Communications and Programmes Officer

The Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation is an independent charitable foundation established in Portugal in 1956. It is one of the largest European foundations, with headquarters in Lisbon and offices in London (the UK Branch) and Paris. The Foundation’s mission is to promote the development of individuals and organisations, through art, science, education, and charity, for a more equitable and sustainable society.

The Opportunity

The Communications and Programmes Officer will work with colleagues to support the delivery of the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation UK Branch’s strategy. This post will help deliver the UK Branch’s communications activity and support the UK programme’s grant-making and projects.

The UK Branch aims to strengthen arts and civil society ecosystems and emphasises transnational collaboration between Portugal (where the Foundation is headquartered) and the UK. Our grantmaking programme has three focus areas: arts opportunities, NGO capacity-building and climate-health. We fund and support partner organisations working in these areas and directly deliver projects in-line with our programme goals. The UK Branch also collaborates on flagship international initiatives of the Foundation, including the Gulbenkian Prize for Humanity and the Alliance for Socially Engaged Arts.

2026–2027 is an important, transitional period for our team as we are implementing a new programme approach that prioritises transnational collaboration and partnership working. Our programme’s three focus areas draw on the UK Branch’s legacy of supporting work and communities across arts, environment, and civil society but require building relationships with new parts of the sector. As we are working on new focus areas and piloting new funding models, we are placing particular emphasis on learning what works and adapting our approach. Aside from the core grant-making, the second half of 2026 will see us host events, produce new research reports, and scope new partnerships for 2027.

The small, collaborative UK team is part of the much larger Foundation which is based in Lisbon, Portugal. We work closely with colleagues from other departments and are supported by Head Office but have a distinct UK strategy and programme of activities.

In this role you will contribute to a variety of communications and partnership projects and regular activities. You will be supported by a line manager in London, working closely with our team in the UK and colleagues in Portugal. This is a brilliant opportunity for someone with around two years of relevant experience looking to extend their skills and responsibilities and develop professionally.

The role

The Communications and Programmes Officer will support communications activities of the UK Branch and the delivery of the UK Branch’s programmatic work which includes grant-making and projects.

The appointed person is likely to spend around 50% of time working on communications projects, and 50% on general programmatic work (including research, events, project management, and administration).

Contract Terms: Permanent Employment Contract, 35-hour week (excluding one hour daily for lunch). Based at our London office (Hoxton Square, N1 6PB), four days a week in the office with one day per week of remote working. Salary £29,850 to £33,000, depending on the experience of the candidate.

Specific responsibilities

The following list is intended to provide an illustration of the role and is not exhaustive. We are a small, agile team and welcome individuals shaping their roles over time depending on skillsets and professional interests.

1. Digital communications and channel management

• Maintain the UK Branch website (on WordPress) and contribute to creating digital content for the central Foundation website, ensuring they are kept up to date and reflect our work accurately.
• Manage the production of newsletters (via Mailchimp) for the UK Branch, including writing content, design and sending; and contribute to other Foundation newsletters as required.
• Create and publish content for UK Branch social media channels (primarily Bluesky), ensuring that major updates from the UK Branch and Head office are shared.
• Draft content for Head Office social media and digital channels, and work with digital editorial planning tools to plan and schedule content.
• Manage the UK Branch’s newsletter database and contact list, ensuring it is kept updated and identifying ways it can be improved.
• Manage the archive of photography and imagery for the UK Branch, including editing of photos for digital channels (via Photoshop).
• Report on channel usage and performance (via Google Analytics) on an ad-hoc basis and recommend improvements.
• Keep on top of trends in the digital communications space and help increase the impact of our work by identifying opportunities to improve our content and tactics.

2. Strategic and corporate communications

• Collaborate with programmes team to develop and deliver communications plans for our programmes and projects.
• Contribute to the day-to-day communications activity for the Gulbenkian Prize for Humanity as part of the core team that manage the Prize year-round.
• Draft communications material such as blogs, opinion-editorials, public statements, factsheets and reports on our work.
• Create marketing and communications materials for events, for example, presentation decks, event banners and brochures.
• Contribute to the development of UK Branch core communications materials and messaging, and champion consistency in their use.
• Support the programme team to create impact and evaluation reports as needed.
• Produce briefing documents for the Foundation’s spokespeople and/or stakeholders, for example ahead of events.
• Work with or coordinate vendors and service providers as required (such as video editors, media agencies or designers).

3. Programme development and delivery

• Contribute to work of programme team by supporting with discrete tasks involved in the management of grants and projects.
• Contribute to the organisation and delivery of the Gulbenkian Prize for Humanity as part of the core team that manage the Prize year-round.
• Undertake discrete research projects to support programme development and delivery.
• Help maintain the digital record of the UK Branch’s recent and historic programme activity.
• Help organise, coordinate and deliver events hosted by the UK Team at our London office and externally.
• Work collaboratively with our partner organisations, joining meetings and building positive working relationships with key contacts.
• Attend external meetings, seminars, conferences etc on behalf of the Foundation, making connections and collecting intelligence from the wider sector.

4. Team projects, culture and internal communications

• Attend and actively take part in regular online meetings with colleagues in Portugal and the UK, monthly in-person UK team meetings in London, and ad-hoc meetings with communications colleagues.
• Coordinate project team meetings as required, helping to diarise, prepare agendas, take notes.
• Work collaboratively with colleagues taking on other tasks as necessary to ensure the smooth running of the UK Branch.
• Liaise with colleagues in Head Office in Lisbon.
• Contribute to Head Office annual reports and materials on behalf of the UK Branch as required.
• Act as a brand advocate on behalf of the Foundation to help advance our mission.

Accountability

Reporting to the Head of Project Management (Grantmaking), based in London, the post holder will be part of the UK Branch team and will work with a range of colleagues in Portugal.

Person Specification

In this role, you will be proactive in planning and organising your own workload, but with supervision and guidance from your line manager.

This is a hybrid role that will suit someone who is agile and adaptable. We do not expect candidates to evidence that they meet every point listed below. Instead, we encourage applications from candidates who meet the majority of the specification and are excited by the role.

Skills and Expertise

• Excellent writing skills for a variety of audiences
• Experience developing content for social media and digital platforms
• Experience using communications software, ideally Mailchimp and WordPress (or equivalent)
• Strong IT and digital capabilities, including use of Microsoft Office products and databases
• Experience managing projects and/or delivering events
• Awareness of, and an interest in, arts, environmental sustainability and the charity sector.
• Some design skills and/or awareness of good design
• Fluency (written and oral) in English

Experience

• Prior employment in communications and/or a related field (ideally around two years of experience), or experience producing written and other communications in a formal context
• Voluntary or paid experience in a non-profit project or organisation

Qualities and Competencies

• Positive and flexible approach to work
• Good team-working and collaboration skills
• Ability to listen and learn from different viewpoints to work effectively with others
• Ability to use initiative and good judgement
• Reliable and committed
• Ability to prioritise and get to the nub of ideas quickly
• Open-minded and able to consider different ways of achieving objectives
• Willing to learn new skills and develop professionally
• Willing to undertake administrative tasks in support of the team

Other

• Relevant academic qualifications would be beneficial. We welcome relevant experience gained through non-academic routes.
• An awareness of equal opportunities and a personal commitment to anti-discriminatory practice.

Terms and benefits

• This is a permanent post based on a 35-hour week (excluding one hour daily for lunch). The staff guide details other terms and conditions of employment.
• New employees are eligible to join the UK Branch’s stakeholder pension scheme, after a successful probation period, to which the Foundation makes a matched contribution.
• Leave entitlement is at the rate of 28 days per annum in addition to UK statutory holidays.
• This post will be located at the UK Branch’s headquarters in central London. The postholder must be eligible to work in the UK.
• This role may require some national and international travel, and occasional work out-of-hours around events.
• Our team work four days a week in our London office (Hoxton Square, N1 6PB) with one day per week of remote working. The Foundation will provide equipment to support effective home working.
• The UK Branch provides all employees with health and dental insurance coverage. In addition, access to an Employee Assistance Programme (EAP), which includes mental health support services is provided.
• There is a generous budget for employee training.
• We are unable to offer visa sponsorship for this role. Applicants must already possess the right to work in the UK.

The Gulbenkian Foundation strives to attract and retain talent by recognising people as our most important asset in fulfilling the Foundation’s mission. Our organisational culture is grounded in the institution’s values, encouraging motivated teams to thrive in a healthy and inclusive workplace.

We welcome applications from all people, regardless of their age, gender, sexual orientation, ethnic origin, religion, or disability, in particular of those who identify with underrepresented groups in the various initiatives promoted by the Foundation.