Senior Social Media Officer in Rugby

Practical Action is an international development organisation with a bold mission: to build sustainable lives and livelihoods for people living on the frontlines of poverty and climate change. For 60 years, we’ve worked across Africa, Asia, and Latin America, partnering with communities and global allies to transform ideas into action and survival into prosperity. We believe in solutions that are people-powered, planet-friendly, and proven to work. Our group includes a UK-registered charity, a world-class consulting arm, and an independent publishing company — giving us a unique ability to shape development thinking and practice around the world.

From regenerating farmland to repurposing waste into clean energy, we accelerate practical solutions that help build a world that works better for everyone.

About the role

We’re looking for a creative and data-driven Senior Social Media Officer to take the lead on managing and evolving our social media presence across multiple channels. You’ll work closely with colleagues across our global teams to bring our brand to life online — raising awareness, driving engagement, and helping us tell powerful stories of change. This role sits within our Brand & Communications team. You’ll be responsible for managing digital communities, creating compelling content, spotting trends, and using data insights to optimise our performance. You’ll also play a vital role in building capacity across the organisation, helping others to use social media in a way that’s consistent, impactful, and aligned with our global objectives.

Accountabilities

• Lead the development and delivery of our social media strategy, ensuring alignment with broader communications goals.
• Manage our global social media channels and digital communities — engaging followers, responding to queries, and growing our reach.
• Create and coordinate engaging, platform-appropriate content — including graphics, video, and storytelling.
• Analyse and report on performance, using insights to inform strategy and day-to-day decisions.
• Stay ahead of trends, spotting new opportunities for engagement and innovation.
• Support colleagues and partners with expert advice, toolkits, and training to strengthen their own social media activity.
• Contribute to integrated campaigns, helping us amplify fundraising and other strategic profiling efforts (e.g. influencing, thought leadership, etc).

About you

You are an experienced and dynamic digital communications professional with a proven track record in developing and executing social media strategies that deliver demonstrable impact. Your exceptional communication skills enable you to collaborate effectively with diverse stakeholders, showing persuasive leadership to foster a culture of creativity and innovation rooted in data-backed insights and strategic brand building.

You are passionate about social justice, sustainable development, and climate resilience, and understand the power of social media to galvanise audiences and achieve organisational objectives. You’re curious, collaborative, and confident in your expertise, and feel equally comfortable rolling up your sleeves to create content or digging into analytics to continuously optimise performance. You stay informed about emerging digital innovations, always seeking new ways to elevate Practical Action’s work and profile.

You’ll bring:

• Proven experience in social media strategy and management (experience in the INGO or development sector a plus).
• Excellent knowledge of key platforms (LinkedIn, Instagram, YouTube, etc.) strengths and opportunities, and how to get the most out of them.
• Strong storytelling skills and experience creating multimedia content, with grounded confidence to adapt master narratives and campaigns to diverse audiences.
• Spotless attention to detail and commitment to the development of high-quality outputs aligned with the organisation’s strategic objectives.
• Solid grasp of digital analytics, social listening tools, and the ability to translate data into insights, creating accessible reports and actionable recommendations.
• Continuous curiosity and understanding of current digital trends, best practices, and emerging platforms.
• Ability to work with and mentor a diverse array of colleagues from different backgrounds and cultures at all levels and experience.
• An inclusive, respectful, and collaborative mindset is a must.

Bonus if you have:

• Experience using project management tools like Monday.com and Miro.
• Comfortability using creative platforms like Canva and Adobe Creative Cloud.

APPLICATION INFORMATION

Working with us means being part of a team that’s driving meaningful change — not just talking about it. You’ll join a community of experts, activists, and innovators united by a shared belief: that where there’s action, there’s hope. Here, your work will help power solutions that improve lives, protect our planet, and challenge the status quo. We offer a flexible, inclusive, and purpose-driven work environment where your voice will be heard, and your ideas will help shape our future. Our open plan offices are located in the centre of Rugby and near to Rugby train station.

In addition, we offer the following benefits:

• Hybrid/flexible working options. For UK staff, the expectation is that staff will be in the office on average 4 to 12 days per month, the exact balance will depend on an individual’s specific role and organisational team working).
• Full time roles are contracted at 35 hours per week.
• 27 days’ holiday rising with continuous service, in addition to public holidays.
• Pension scheme – employer contributes 10.5% of salary and the employee contributes a minimum of 5%.
• Enhanced family friendly policies, including maternity, adoption, paternity, and shared parental leave.
• Life assurance (3 x annual salary).
• Bike to Work scheme.

The successful applicant must have the pre-existing right to both live and work in the UK. This will be a global role based in the UK. They must be within a commutable distance from our office in Rugby, as they would be expected to attend the office as per our General Principles of Hybrid working.

Additional information

Practical Action believes that having a diverse workforce and inclusive workplace culture based on respect will enable us to be an effective organisation. We seek to create an inclusive workplace in which people are accepted as individuals, regardless of their differences and where they feel their contribution is valued. Practical Action is an equal opportunities employer, and we encourage applications from under-represented groups.

We stay committed to cultivating an inclusive and diverse working environment and believe that people from different backgrounds or cultures give us different perspectives, and the more perspectives we have, the more successful we will be. By building a culture where everyone feels heard, respected, and valued we give everyone working with us the opportunity to achieve their full potential.

Practical Action is committed to safeguarding and protecting children and vulnerable adults and as such candidates will be subject to pre-employment checks including criminal checks and terrorist financing.

Closing date for applications: Thursday 19th February 2026. Please note that should we recruit a suitable candidate before the closing date, we will close applications earlier than the specified date. If you do not hear from us within four weeks of the closing date, please assume your application has not been successful on this occasion.

How to apply

For more information, please download the job pack from our careers page. To apply please submit a copy of your CV and send us a cover letter or supporting statement that includes answers to the following questions:

• What do you consider your key strengths as a digital communications professional, and how do they align with the goals of this role?
• What motivates you to work in the field of international development, and how does this influence your approach to digital communications?