Communications & Engagement Officer

CUMBERLAND LODGE; Windsor; Hybrid; GBP 30,000 - 45,000; Full time

Job summary

Cumberland Lodge is seeking a Communications & Engagement Officer to enhance its outreach and impact. This role involves creating engaging content, managing communications strategies, and working collaboratively to promote the charity's mission. Ideal candidates will have strong storytelling skills and experience in communications, particularly within the charity or education sectors.

Benefits

33 days annual leave including Bank Holidays

Standard Life contributory pension

Lunch provided on-site

Death in service benefit

Employee support benefits

Qualifications

• Minimum five years in a communications role or journalism.
• Experience in education, youth engagement, or charity sector preferred.
• Strong communication skills and ability to adapt messages.

Responsibilities

• Create compelling content for various platforms.
• Manage media relations and respond to inquiries.
• Track KPIs and report on engagement strategies.

Skills

Storytelling

Project Management

Media Relations

Content Creation

Communication

Education

Undergraduate degree or recognized industry qualification

Tools

Content Management System (CMS)

Adobe InDesign

Job description

Do you love sharing stories that spark meaningful conversations? Cumberland Lodge – an educational charity bringing young people together to explore the causes and impacts of social division – is seeking a Communications & Engagement Officer to increase the reach and impact of our work.

In this role, you will:

• create compelling content that showcases our programmes and drives engagement
• support impactful initiatives, such as our growing Youth & Democracy network help shape our strategy to connect with varied audiences across generations, cultures, and sectors
• join a small, collaborative team where your creativity and ideas will directly influence what we do.

Founded in the aftermath of the Second World War, we have a rich history of bringing people together for challenging conversations, and developing the next generation of leaders to create more just and inclusive futures.

We approach our 80th anniversary with ambitious plans to scale up our activities, increase awareness of our mission, and build a vibrant supporter network.

If you’re an experienced communications professional with strong storytelling skills and a passion for making a difference, we’d love to hear from you.

Job description

Objective: To champion the vision and mission of Cumberland Lodge through impactful storytelling and strategic communications and engagement, inspiring audiences and growing the profile of our work.

Reporting to: Communications & Engagement Manager

You’ll play a pivotal role in shaping the way we communicate with and engage our audiences, crafting compelling stories that showcase our work with future leaders. Working alongside the Communications & Engagement Manager to deliver the Communications & Engagement Strategy, you’ll focus on:

• bringing our story to life through creative content, from thought-provoking newsletters and blogs to eye-catching social media campaigns that spark empowering conversations and increase awareness of what we do
• identifying and planning communications and engagement activities for multiple channels and audiences, ensuring content is accessible, inclusive, and consistent with our brand guidelines
• assisting with media and PR activity, being alert to proactive opportunities to engage with the media and grow our profile, as well as responding to media enquiries
• collaborating with the Memberships & Outreach Officer to produce effective communications aimed at growing our new membership scheme and keeping supporters up to date with our latest news and events
• tracking our KPIs and producing monthly reports, using data to refine our strategies, and drive further engagement with our work
• gathering and recording case studies, testimonials, and other occasional video/photography at our events to support content creation.

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 be:

• an experienced communications professional/journalist (minimum five years in a communications role, or in a combination of communications and journalism), ideally in education, youth engagement, or the charity sector, or an area related to our Programme themes
• a natural storyteller who can turn complex ideas into engaging narratives, shaping and adaptingcontent and key messages for different channels and audiences
• used to proactively monitoring the news agenda, pitching to/writing for the media, and responding to media enquiries
• confident in handling communications around sensitive/reputational issues
• a strong project manager, able to juggle multiple projects simultaneously, prioritise tasks, and meet deadlines experienced in generating regular newsletter communications, ideally using email marketing platforms
• experienced in using a Content Management System (CMS)
• educated to an undergraduate level or hold a recognised industry qualification (such as CIPR or NCTJ), with excellent communication skills
• someone who thrives in a collaborative small-team environment, comfortable building relationships with colleagues and stakeholders across the organisation and beyond.

You may also have:

• experience of using Adobe software including InDesign experience of using a social media scheduling platform.

Further information

Hours: 37.5 hours per week (through an annualised hours working pattern).

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.

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 (up to 10% contributions to support 5% personal contributions, with the option to increase personal contributions over and above 5%).

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

No agencies please