Head of Communications (Maternity Cover)

We have an exciting opportunity for an Interim Head of Communications to cover a maternity leave from November 2022-May 2023. We are looking for an organised, all-rounder with a strategic mind and a willingness to roll up their sleeves and get involved in delivery.  

Role Overview

This senior role leads a small communications team to drive YBI’s ambitious communications strategy forward and closely monitor results, adapting plans as needed to hit key milestone deliverables over this crucial time for our partnerships. 

This post is joining at a pivotal time in YBI’s external communications journey. YBI is hosting a major Summit and launching a large-scale UK media relations campaign in October 2022.

The role-holder needs to be confident to continue the momentum set by these key moments and follow up with a strategic media relations campaign to continue to increase awareness with key audiences.

In line with a refreshed organizational strategy the Head of Communications will be responsible for evaluating and assessing YBI’s digital channels and website to make recommendations to harness comms to reach ambition targets regarding member acquisition and partner-funding

You will act as brand guardian for the organisation and promote the important work our network is doing around the world to our members, current/prospective funders, and the wider sector. A natural storyteller, you will be motivated by human-led stories and have an instinct for what resonates with audiences.

Working closely with YBI’s senior management, the wider Network Team, and our partners and members you will plan and deliver campaigns to celebrate programme success, promote results and learning and publish reports and findings. You will ensure that 2023’s plan is kicked off in earnest and celebrate 2022’s success with out impact report.

To thrive in this role, you will need to be a confident and hands-on communications expert, ready to quickly execute and run several multi-channel external communications campaigns to reach new audiences. 

Role overview

1.     Strategy and management

• Deliver YBI’s communications strategy and plan for 2023
• Work with an external consultant to develop digital strategy and individual channel recommendations which support the new organizational strategy
• Develop and manage the communications team, including regular line management and support to ensure ongoing professional development
• Manage the communications team’s annual operational plan and budget – adjusting as needed and allocating work across partnerships, membership, press and digital comms
• Set and report on corporate KPIs

2.     Partnership communications

• Develop and ensure timely delivery of communications plans for YBI’s partnerships
• Build trust and develop relationships and keep key stakeholders informed as plans develop
• Plan and support gathering of compelling content from across the global network, including audiovisual, photos, case studies and quotes 

 3.     Member communications

• Work with the Head of Membership create a communications strategy to support the expansion of the YBI network
• Support Network Team colleagues on communications and marketing for key member events
• Oversee the management and running of regular membership comms (newsletters, events page of website)
• Support the member services team to provide the communications collateral and brand guidance as needed

 4.     Press, campaigns and publications

• Develop and deliver impactful campaign strategies to launch reports and communications products with key target audiences to position YBI as a thought leader in youth entrepreneurship
• Deliver, adjusting as necessary a media relations strategy to build relationships with key influencers in UK media and generate coverage
• Identify key communications partners and influencers in the sector to cross-promote and share our campaigns
• Develop tools and processes for monitoring press office work within the communications team

 5.     Brand and content

• Act as brand guardian for the organization ensuring brand guidelines, templates and other materials for Network Team colleagues and members are used and understood as needed
• Ensure YBI’s social media content is on-brand, relevant, reactive, timely and harnesses opportunities of external news events and social media moments
• Lead the production and publication of impactful, content across all channels
• Ensure brand consistency and provide guidance on tone of voice for corporate communications materials that other teams across the organisation draft and disseminate including research reports and regular partnership reports

How to apply

If you are interested in applying, please send your CV (maximum 2 x A4), Equal Opportunities Monitoring Form, and a cover letter to hr@youthbusiness.org Your cover letter (maximum 2 x A4) should:

• Explain why you want this job;
• Explain how your background and experience make you a suitable candidate – please use examples of specific projects and achievements;
• Show what relevant skills and knowledge you will bring, referring to the person specification;
• Confirm you have an existing right to work in the UK (we are unable to accept applications otherwise);
• Confirm where you saw this job advertised.

Closing date: Monday 12 September 2022 at 08:00am

• Please submit your application as soon as possible, as we will be considering applications on a rolling basis and may close the advert before the closing date.
•  Interviews:  We will be conducting interviews on a rolling basis, so we strongly encourage you to apply as soon as possible.
• We are looking for a candidate to start from 1st November 2022 (or as early as possible in November) to end of May 2023 to allow for handover.

Equal Opportunities

YBI is an equal opportunity employer, and we are committed to ensuring representation of people from all backgrounds regardless of their gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, race, religion, disability, age, ethnic or national origin, or any other aspect which makes them unique. We welcome applicants from all backgrounds to apply and would encourage you to let us know if you require any adjustments, we can make to ensure that our recruitment process enables you to present yourself in a way that makes you comfortable.

GDPR

At YBI, your right to privacy and confidentiality is important to us. By applying for this job, your information will be entered into our recruitment system for YBI’s employment purposes only and for no longer than one year after the post has been filled; then personal data will be disposed of in the GDPR compliant manner. We store all data securely and will not disclose it to any third parties without your consent. Please see our Data Protection Policy here to find out more.