Digital Communications Manager

Citizens UK is the UK’s biggest, most diverse and most effective people-powered alliance. We bring communities and local organisations together to work on issues that matter; from campaigning for zebra crossings on dangerous roads, to reforming the immigration system, to the Living Wage campaign. We have a track record of winning change through hundreds of local and national campaigns. We know everyday people have the ability to shape the world around them. We believe that through developing local leaders, we can drive nationwide change and create community-led solutions to big and small problems.

The Living Wage movement began in 2001, after Citizens UK brought together communities in East London to discuss poverty and low pay. The campaign grew in momentum and soon required a mechanism to recognise employers who wanted to join the movement, which saw the establishment of the Living Wage Foundation in 2011. Still part of Citizens UK today, the Living Wage Foundation continues to work with community organisations to make sure the voices of both workers and businesses are part of the Living Wage movement. We now work with over 16,000 employers, benefitting over 475,000 people and winning over £3bn of better wages for people who need it most.

Citizens UK works with a broad base of institutions across the political spectrum. At the Living Wage Foundation, we take the same deliberately broad-based approach and accredit all organisations who pay the real Living Wage to their directly and indirectly employed staff and are committed to tackling in-work poverty. As a team, we work across a range of industries and sectors to achieve this mission. We seek pragmatic coalitions in order to progress specific campaigns, and partnership around a particular issue such as Living Wage does not imply an endorsement of broader purpose and policies.

We have an exciting opportunity for an experienced digital communications professional to join the Living Wage Foundation team as our Digital Communications Manager. The ideal candidate would have demonstrable digital communications skills and experience, on top of an enthusiasm for engaging supporters across our social networks, website and email communications. The candidate will be tech-savvy and have experience managing social media, using a website CMS and other digital tools that will support engagement with the real Living Wage and other key areas e.g. Living Hours and a Living Pension, across multiple stakeholders. They’ll also be an effective storyteller with an understanding of how to transform stories into impactful online communications.

As part of a busy department of communications specialists spanning media and digital, you will play a critical role in shaping our digital engagement strategy through our website, social media channels and email marketing. As well as leading the team to expand our reach and build brand awareness through creative content, you will also have a keen eye for analytics and work with our partner agencies to deliver effective campaigns across paid social media ads, Google Ads and website management.

The person in this role will line manage a Communications Officer who will offer digital communications support. The ideal candidate will be a patient and kind people manager who enjoys supporting the personal development of team members. This role will work closely with Citizens UK colleagues, including the Citizens UK communications team on cross-organisational priorities. You will report to the Senior Communications and Marketing Manager at the Living Wage Foundation. This role will play an integral role in shaping the wider communications strategy. You will be working as part of a passionate communications team, with a strong commitment to the Living Wage campaign.

Main Responsibilities

• Social media:
• Lead the team in the use of social media to increase brand awareness and impact; generate innovative approaches.
• Oversee Communications Officers to monitor, manage, create and schedule content on our social media accounts, tailoring content to different channels and audiences.
• Establish systems for monitoring and evaluating key performance indicators and delivering to time and budget.
• Manage paid advertising strategy on social media, overseeing relationship with external agencies.
• Website:
• Work with developers to maintain and update website CMS alongside Operations team, support the team in creating news and blog content and help upskill colleagues to create content for the website.
• Support on development of a members’ dashboard area to improve processes and enhance the accreditation experience.
• Use insights and analytics to monitor the success of the website e.g. Google Analytics.
• Materials development and dissemination:
• Ensure all work is completed within brand guidelines.
• Roll-out a content strategy to support the digital communications and marketing strategy, taking responsibility for resourcing the workplan for the wider team and contractors.
• Manage our newsletter and mailing lists with Living Wage Employers; looking for opportunities to improve content and impact.
• Basic design and video-editing support of communications and marketing collateral.
• Support the wider team and employers with ad-hoc marketing requests and digital materials to support their work plans.
• Situational awareness and research:
• Lead the team in conducting stakeholder analysis; identifying and segmenting audiences and their positions and interests.
• Confident to test and learn from new digital and marketing approaches.
• Identify new ways to communicate effectively with our internal employer network, by building understanding of our key audiences and employer journey.
• Strategy development:
• Participate in development of the communications strategy, contributing tactical and creative ideas around implementation, ensuring it is integrated with wider communications and campaigns strategies.
• Shape digital engagement and marketing strategy, ensuring that plans deliver against the influencing goals; evaluating effectiveness of the strategy and adjusting as required.
• Work with wider teams to support the development of tailored digital communications strategies.
• Manage limited budgets for the digital growth strategy.
• Reputational and risk management:
• Appropriately manage and mitigate risk on our digital channels; developing processes and messaging when necessary.
• Demonstrate awareness of potential reputational risks and proactively develops appropriate protocol and messages, including expected professional fundraising standards.
• Effectively represents the organisation with senior stakeholders.
• External relationships:
• Collaborate with Living Wage Employers and supporters to create engaging content and further Living Wage visibility online.
• Manage external relationships with agencies, designers and other contractors to resource digital communications work, ensuring quality and brand consistency.
• Campaigns and events management:
• Develop creative digital marketing campaigns that promote our brand and further engagement objectives.
• Create a digital strategy for Living Wage Week, including creation of the employer digital pack, overseeing delivery by Communications Officers.
• Provide digital support and advice for organisational campaign and event priorities.
• Establish systems for monitoring and evaluating key performance indicators and delivering to time and budget.
• Internal comms and knowledge management:
• Identify gaps in our internal knowledge management in digital practices and strengthen these with clear processes and documents to drive best practice amongst wider team.
• Provide digital support and advice to colleagues across numerous projects; this might include trainings on the use of digital platforms and trends, in order to build internal capacity and best support their work.
• Act as a brand ambassador for the whole organisation.
• Internal relationships:
• Line management of the Communications Officer.
• Provide leadership on our digital engagement, ensuring colleagues feel supported, developed and valued.
• Ability to manage or coordinate staff across the organisation.
• Ensure the work produced across the team is of high quality and reflective of organisational values.
• Contribute to CUK mission and its strategic objectives:
• Demonstrate enthusiasm and commitment to the function and the core mission of CUK/ Living Wage Foundation.
• Reliably implement and participate in the development of cross-organisational policies, procedures, and values in the delivery of work across the communications department.
• Learning, expertise & DEI:
• Keep up to date with comms developments, good practice in third sector etc.
• Train others with relevant and helpful advice and technical support.
• Proactive in maintaining own wellbeing and supporting direct reports in managing their wellbeing at work.
• Display self-awareness of DEI issues and the impact on direct reports. Act as a role model for DEI awareness and implementation.
• Be alert to and manage the impact of DEI issues for direct reports and stakeholders.

Personal Specification

• (D) Desirable, (E) Essential
• Experience
• Background in communications with experience working with digital tools, including analytics tools (E)
• Experience working with multiple internal project teams (E)
• Experience managing a team and manage work of others (preferably line management) (E)
• Expertise managing social media platforms (E)
• Expertise at managing a website CMS and/or leading on website UX (E)
• Expertise managing email marketing (E)
• Experience of working on integrated communication campaigns (D)
• Proven experience of Paid Media platforms – e.g. Facebook Business Manager, Google Ads (D)
• Experience of video production and editing (D)
• Key skills and knowledge
• Wide range of digital skills across marketing and CMS platforms (such as Mailchimp, WordPress, Drupal etc) (E)
• Proficient in Google Analytics (E)
• Proficient in content marketing and social media strategies across LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook (E)
• Excellent written and verbal communication and ability to tell stories (E)
• Ability to manage external agencies and stakeholder engagement (E)
• Excellent organisational skills with the ability to manage and take responsibility for own workload, handle multiple priorities and to work independently (E)
• Proficient in content marketing and social media strategies (D)
• Proficient in SEO (D)
• Strong understanding of brand and design principles (D)
• An understanding of Citizens UK’s national campaign areas (D)
• Personal qualities & values
• An enthusiasm for digital communications, coupled with a strong commitment to the mission of the Living Wage Foundation (E)
• A commitment to the Citizens UK values: Solidarity, Kindness, Courage, Inclusion, Relational. (E)
• A strong team player, fostering a collaborative and inclusive working environment. (E)
• Takes accountability (E)
• Creative and curious (E)
• Commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion, with an understanding of how to communicate responsibly and ethically about lived experience. (E)

About the application process

We work within diverse communities bringing people together. In line with our Inclusion value, we would love to see applications from LGBTQIA+ people, people from racialised communities, people living with disabilities and people of faith, all to better represent the communities we work in. We want our employees to have the working conditions that allow them to fully participate, be able to be their best authentic selves and thrive doing so, and we have employee networks to support staff. Even if you don’t quite meet all the required criteria still consider applying, as we invest in our employees and support them to develop the skills and knowledge required to deliver their role.

For questions and reasonable adjustments regarding your application including information in a different format, or our recruitment process, please email us.

Application timeline

Applications open 18th May: Applications close: 7th June Interviews to be held on 16th or 24th June