Job Description & Person Specification
28 hours (four days) a week
Grade C
£24,322 a year (equivalent to £30,000 for a five-day post)
This is a maternity cover post, which we expect will last one year, beginning April 2009. The communications officer helps and is managed by the communications director to deliver Campaign for Better Transport’s communications and marketing work.
Responsibilities:
Website:
- Assisting in the development and day-to-day maintenance of the Campaign for Better Transport website, including by:
- Using our content-management system to create new web content, update existing content and keep the website ‘live’ from day to day - updating the homepage, blogs, new actions, competitions, press releases, local group listings.
- Planning new features for the website.
- Monitoring website usage (Google Analytics etc)
- Boosting our profile on the web (search engine optimisation, soliciting links from other websites, posting on forums etc, managing our presence on Facebook)
- Planning / writing / building / sending / monitoring the monthly e-bulletin
- Using Photoshop to edit photos
- Managing outside contractors
Campaign support:
- Liaising and working closely with other staff, providing communications input on campaign development and assist in evaluating projects and programmes.
- Guiding and assisting campaigners in producing information, briefings and publications, and ensuring with the Campaigns Director the website is kept up to date.
- Organising/ participating in events to attract media attention to campaign issues, in co-operation with campaigners.
Media work:
- Assisting with Campaign for Better Transport’s media work, including by:
- Initiating and maintaining good relationships with media contacts.
- Acting as the first point of contact for media enquiries.
- Seeking out and developing pro-active media opportunities.
- Co-ordinating the production and dissemination of press releases and briefings, including writing where appropriate and in conjunction with campaign staff.
- Monitoring media coverage and responding where necessary
- Maintaining our database of media contacts
- Assisting the campaigners in developing and implementing media strategies
Publications:
- Assisting with the production of publications and communications produced by the organisation, including by:
- Commissioning, writing, editing and chasing content, including managing external writers/editors as appropriate.
- Applying corporate identity requirements.
- Designing simple items using in-house desktop publishing and liaising with external designers and other outside contractors.
- Assisting in managing and maintaining the photographic library, including commissioning photographs and filing them.
Volunteer management:
- Overseeing communications volunteers on a day-to-day-basis, including providing tasks, briefing individuals, checking output, providing training and dealing with any personal and professional issues/problems as they arise.
- Campaign for Better Transport expects all employees to have a full commitment to the organisation’s equal opportunities and health and safety policies and to accept personal responsibility for implementing these.
Person specification:
Essential:
- Environmental interest.
- Passion for the environment, interest in sustainable transport and personal belief in Campaign for Better Transport’s aims.
Desirable:
- Knowledge of transport policy and of environmental issues in relation to transport.
Communication skills and experience:
- Proven writing skills and ability to adopt a variety of styles.
- Meticulous attention to detail, particularly spelling, grammar, punctuation and other aspects of written English.
- Good verbal communication skills.
- Experience writing targeted audience-responsive communications materials.
- Media skills and experience.
- At least one year’s experience of media and/or editorial work with a campaign emphasis.
- Out-going, pro-active approach with journalists.
- Good television and radio presentation skills.
- An eye for good design and knowledge of design matters
Organising skills:
- Ability to organise and prioritise personal workload, including ability to juggle different projects at the same time and adhere to project deadlines.
Computer skills:
- Experience with the Microsoft suite of products.
- Adobe PhotoShop.
Technical website experience:
- Experience maintaining a website, using a content management system (we use the open-source Drupal product).