Head of Communications

**Head of Communications**

**Location**:The role is based at the Trust’s office in West Berkshire with a minimum of three days per week expected to be worked at our Newbury office. Flexible working arrangements are available with the understanding that this must meet the objectives of the charity and requirements of the role.

**Accountable to**: CEO

**Start date**: 11/11/2024 or as soon as possible thereafter

**Hours of work**: Full-time (1 FTE), Monday-Friday, permanent

**Salary range**:£48,000 - £58,000, depending on experience.

**Purpose**

**Key responsibilities and duties**

This is an exciting and vital role to shape and deliver a multi-channel communications strategy for a leading mental health charity, focused on supporting the systems around children and young people including parents/carers, schools, colleges and universities. The main responsibilities will include creating and overseeing the activation of the marketing strategy and using data insights and analytics to grow and develop the Trust’s reach and support. The role will also act as the guardian to the organisation’s website as the main resource and marketing hub.

The role will enable the charity to proactively grow awareness, drive engagement, enhance its public profile and shape understanding of the Charlie Waller Trust by taking an audience-first approach to communicating our impact and purpose in an engaging and strategic way.

As a member of the senior leadership team, the role requires working closely with the CEO and other heads of teams to develop and grow the marketing and communications strategy, to raise awareness of the charity’s resources and to support the generation of income through the marketing of fundraising and workplace activities. The role will also work closely with and report into the Board of Trustees.

We are looking for a strategic thinker, with experience of both traditional and digital marketing. Someone who enjoys working with data and is always on the lookout for interesting angles or new channels or tactics to test. A passion for using marketing to understand and reach new audiences is vital. An analytical eye is needed alongside an ability to be creative and a desire to share success stories to further raise awareness of the organisation and to extend its reach.

Empathy for our audience and the ability to communicate in a way that allows them to feel seen and understood is important; you will need to have strong interpersonal skills, a desire to develop and build a team and to maintain communication and relationships with others across the organisation.

Inquisitive and creative, you’ll enjoy proposing fresh ideas and approaches for marketing with a keen eye for detail and a solid understanding of how marketing sits within the organisation as a whole.

**Key Responsibilities and duties**

**Creating, leading and overseeing the delivery of the organisations marketing strategy including**:

- Planning and developing the marketing strategy in line with organisational directives, new resources and initiatives.
- Overseeing strong relationships with key media outlets, journalists, and influencers to secure press coverage and increase public awareness.
- To ensure the appropriate and most effective marketing channels and tactics are used to support the programme and fundraising teams.
- Overall responsibility for the website - direction, content, consistency and tone of voice.
- Use of audience insight and data analysis to determine priorities and curate campaigns, projects and content from across the organisation.
- Development and improvement of user and supporter journeys.
- Marketing project initiation and management.
- Set and oversee marketing budgets

**Strategic marketing sign-off including**:

- Final sign-off on all website activity - strategy, content, SEO, landing pages and resources.
- Final sign-off of priority campaign materials - publications, newsletters, printed materials and press releases.

**Internal and stakeholder communications including**:

- Membership of the senior leadership and management teams.
- Assist the senior leadership team and trustees to oversee strategic and operational issues, managing risks related to communications, brand and public image.
- Quarterly marketing reporting to trustees.
- Working in partnership with other agencies on issues of common concern.
- Membership of project group (a cross-departmental group responsible for selecting, tracking and evaluating projects).
- Manage marketing agencies and freelancers to deliver work in line with the marketing strategy in an efficient and timely manner.

**HR responsibilities including**:

- Overseeing the recruitment to expand the marketing and communications team where required.
- Provide effective management of the communications team (5 direct line reports and 2 other staff).

**About our Trust**

The Charlie Waller Trust was created by the Waller family in 1997 in response to the loss of their son