Editorial Manager in Cambridge

Application deadline: Wednesday 19 August 2026 - 23:59 BST

Location: Cambridge, UK (hybrid working, minimum one day per week in Cambridge)

Full-time: 35 hours per week

Contract: Fixed term contract for 2 years

Salary: £43,000 per annum depending on skills/experience, plus competitive 12% pension benefit

Annual Leave: 25 days pro rata in year 1, increasing by 1 day p/a to 28 days

We're BirdLife International, the only global Partnership conserving birds and all life on our planet. We exist to give one voice to nature, and to unite and strengthen conservation across borders.

We are looking for an Editorial Manager with a passion for nature to help to give BirdLife one clear voice - in print and online - through our most important product, the magazine. In this role, you will be planning, writing, editing and producing content that informs, inspires and unites the thousands who make up the BirdLife Partnership. You will lead the day-to-day editorial management of the quarterly BirdLife magazine, its web pages and social media.

How You Will Do This

• Magazine
  • Lead the day-to-day editorial production of our quarterly BirdLife magazine, from commissioning through to publication.
  • Plan each issue, coordinating contributors, designers and production schedules to ensure timely delivery.
  • Write, edit and proof engaging long- and short-form content to a consistently high standard.
  • Prepare design briefs, oversee page production and source high-quality imagery within budget and licensing requirements.
  • Ensure editorial content reflects organisational priorities and strategic objectives.
• Internal Communications
  • Plan, write and produce BirdLife's internal communications products, including News From the Flock, the All Team Meetings and Building a Better BirdLife.
  • Act as the first point of contact for internal communications, providing advice and support to colleagues across the organisation.
  • Build strong relationships across teams and partners to identify, develop and share compelling stories.
  • Gather employee feedback, evaluate the effectiveness of internal communications, and continuously improve engagement.
  • Support the delivery of All Team meetings and organisation-wide communications.
• Brand Voice
  • Champion BirdLife's brand, editorial standards and tone of voice across all communications, providing guidance to colleagues where needed.
  • Work closely with senior communications colleagues to ensure consistent messaging and editorial alignment.
• Planning and Resources
  • Manage freelance writers, designers, printers and other suppliers, ensuring quality delivery on time and within budget.
  • Deliver multiple projects simultaneously, balancing planned work with emerging priorities.

This role will require occasional travel outside the UK.

What We Are Looking For

Success in this role requires excellent writing, editing and storytelling skills, with a proven track record of producing high-quality print and digital publications to tight deadlines. You'll be a proactive and collaborative communicator who can build strong relationships, source compelling stories and manage multiple projects with confidence. Experience of magazine production, including InDesign and Adobe Creative Suite, is essential, along with managing internal communications channels and commissioning freelance contributors. You'll bring strong editorial judgement, creativity and attention to detail, as well as a genuine passion for nature conservation and global environmental issues. A degree or equivalent experience, together with a qualification in journalism, communications or a related field (or equivalent experience), is desirable. Additional language skills, especially in Spanish, French, Arabic or Mandarin would be an advantage.

Some of our benefits

• We are able to offer a hybrid model of working on-site and from home/remote for most roles, which helps to ensure a flexible work-life balance.
• A chance to work in the award-winning David Attenborough Building, which brings together much of the Cambridge-based conservation community on a 'conservation campus.'
• A generous pension scheme, up to 12% company contribution.
• Holiday starting at 25 days excluding Bank Holidays and increasing for every year of service up to a maximum of 28 days.
• Full access to LinkedIn Learning with access to more than 13,000 high-quality, on-demand courses.
• Employee Assistance Programme, including access to Health Assured online health portal.

BirdLife values a diverse workforce and welcomes applications from all sections of the community. We are committed to building and maintaining an inclusive and supportive culture, a place where we can all be ourselves and succeed on merit. We aim to promote a more inclusive environment, which attracts all candidates and signals our commitment to celebrate and promote diversity. We know that everyone's needs are different. If you need us to make any adjustments to our recruitment process, let us know, we'll do our best to make it happen.