Senior Communications Officer

The Duke of Edinburgh's Award; Slough; Remote; GBP 35,000 - 43,000; Full time

Job summary

An exciting opportunity awaits for a Senior Communications Officer at a prestigious charity dedicated to empowering young people. This role is pivotal in shaping strategic communications and engagement initiatives during a transformative period for the organization. The successful candidate will leverage their exceptional communication, organizational, and project management skills to effectively engage with various stakeholders. Join a passionate team committed to making a difference in the lives of young people and help drive impactful projects that resonate with the charity's mission. If you are ready to take the next step in your career and contribute to meaningful change, this role is for you.

Qualifications

• Experience in a busy communications team with a focus on engagement.
• Ability to deliver effective change and foster two-way conversations.

Responsibilities

• Drive strategic communications and engagement for the charity.
• Plan and deliver effective communications for key projects.

Skills

Organisational Skills

Project Management

Communication Skills

Writing Skills

Creativity

Education

Degree in Communications or related field

Tools

Digital Communication Platforms

Project Management Software

Job description

Location: Homebased UK/ Travel into the London office

Salary: £35,766 - £42,078 pa dependent on experience Grade J **(geographical allowance may apply)

The vacancy

Are you up for the challenge of working in a fast-paced and supportive environment with colleagues as passionate about championing young people as you are?

It’s an exciting time for the DofE as we look ahead to our next strategy, plan how we’ll celebrate our 70th anniversary and how we’ll continue to give young people a life-changing experience for generations to come. Bringing our 350+ staff on this journey together is a key part of that, as is engaging the thousands of DofE Leaders and young people involved in DofE. Join us and be part of building an open and transparent culture where people are consulted, valued, recognised and celebrated.

Have you got the passion, creativity and drive to join us and be part of the next chapter of the DofE?

What will the position involve?

The Senior Communications Officer at The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award (DofE) will play a vital role in driving forward strategic communications and engagement at an exciting and ambitious time for the charity.

You’ll play a key role in planning and delivering effective communications and engagement that bring key strategic projects to life and ensure their success.

You’ll be a confident communicator with excellent organisational and project management skills, sound judgement, excellent writing skills and a passion for making a difference to young people’s lives from the moment you start.

What we are looking for?

A talented, ambitious, organised and proactive communications professional, ready to take your next step.

You’ll understand what it takes to plan and deliver effective change, creating opportunities for two-way conversations that bring people together, build mutual understanding and help build a positive and productive organisational culture.

You’ll have experience of working in a busy communications team, with an ability to work well under pressure, have a great eye for detail and lots of new ideas.

You’ll be experienced in proactively shaping and delivering impactful engagement and be well-versed in communications approaches and channels.

You’ll be happy leading projects and collaborating with colleagues at all levels, using your expertise to advise on effective, thoughtful and well-planned project communications and engagement that deliver against project objectives and support the charity’s strategic goals.

You’ll play a key role in developing and improving how we engage everyone involved in DofE and play a part in delivering important communications about DofE programmes.

If you’re excited about the prospect of working for the DofE and believe you have the desired skills and experience to make a real success of this role, then we want to hear from you.

Applications will close at midnight on Sunday 16 February 2025.

First interviews (to be held virtually): week commencing Monday 24 February 2025

Second interviews (to be held virtually): week commencing Monday 3 March 2025

If you would like to access the application form in a different format or if would like any assistance that might help improve your experience while completing the application, please contact us by email [e-mail]

The DofE is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of young people. All successful applicants will be required to undergo a Basic Disclosure and Barring Service check. (e.g. DBS/PVG or similar), including references covering any gaps of employment/education, confirm eligibility to work in the UK and complete a health check.

**The geographical allowance is based on a member of staff having a home or office-based postcode within 30 miles (as the crow flies) from Charing Cross, WC2N 5HS. The allowance is 7% capped at £4,000 per annum.

About DofE

Since its launch in 1956, the DofE has empowered millions of young people to become the very best they can be. It was established by HRH The Duke of Edinburgh, our Patron, and is still guided by the same set of principles he laid down.

The flexibility and adaptability of DofE have allowed the DofE to spread around the world. We operate through a social franchise model in the UK, licensing and supporting a wide range of organisations to deliver DofE programmes to hundreds of thousands of young people every year.

Despite the disruption caused by the COVID-19 outbreak our ambition to grow the number of young people who can access a DofE programme remains unchanged and we continue to engage new partners and develop innovative ways of working with businesses, the voluntary sector, and policymakers across the UK to ensure that any young person who wants to do their DofE can do so. To find out more visit DofE.org/about.

The DofE is committed to creating a diverse and inclusive staff team and we are proud to be an equal opportunity employer.

We recruit, develop, promote and value people and the DofE is committed to creating a diverse and inclusive workforce. In order to meet the changing needs and aspirations of the most diverse generation of young adults ever, our staff need a range of perspectives, skills, and lived experience.

While we welcome applications from people of all backgrounds to join our passionate and friendly team, at present people of colour, disabled people, and people under 25 are not as well represented as we would like. As such we particularly encourage applicants from these backgrounds.