Communications Manager

The Forward Institute seeks a talented Communications Manager: someone who’s bursting with great ideas, has strong writing skills and has experience producing and managing exciting digital content across a range of platforms and channels. 

This role is at the heart of the Institute and involves collaborating with colleagues across teams and with participants on all our programmes. If you value equity and sustainability, and want to help create positive, ethical change across the community of UK business leaders - come and grow your talent with us as we develop this exciting new area of our work. 

We are looking for a Communications Manager with strong communication skills who is adept at using a range of media channels to engage and motivate audiences.

This role will work across communications to our Fellows, to an external audience and to our internal team. Our communications should enhance the experience of our Fellows, all stakeholders of our programmes and projects, and of our team; and always retain a Forward Institute ‘feel’.

We are focused on impact, not financial growth, so we view our voice and influence as a vital tool of change and impact, not simply a business- building tool.

The Communications Manager is responsible for:

>Management and oversight of internal and external communications, ensuring tone remains appealing and consistent with the Forward Institute’s ambitions, and appropriate to the channel and platform throughout

>Line Management of Social Media Officer, with responsibility for our social media channels, including Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram

>Brand management

>Creating and maintaining regular written and visual content that helps to establish and build our position as an influencer of debate around the nature of responsibility and leadership today

>Commissioning and producing audio-visual content across podcasts, film, and animated graphics

>Liaison with printers, suppliers and third party content producers and designers

>Producing regular internal reports to ensure we are continuously learning and improving  

>Ensuring all GDPR changes are fully respected and understood by all members of the FI team

You’ll love it here if you…

>Are optimistic, bring warmth and good humour to work, have a strong collaborative work ethic and bring positive intent to every situation

>Are fascinated by different organisations and sectors – and would appreciate the responsibility of having access to some of the UK’s most influential institutions

>Have a curious mind and are always open to the insights and perspectives of others

>Love the idea of working somewhere people share your values and are fully focused on making a meaningful impact on the world

>Would enjoy working in a fast-paced environment, are happy to work without a big support structure around you, and would like to grow with a small but ambitious organisation as it develops over time 

About You 

Essential Experience

>4 years or more experience working in a communications role

>Proven experience growing audience reach in a non-profit or corporate environment

>Demonstrable experience managing websites

>Managing multiple senior internal and external stakeholders and collaborating with people at different levels and within different functions

>Producing media content to engage with business leaders

>Commissioning and managing media production (film or sound)

>Using data insights to develop communications strategies

>GDPR, Privacy management across digital channels

>A strong interest in social justice issues, equality and diversity

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Essential Skills

>You’re a brilliant written and verbal communicator and have excellent interpersonal skills You have exceptional attention to detail, and are happy working both independently and in collaboration with others across the team

>Media production management – managing print, film and sound processes from concept to delivery

>Demonstrable HTML and CSS skills

>You are strategic and can think on your feet, with strong organisational skills that help you manage and achieve competing priorities

Desirable Experience

>The ability to create clear messaging through exciting and arresting visuals using InDesign, Photoshop or other design interface

>Audio-visual production – technical skills to create filmed content

>Marketing communications experience

>Working with or in a start-up

>Management of a corporate or charity brand

>Experience working with Salesforce

>Experience working with Mailchimp or other email marketing platform 

About us

We have a bold mission: to make responsible leadership the only leadership. 

We help leaders and some of the world’s most influential organisations become more sustainable, equitable, purposeful and responsible.

1. We run world-class leadership programmes – building a movement of hundreds of senior leaders committed to mobilising their organisations to tackle the most important challenges faced by society.
2. We partner with leading organisations to help them place purpose and responsibility at the heart of their culture, leadership and decision making. 
3. We conduct research to advance understanding of responsible leadership, share our learning with others and help shape the wider system.

The pandemic, profound inequalities in society, climate change and the growing sense of a divided world all feed an increasing sense of urgency for us to accelerate our work. We have some big goals, so we’re growing our team to keep pace with the scale of our aspirations.

The successful candidate will be naturally inclusive and collaborative: you’ll be comfortable working with all levels of leadership and engaging the widest range of perspectives, and keen to develop your skills and experience. 

Benefits

CORE DETAILS

Salary: £40-48k based on experience 

Type: It is envisaged that this will be a full time role,

Start date: To start as soon as possible.

We are based in London, one of the world’s most diverse cities, with a workforce that’s 40% ethnically diverse and where 39% of the working population is of working class background. We want our workplace to reflect the community we belong to. That’s why we welcome people from all walks of life who have the skills we seek – whether those skills have been gained through formal working environments or elsewhere. 

OTHER BENEFITS

• Private health insurance with Vitality (which also provides discounted gym membership)
• Pension allowance (5% employer contribution)
• Generous holiday allowance 
• Hybrid working, with an allowance for setting up your home working environment
• An intense but fun working environment. We’re a rapidly growing, high energy and ambitious team who love our work and making a big impact. 
• Working for an organisation where we take our values and purpose seriously, and work hard to practice what we ‘preach’
• An opportunity to observe systemic change as it happens and be part of the team working out how big business can have a positive impact on the world
• We invest in our people: not just through benefits but through training and development and promoting our team.
• All our team have access to world-class development opportunities and an amazing range of speakers – from senior leaders like Dame Eliza Manningham-Buller (former Director General of MI5) to entrepreneurs like Sir Tim Smit (Founder of the Eden Project) to thought leaders like June Sarpong (Head of Creative Diversity at the BBC)

LOCATION

Our office is in Holborn, within easy walking distance of a number of over- and underground stations. We expect the team to split their work between the office and home. 

How to Apply

Please send your CV and a covering letter or video, answering the following two questions:

• What is it that you are passionate about and what makes you a great fit for the Forward Institute?
• Why you are interested in this specific role?

We are interviewing on a rolling basis so apply as soon as possible.  

You will need to hold any relevant Visas/Work Permits