shop, Kickstarter, innocent and Ella’s Kitchen.

B Lab 

B Lab was created in 2006 with the mission to inspire and enable people to use business as a force for good. There are B Labs across the globe including Australia, East Africa, mainland Europe and North and South America. 

B Lab UK is a charity that launched in 2015. Our purpose is to redefine success in business through building a community of engaged businesses, raising awareness of the B Corp movement and championing change in the UK economy. The B Lab UK team is small but growing, friendly, innovative, and committed to changing how business operates.

The role of the Director of Communications, Marketing & Public Affairs

The B Corp movement in the UK is growing faster than ever. Certified B Corps include some of the UK’s most recognisable and well-respected brands including The Guardian, the Body Shop, and innocent. There is a huge opportunity to drive awareness of the B Corp mission and brand. Meanwhile, we are embarking on an ambitious strategy to effect change at a systems level; working toward our goal of every business acting as a force for good. This strategy demands engagement with an increasing range of stakeholders.

The successful candidate will play a vital role in B Lab UK’s long-term success by growing and leveraging awareness of the B Corp brand while establishing our position as a key influencer of public policy. To achieve this, we are looking for an outstanding communications and marketing professional, with experience in public affairs and public policy, to lead our work across a wide range of initiatives.

Responsibilities will include:

• Development of consistent and compelling narratives and the implementation of an integrated marketing and communications strategy for B Lab UK.

• Responsibility for all communications and marketing output, including campaigns, external and stakeholder communications, social media, newsletters, website(s), brand and project-led communications.

• Lead B Lab UK’s public policy agenda, establishing B Lab UK as a key influencer of public policy and working in collaboration with other movement organisations as well as government and elected officials to evolve the narrative and influence the shift to stakeholder capitalism.

• Deliver a programme of support to help B Corps communicate their certification with their employees, customers, suppliers, and other stakeholders (working closely with Director of Programmes and Engagement).

• Manage all media relations, inbound and outbound, proactive and reactive.

• Build tools, processes and resources for internal communications, including ongoing coordination with global B Lab partners.

• Management and future growth of the Marketing and Communications team, including setting key objectives to achieve B Lab UK goals and overseeing professional development.

• Managing communications where necessary as a result of unforeseen events.

Skills and Experience

Essential

• At least 10 years’ professional experience, with at least 5 years operating at a senior level and delivering strategically in a campaigning, communications or marketing role.

• Accomplished communicator with a track record of engaging diverse stakeholders including media, senior business leaders, industry and business associations and politicians and policymakers. 

• Strong leader and team builder with the ability to provide clear direction and to motivate a team to deliver outstanding results.

• Extraordinary research, writing and communications skills.

Desirable

• Personal gravitas and experience of public speaking.

• Track record of influence and coalition building within the UK political system, including engaging parliamentarians to affect policy change.

• Demonstrated experience in entrepreneurial environments and working as part of a dynamic and collaborative team.

Person Specification

• Passionate about the role that business can play in creating a future that benefits all people and planet.

• A strategic and creative thinker, with an eye for the bigger picture and the end goal.

• Comfortable in a dynamic start-up environment. It will be varied, fast-paced, and hugely rewarding.

• Collaborative, with a team mentality.

• Proactive, organised and self-motivated. You’ll enjoy rolling your sleeves up and getting things done.

Reports to: Executive Director

Salary & Benefits:

• £55,000

• 25 days holiday plus bank holidays and office closure over Christmas

• Flexible hours and a weekly work from home day

• Volunteer days

B Lab UK believes an equitable and inclusive work environment and a diverse, empowered team are key to achieving our mission. We’re not looking for candidates who are 'culture fits'. We’re looking for candidates who can expand our culture and challenge business as usual. We strive to foster an environment where all staff can bring their whole selves to work, by their own definition, and we strive to provide all candidates with an equitable and accessible recruitment process.