Communications Manager – Co-op Foundation

£40,000 to £45,000 (Work Level 6B) Fixed-term contract to cover parental leave until June 2026. Remote, in this role you’ll work from home but will be required to come into our Manchester office a minimum of every 6 weeks for team days. This role will include occasional evening and weekend work.

We’re looking for a Communications Manager to join us at the Co-op Foundation. The Co-op Foundation is the Co-op’s charity. We’re a grant making and campaigning organisation with a co-operative difference. We care deeply about how our funding and campaigning can shift power to young people and we trust our partners to do what matters most in their communities.

As our Communications Manager, you’ll lead on the development and delivery of communications relating to funding programmes and learning and impact. It’ll be up to you to amplify and support the work of our funded partners, so we can expand and diversify the reach of our funding, promoting our distinctly co-operative approach to grant making so that we reach those most in need of support. You’ll have the opportunity to really get to know our partners, and help tell their story, and the amazing work that we do together.

What you’ll do:

• Develop, deliver and evaluate integrated communications plans for Foundation funding programmes
• Lead the development, coordination, delivery and evaluation of a D,E&I workplan on behalf of the Comms team
• Collaborate with and manage delivery partners contracted to deliver comms for funding programmes
• Produce content that brings to life the funding programmes, including videos, photoshoots, in depth case studies, blogs and more
• Manage contracts and relationships with external agencies and delivery partners to support delivery of comms
• Build relationships with relevant media outlets and journalists and be the main point of contact for PR relating to funding programmes
• Work co-operatively with colleagues from the wider Comms team, Funding & Partnerships and Co-op Community & Comms teams
• Forecast and manage the funds comms budget

This role would suit people who have:

• Great communication skills, with the ability to write in an engaging way for different comms channels, in particular digital channels
• Experience of working in a busy comms team in the charity sector, delivering multiple projects and campaigns at any one time
• Experience of designing and delivering integrated comms campaigns, including internally to colleagues, with good knowledge of tools used for monitoring and evaluation
• Experience of creating content and posting on social media channels and websites
• Good knowledge of D,E&I (diversity, equality and inclusion) and how this applies in a communications context

Why Co-op?

If you have the skills that we need, we can offer you a competitive salary and great benefits package which includes:

• 30% off Co-op branded products in our food stores (as well as other discounts on Co-op products and services)
• An annual bonus (based on personal and business performance)
• 28 days holiday (rising to 32 with service) plus bank holidays
• A pension with up to 10% employer contributions
• Access to a subsidised onsite gym (at our Manchester HQ)
• Coaching and training to support your career development
• Wagestream app – giving you access to a percentage of your pay as you earn

At Co-op, we’re proud to do things a different way. As one of the world’s largest co-operatives, owned by millions of members, community is at the heart of what we do. Since our Co-op was founded in 1844, we’ve had a clear social purpose, and everything we do as a business helps to build a fairer world for our members, customers, colleagues, and communities.

Building a diverse environment:

We’re actively building diverse teams and we welcome applications from everyone. If you have a disability, we can make reasonable adjustments to our recruitment process according to your needs. We’re also part of the Disability Confident scheme, meaning we’ll always offer an interview to disabled candidates who apply through the scheme if they meet the minimum criteria for a job.

Please note that we may close applications for this role early. As part of your application, you’ll need to complete an online assessment. This assessment typically takes between 45-60 minutes. If you’re a current Co-op colleague, this does not need to be completed.