Head of Communications
Salary: £56,000 per annum
Contract: Full Time 35 hours per week
Location: London (3 days a week in office)

We have an exciting opportunity for you to join The Seafarers Charity, the leading maritime welfare grant-making charity.

This new role as Head of Communications will shape our communications plans and priorities, working across the charity to deliver inspiring, impactful communications to target audiences and maintain our high profile as the leading funder in the maritime welfare sector.

By celebrating and sharing the results of our advocacy work and grant-making, we aim to continuously increase our fundraising – and continuously grow our impact.

You will play an important part in helping us to drive improvements in the lives of seafarers globally. If you join us, you will have the opportunity to make a real impact and be part of our success story.

You will be joining a diverse, friendly, committed team of about 20 staff at London based head office working on a hybrid basis, with a minimum of 3 days per week in the office.

Benefits:

30 days paid holiday plus bank holidays.
Auto-enrolment to group pension scheme (7.5% employer contribution, 5% employee)
Health cash plan through HSF (Hospital Saturday Fund) or Healthcare Membership scheme (Benenden)
Season Ticket Loan
Access to the Employee Assistance Programme
Hybrid working options
Death in Service Scheme.

Purpose of the role

This role will lead the delivery of our newly developed communications strategy, shaping our strategic communications priorities and developing plans to execute them. The incumbent will set the tone of voice for the charity and provide strategic leadership in communications.

The post holder will work collaboratively providing professional direction and support to all areas of the charity working closely with the Chief Executive and with the Head of Marketing to ensure consistency and integrated cross organisational communication plans. The role is instrumental in developing an impactful package of communications activities which delivers on its intended purpose for both impact and fundraising with both the Impact and Development Teams.

This role ensures that The Seafarers’ Charity (TSC) communicates effectively with our people internally and maintains a strong external reputation with our many partners and those we seek to influence (including government departments, and media).

Expected outcomes

To deliver effectively against the communications strategy.
To grow the charity’s strong public reputation, profile, and engagement with our external audiences, particularly internationally.
To communicate our impact by connecting and engaging with key communications stakeholders to place influential articles.
To enhance donor engagement by communicating the real impact a donation can make against our Mission.
To work internally to help our people feel engaged and informed about the Charity’s progress and feel ‘part of the maritime community.’
To support our leaders to feel confident enough to optimise communications to create value internally and externally.

Key Accountabilities

Communications Strategy

Lead the development, design and effective delivery of the Communications Strategy ensuring strong alignment to the overall charity Strategy, Vision, Mission, values, and core pillars.
Devising creative media engagement strategies, leading on proactive and reactive media relations including press releases, statements, interviews, and enquiries.
To report regularly to the Chief Executive on strategic progress, and may be required to present to the Trustee board.

Planning and Delivery

Design and implement strategic communication plans for internal and external audiences.
Develop dynamic copy content that drives growth, reach and engagement across channels ensuring consistency and clarity of purpose, message, and impact, inspiring the audience to take necessary action.
Lead and collaborate with teams across the charity in the oversight, development, and delivery of the communications strategy to achieve effective communications with key target groups.
Manage the overall communications budget, working closely with the Head of Marketing to ensure there is a joined up planned approach to communication activities.

Policies, Procedures, Standards and Guidelines

Lead work to create and implement policies, standards and procedures to ensure consistency, transparency, and mitigation of risk.

Implementation, monitoring and reporting

Monitor the performance of communication impact against plans, with appropriate set of KPIs, using engagement data, analytics, and feedback mechanisms to measure impact. Regularly report back on progress to the Leadership Team, implement continuous learning and improvement to deliver the outcomes.

Media and PR (External stakeholder engagement)

Lead on managing relationships with media, building a network of relevant contacts (e.g. journalists, industry experts etc).
Engage with key industry individuals or their offices understanding appropriate protocols ensuring these are adhered to and keep up to date with significant appointments.
Act as the principal point of contact between the Charity and the media.
Support senior leaders (e.g. Chief Executive) to secure interviews as part of communications strategies and campaigns.

Internal communications and practice leadership

Be the trusted adviser on communication issues for key players in the charity and educate them on the importance of communications and engagement, by providing them with tools, skills, and training to be able to deliver the outcomes.
Introduce positive ways of working fostering collaboration, cohesion and inclusiveness leading the communications ‘community’ within the charity, by providing leading practices, training and guidance for teams engaging in communications activities.

Event Response

Deploy and manage communications plans for significant planned or unexpected external events or internal incidents.

Interfaces

Internal – Chief Executive, Leadership Team, Trustees.
External – Media, Government, Delivery Partners, Funders, Sector leaders.

Wider Accountabilities

At The Seafarers’ Charity we work collaboratively by:

Actively learning and developing to stay up to date with developments in our area of expertise and to meet the changing need of the job and charity by participating in appropriate learning activities including data protection and information security.
Encouraging and supporting the development of others, and the charity, by engaging in and contributing at learning opportunities and sharing of knowledge.
Representing the charity in a positive and professional manner with both internal and external stakeholders and in doing so enhancing the work of the charity and its overall reputation.
Ensuring compliance with the charity’s policies, procedures, and contract of employment.
Undertaking any other duties that may be required in the furtherance of our objectives. If there is a requirement to carry out duties out of office hours, this is to be arranged in accordance with current procedures.

Person Specification

Requirements to carry out the job effectively, and which may be further developed over time. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required.

Strategy and Planning

Proven experience implementing communications strategies and plans in a complex organisation.
Strong ability to identify and capitalise on strategic communications opportunities.

Delivery

A well-rounded communicator with a strong understanding of the value to be obtained from different communication channels.
Proven experience delivering internal and external communications content to create value.
Excellent verbal and facilitation skills.
Excellent written skills / able to regularly write and edit content for a range of internal and external channels.

Creativity

Highly developed creative skills and enthusiasm to engage our audiences effectively.

Practice Leadership

Able to build a culture of continuous improvement for communications across the organisation.
Coaching skills to upskill others on communications and engagement behaviours, style and delivery.
Knowledge of good practice in developing creative, innovative, and two-way communications approaches in the field of employee communication.

Influencing Leaders

Confidence and experience influencing leadership teams to implement change through communication.

Stakeholder Management / Media

Existing connections with relevant media outlets.
Proven experience managing relationships with external partners.
Expert at responding to or facilitating media requests, including in crisis / incident management situations.

If you are interested in applying, please send a current CV and supporting statement – which should outline your suitability in relation to the Job Specification, your motivation for the position to recruit@theseafarerscharity.org by 9am Monday 16th September 2024.

Please reference HOC2024 in the subject line.

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