Communications Manager

Background

Established in 2011, Kaleidoscope Trust is a UK-based charity focused on fighting for the human rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex and gender diverse (LGBTI+) people across the Commonwealth and beyond. We fund, fight for and empower those upholding the human rights of LGBTI+ people by working with governments, change-makers and civil society organisations to effect meaningful and lasting change in the lives of LGBTI+ people. We also host the secretariats to two networks: the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Global LGBT+ Rights, which we helped found in 2015, and The Commonwealth Equality Network, of which we are a founding member. The Commonwealth Equality Network (TCEN) is the first civil society network to sustainably advocate on behalf of LGBT+ people in the Commonwealth.

The Role
We are looking for a creative, organised and dynamic individual to proactively and strategically deliver this essential, cross-cutting function for Kaleidoscope Trust (KT) and The Commonwealth Equality Network (TCEN). The role’s time will be split as follows: 3.5 days per week for KT and 1.5 days per week for TCEN.

More specifically, the post-holder will deliver each organisation’s communications function as follows:

Kaleidoscope Trust
▪ Apply communications knowledge, critical thinking and thought leadership to develop and deliver communications strategies and support our campaigns and projects to grow our fundraising and build our influence and reputation.
▪ Create high quality written copy and high impact visual collateral for a variety of communications and marketing outputs, such as articles, speeches, videos and social media posts, which convincingly convey our key messages and achievements, promote our objectives and build support among our different audiences.
▪ Expertly use tools to monitor KT’s communications impact and provide incisive insight into the external media environment and the daily news cycle to identify opportunities and platforms to enhance Kaleidoscope Trust’s profile and voice.
▪ Act as a filter to ensure all external communications and advertisements are consistent, using the KT brand and style guidelines, and that all outputs and spokespeople use a clearly defined and recognisable KT voice and speaking points.
▪ Enhance KT’s press and media profile and influence in support of our fundraising and public affairs objectives.
▪ Strategically and innovatively leverage KT’s website, social media accounts and other platforms, networks and tools to support the charity’s work.

The Commonwealth Equality Network
▪ Provide strategic planning and thought leadership for all of TCEN’s communications, refining an operationalising TCEN’s overall internal and external communications strategy and work plan, and leading on the development and delivery of project specific communications strategies.
▪ Foster connectivity and collaboration among TCEN’s members, overseeing member-facing communications, ensuring that they promote the work of TCEN and its members internally.
▪ Promote the work of TCEN and its member organisations to key external audiences, via social media, the TCEN website and through the development, commissioning and deployment of film and other visual products.
▪ Ensure the appropriate metrics are in place to monitor and report on and improve the impact of TCEN’s communications strategy and communications activities.

The Communications Manager will sit in KT’s Policy and Public Affairs Team and will be line managed by our Head of Policy and Public Affairs. They will have a ‘dotted line’ to the Head of TCEN Secretariat who oversees all TCEN communications work. On fundraising, they will work closely with the Development Manager and the CEO.

Key Responsibilities:

Strategic Communications and Marketing
1. Proactively develop impactful, compelling and timely messaging and storytelling that conveys key information and promotes our goals and achievements to help meet our fundraising and public affairs objectives with our different audiences, in line with our values and ways of working.
2. Provide strategic communications advice and expertise on leveraging organisational outputs, campaigns and projects, and adaptably integrate these into communications planning to enhance our fundraising and influence.
3. In close collaboration with our Development Manager, develop and deploy a powerful narrative and supporting collateral to market our story to different audiences to accelerate our fundraising efforts.
4. In close collaboration with the Head of TCEN Secretariat, ensure the TCEN communications strategy is refined and implemented, ensuring that appropriate metrics are in place to measure and improve impact.
5. Produce a variety of high-quality audio-visual and written collateral that will resonate with, influence and activate our different audiences. Outputs and collateral include our monthly newsletter, articles, speeches, videos, photographs, infographics, statements, blog posts and social media content, among others.
6. Create opportunities to leverage our websites and social media channels and identify other innovative tools, platforms and networks to help tell the story of our impact, convey our key messages and build our profile.
7. Work seamlessly within the Policy and Public Affairs Team to monitor the daily news cycle, trends and changes in the external media environment in order to identify both risks to the organisation and opportunities to support and enhance our LGBTI+ rights advocacy and our press and media profile and influence.

Work Plan Delivery and Communications Operations
1. Manage and implement internal guidelines and tools/templates relating to internal and external communications, such as our style guide and brand guidelines.
2. Review all external collateral and advertisements to ensure they meet KT’s and TCEN’s style guides and brand guidelines.
3. Ensure consistency in messaging and use of defined (and separate) KT and TCEN voices in all of each organisation’s external communications and that spokespeople are appropriately equipped and trained to do so.
4. Work with KT’s Development Manager and the Head of TCEN Secretariat to build and maintain an up-to-date bank of impactful stories and case studies of each organisation’s priority work areas to use in fundraising and/or communications efforts.
5. Co-organise and/or support delivery of events (including developing collateral) to ensure communications opportunities are maximised.
6. Monitor data on KT and TCEN’s communications activities against agreed metrics and targets in line with our impact framework and provide regular reporting for use by senior management and the Board.
7. Identify risks and ensure critical issues are appropriately escalated as they emerge, and deploy strategies to mitigate or remedy them where appropriate.

Stakeholder Management
1. Build and maintain productive relationships with key contacts and stakeholders in the media and press, as directed.
2. Act as the point of contact for all press and media queries and escalate these to appropriate senior management.
3. Ensure records and data of all media and press stakeholders and communications
are kept up to date and secure on the media stakeholder database (Vuelio).

General
1. Contribute to organisational planning processes and into reviews of the organisational strategies, as needed.
2. Contribute to upholding a supportive and productive culture and working environment across Kaleidoscope Trust.
3. Work closely with agencies, consultants and freelancers as relevant to ensure high-quality output and value for money.
4. Willingness to travel, within reasonable expectations, to attend conferences, events and meetings.
5. Undertake any other duties which reasonably fall within the purpose of the role.

Skills and Competencies:
We are looking for a highly skilled candidate who can demonstrate experience with the following:

Essential
▪ Ability to think creatively and strategically about communications challenges and opportunities and dynamically adapt plans to changing demands and contexts.
▪ Designing and delivering successful communications and marketing strategies and campaigns.
▪ Developing compelling stories and narratives for a variety of target audiences using different approaches.
▪ Excellent written communications skills, including the ability to write persuasively on a range of topics in different voices and formats to convey complex ideas to different audiences with varying levels of knowledge, interest and needs.
▪ Creating high quality visual and audio-visual content (videos, images, leaflets, etc.) in line with established brand guidelines.
▪ Building buy-in to deliver objectives, in a meaningfully consultative and non-extractive manner and in consideration of power dynamics.
▪ Analysing data and inputs and writing detailed and evidence-based reports.
▪ Project and budget management to deliver objectives on time and within budget and ensure value for money.
▪ Website back-end management and social media use (Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube, X/Twitter) for communications and fundraising.
▪ Ability to understand power structures and communicate sensitively with and about diverse stakeholders who experience current and historic inequities.
▪ Risk management and mitigation.

Desirable
▪ Using Canva or similar software to create impactful visual assets whilst adhering to established brand guidelines.
▪ Using Mailchimp or similar software to create and analyse performance of email newsletters.
▪ Managing WordPress-based websites.
▪ Running digital campaigns using free and paid-for online and social media advertising.
▪ Working with external partners to produce impactful communications.
▪ Experience with individual giving fundraising.
▪ Successfully pitching stories, articles and/or Op-Eds to relevant and diverse media, and understanding how this relates to the daily news cycle.
▪ Developing internal processes and tools and rolling them out with teammates.
▪ Understanding of the issues LGBTI+ people face globally and their root causes, from a human rights and/or development perspective.
▪ Understanding of intersectionality in the context of the lives of LGBTI+ people.
▪ Understanding of safeguarding principles in order to ensure the welfare of others is at the forefront of their work.

The candidate should be able to demonstrate the following personal qualities:
▪ Accuracy and attention to detail.
▪ Adaptable and able to work agilely and flexibly to manage various demands under matrix management.
▪ Strong interpersonal skills and confidence working as part of a team and with senior-level and external stakeholders.
▪ Patient, compassionate and understanding.
▪ An organised self-starter with strong time management and problem-solving skills.
▪ Clear communicator with the ability to interpret, process, and share information in a concise and appropriate manner with different internal and external audiences.
▪ Willingness to “pitch in” and take initiative to support colleagues beyond the parameters of the job description where necessary.
▪ Commitment to advancing the human rights of LGBTI+ people everywhere.

Terms and Conditions:
▪ This role is full time, on a fixed-term basis until 31 March 2025 (with likelihood of extension, contingent on funding).
▪ The salary is £43,000 p.a., plus pension contributions.
▪ The post-holder is entitled to standard annual leave of 25 days in addition to the usual public holidays in England and Wales.
▪ Standard core hours of work are 9:00am – 5:30pm (London time) with possible requirement to work very occasionally at evenings and weekends (which will accrue
Time Off In Lieu).
▪ The post-holder will be line-managed by Kaleidoscope Trust’s Head of Policy and Public Affairs with a dotted line to the Head of TCEN Secretariat on all TCEN matters and the CEO on communications and fundraising matters.
▪ The post-holder will be based out of Kaleidoscope Trust’s office in Bethnal Green, London, but will be permitted (with the agreement of their line manager) to work from home predominantly, with the occasional requirement to travel to the office for appraisals and key meetings or events.
▪ The post-holder must possess the right to live and work in the United Kingdom for the period of the contract.
▪ Start date: 1 April 2024 or as soon as possible after.