Key information

Hours: 37.5 hours
Start date: December 2022 (we are happy to work with you and your notice period)
Duration: Permanent

About upReach

Do you think that your socio-economic background should determine your career prospects?  

upReach’s vision is of a society in which everybody has an equal opportunity to realise their full career potential. Our work is important because right now a student from a working-class background who gains a first-class degree from a top university is less likely to secure an elite job than a more privileged student with a 2.2. 

We are an award-winning charity employer working to address this issue in partnership with employers and universities. We help young people from less advantaged backgrounds achieve their career potential by providing an intensive programme of support that addresses socio-economic barriers to graduate employment. 

To find out more about how we support our students, visit our website and read our Annual Report, and Impact Report. 

Role overview 

upReach is seeking to hire a Senior Marketing & Communications Officer. You will play a pivotal role in all aspects of our marketing and communications to student audiences. You will lead plans to raise the profile of upReach amongst students who would be eligible for upReach’s free career support. You will work alongside the leadership team to formulate upReach’s student attraction strategy and will create varied, engaging content to energise students and universities, which will be delivered across a range of different channels. Acting as part of the brand and marketing team, you will also take the lead on upReach’s wider social media activity, delivering content across all social platforms.

Our values

upReach upholds the following values:

• Perseverance

• Integrity

• Advocacy

• Aspiration

• Proactivity 

Skills 

The ideal candidate for the Senior Marketing & Communications Officer will bring with them the following skills:  

• Communication - both written and oral

• Proofreading and editing

• Planning and organising

• Project management and problem-solving skills

• Creativity and marketing flair

• Working both individually and in a team

• Ability to craft engaging stories

Experience 

We are looking for someone who is passionate about social mobility and believes that background should not be a barrier to graduate employment. 

To be successful, it is anticipated you will have hands-on experience working in marketing/communications, preferably for an educational or student-facing organisation. You will have proven experience in creating content for online sources and marketing materials across a wide range of platforms, from websites to social media, as well as how to track and analyse the impact of different campaigns. 

To be successful in this role you will bring with you the following experience: 

• Proven experience in creating content, copywriting and editing for campaigns and marketing materials, including print, email, social media, video, and website.

• Experience turning complex ideas into concise and effective communication materials.

• Strong knowledge of Google Analytics and tracking/reporting of online campaigns.

• Understanding of the importance of brand consistency and how to apply this across an organisation.

• Experience in running social media platforms, including paid campaigns.

• Experience working directly with students and/or student volunteers.

• Good knowledge of GDPR legislation and regulations.

• Experience using video editing software, design software (e.g. Canva), social media scheduling platforms (e.g. Hootsuite, Sproutsocial), and Mailchimp.

• Understanding of social mobility issues in the UK, the university landscape and graduate recruitment.

Responsibilities

In this role, you will contribute to upReach's mission by taking responsibility for upReach’s student attraction strategy, to maintain and grow the pipeline of students applying to be part of upReach’s programmes.

You will report directly to the Communications & Marketing Manager, and will also be co-managed by the Chief Operating Officer who will assign student marketing projects in line with wider strategic objectives.

You will primarily work alongside the student pipeline team, as well as different members of the partnerships and programme delivery team to enhance upReach’s student attraction strategy. This will include raising awareness of upReach’s programmes through a range of mediums, engaging with external collaborators, and reporting on the effectiveness of different campaigns.

The core responsibilities include: 

Student Attraction and Associate Communications

• Create and deliver upReach’s student attraction strategy to raise awareness of upReach amongst eligible undergraduate students, coordinating various teams to ensure comms are consistent across the organisation and are delivered to the right people at the right time.

• Manage multiple external relationships including student societies, pre-18 charities and social mobility influencers to successfully promote upReach’s programmes.

• Create best practice resources, collateral and training that will enable our volunteer Community Ambassadors to promote upReach’s programmes and reflect changing student attraction needs.

• Act as the subject matter expert on improving Associate-facing communications across a range of different mediums (Associate portal, newsletters, emails) to ensure efficient, consistent and impactful communication.

Social Media:

• Take responsibility for managing upReach’s general social media calendar, advising, training and providing resources so that the wider team can produce best-practice content that will help upReach achieve our organisational KPIs.

Data & Impact 

• Maintain detailed records to consistently monitor and evaluate the performance of upReach’s attraction programme, reporting this back to Senior Leadership and implementing improvements where needed.

• Create monitoring and tracking mechanisms to measure the success of Communications campaigns and interventions, using goal and conversion tracking on platforms like Google Analytics, Meta and Hootsuite.

• Work with the Data and Impact team to create compelling narratives and case studies about our impact, and contribute to how we gather data from our beneficiaries.

Other

• Manage the Student Attraction rotation to help one member of the Future Charity Leaders Programme (FCLP), upReach’s internal graduate scheme.

• Continue to develop skills and knowledge that will enable you to excel in the role, including project planning and management, paid marketing and website best practices.

Please note that it is not possible for the job description to cover the exhaustive list of responsibilities of your role due to the varied nature of the role. The job description aims to provide an overview of your remit and core responsibilities. 

Team Culture & Benefits: 

By joining the upReach team, you will be joining a team who are committed to supporting you in your career journey and fostering an inclusive culture. 

We offer: 

• Flexible and hybrid working.

• Statutory Holiday Entitlement of 25 days and bank holidays. This increases to 2 additional days after 2.5 years and then to 3 additional days after 5 years of working with us. 

• Birthday leave.

• 3% Pension Contribution.

• Cycle-to-work scheme.

• Monthly socials.

• Dedication to Staff well-being through our Employee Assistance Programme and Mental Health First Aid Training. 

• Personal Development Budget, activated after 6 months in the role.

• The opportunity to participate in our fantastic staff networks: 

  • Disability and Inclusion Network

  • Ethnic Minorities Network 

  • Green Network 

  • LGBTQ+ Network

  • Mindfulness Network

Ready to apply?

We are committed to making our recruitment process inclusive. All applications will be blind screened, and our job packs are available in Braille, large text or another format upon request. We can provide reasonable adjustments throughout our recruitment application process and on the job, and we'll always endeavour to be as accommodating as possible. If you have particular needs or requirements, please get in touch using recruitment@upReach.org.uk.

Applications close at 2 pm Friday 18th November. Interviews will take place on Thursday 24th November.

If you have any questions regarding the role please email us at recruitment@upReach.org.uk.