Citizens UK:

Citizens UK is a people power alliance of diverse local communities working together for the common good. Our mission is to develop leaders, strengthen civic organisations and make change. Our 550 member civic organisations are deeply rooted in their local areas and connect every day to the lives of hundreds of thousands of people. Through the method of community organising we enable people experiencing powerlessness to develop their leadership and come together with the power and strategy to make change.  

This leads to hundreds of neighbourhood improvements - from zebra crossings outside primary schools to renovated public toilets in cemeteries. And it leads to some of the biggest campaign impacts in the UK, such as winning over £2 billion of wages through the UK Living Wage campaign, securing a legal cap on the cost of credit to control exploitative lending, and ending the detention of children for immigration purposes. We enable local campaigns to grow into large-scale social change projects such as the Living Wage Foundation, Parents and Communities Together (PACT), Sponsor Refugees, and Refugees for Justice, that form an integral part of our theory of change. The most prominent of these is the rapidly growing Living Wage Foundation with a network of over 12,000 accredited Living Wage Employers across the UK.  

Purpose:

We're looking for someone who wants to combine their passion for social change with their commitment to digital communications and content creation. 

As part of the communications team, you will lead our social media management. You'll create innovative new content that showcases the stories of our community leaders and their campaigns. And you'll also work across our digital communications channels to make sure we are engaging with our membership and reaching new audiences. These channels will include paid ads, Google Ads, email marketing and CMS management. You will have experience with some or all these channels, but most importantly, a willingness to learn and put in place new digital tactics. 
You’ll be a strong communicator with the ability to tell a story in a short time frame. You'll have brilliant instincts for how to take complex issues and translate them into strong digital campaigns for multiple audiences. As an organisation with chapters all over the country and dozens of campaigns happening at any one time, you'll also thrive in working closely with people to generate content and an interest in multiple social issues, including refugee and migration justice and the Living Wage. 

Your role will sit in a communications department of 10, working closely with colleagues in marketing, press, public affairs and policy. Day to day, you will work most closely with the Marketing and Content Officer and be line managed by the Digital Engagement Manager. This role may involve regular travel to different towns and cities across the UK to gather content and meet community leaders. 

Main Responsibilities:

This role reports into Digital Communications Manager. Working a Digital Communications Officer in London for Citizens UK your main responsibilities will include: 

Strategy Development -

• Participate in development of the communications strategy, contributing tactical and creative ideas around implementation. 

• Lead on creating a test and learn social media and creative content approach for national Citizens UK channels. 

• Upskilling colleagues and community leaders to create content and run their own social media channels. 

• Support with delivery of communications objectives against national campaigns, such as migration justice and the Living Wage. 

Materials Development & Dissemination -

• Support the Marketing and Content Officer to develop and maintain video, photo and storytelling content for the charity’s websites, social media platforms and media engagement  

• Produce high quality content for use across social media and website that adheres to the brand guidelines, and work with colleagues to support their capacity, understanding and use of brand assets 

• Attend events such as public demonstrations, assemblies and leadership trainings to capture positive and powerful stories, quotes, images and video of community members. 

• Adhering to safeguarding and consent processes. 

  Social Media, Email & Website -

• Work with key stakeholders and internal teams to manage a consistent social media content plan, produce engaging daily content and create eye-catching visuals and videos relevant for different audiences 

• Monitor news and trends across social media platforms, and use this to inform content strategy 

• Identify opportunities to engage or collaborate online with relevant partners, organisations and high-profile individuals (such as elected officials, content creators and influencers). 

• Support with the use of paid social media advertising to boost our brand and campaigns. 

• Ensure all content is produced to support accessibility. 

• Produce content which reflects the breadth and diversity of our members 

• Use digital tactics that support people with experience of injustice to tell their stories. 

• Monitor analytics of social media channels and the website to track campaigns and deliver against KPIs. 

• Support with website copywriting, proofing and updating content. 

• Support on email campaigns – data management, copy and creative execution, testing strategy for optimisation. 

  Internal Comms & Knowledge Management -

• Update key communications files and assets; ensuring GDPR compliance and that informed consent is obtained. 

• Maintain a brand centre for photos, video and other digital assets. 

• Contribute to the maintenance of the organisation’s CRM system. 

• Provide training to key members of staff to upskill colleagues. 

• Act as a brand ambassador for the whole organisation. 

  Internal Relationships  -

• Coordinate and advise on communications work of colleagues across the organisation and work with external suppliers and providers. 

• Support the HR team with recruitment marketing 

Person Specification:

(D) Desirable, (E) Essential 

EXPERIENCE 

• Experience in identifying target audiences and devising digital marketing campaigns that engage, inform, and motivate (E) 

• Experience of creating written, audio or visual content for application across a range of digital channels (E) 

• Experience of managing social media channels, including planning a content pipeline, scheduling and capturing content at live events. (E) 

• Experience of marketing, design or filming - gained in a professional or voluntary capacity (D) 

• Experience of managing crisis communications, particularly in relation to social media (D) 

KEY SKILLS AND KNOWLEDGE 

• A clear and demonstrable understanding of digital storytelling and tactics (E) 

• Proven knowledge of best practice engagement tactics across core social media channels, including Facebook, Instagram, X (Twitter), LinkedIn and YouTube (E) 

• Proven knowledge of and/or a passion for exploring best practice engagement tactics across other social media platforms (e.g. Tiktok, Snapchat, Meta Threads, Twitch, Discord, BeReal) (D) 

• Computer literate with strong knowledge of web page building and social media scheduling (E) 

• Knowledge of Paid Media platforms – e.g. Facebook Business Manager, Google Ads (D) 

• Experience with managing a website CMS and/or leading on website UX (E) 

• Excellent written and verbal communication and ability to tell stories (E) 

• Shooting and editing photography and videos (D) 

• Experience with Adobe Creative suite or similar design and production products (e.g. Canva, Premiere Pro, Lightroom, Indesign, Illustrator, Photoshop etc) (D) 

• Strong understanding of brand and design principles (E) 

• Excellent time and project management skills (E) 

• Ability to work under pressure and meet deadlines (E) 

• A flexible and adaptable approach to work (E) 

• A passion for social justice and communities (E) 

• Understanding of fundraising communications (D) 

• Basic coding skills (HTML, CSS or other relevant languages) (D) 

• A strong team player (E) 

PERSONAL QUALITIES & VALUES 

• Accountable (E) 

• Self-motivated (E) 

• Adaptable and innovative (E)  

• Creative and curious (E) 

• A willingness to travel to parts of the UK and attend events (D) 

• A willingness to learn about the practice of community organising and embed Citizens UK values (E)