Job Advert Communications and engagement officer – iWill Communications and engagement officer – iWill 12 month temporary contract Job Ref: Hours/Days per week: (0.6 FTE) 21 hours per week – (Flexible days/hours based on project need) Salary: £17.4 plus attractive employee benefits package (£29k pro rata) Start date: ASAP Location: Primarily home-based, with regular in-person activity in Blackpool Closing date: 5pm 29th January 2025 Interview date and Location: w/c 03 Feb 2025 online Volunteering Matters At Volunteering Matters we use volunteering’s unique power to bring people together and build stronger, more resilient communities across the UK. We bring people together to resolve some of society’s most complex issues. From social isolation and loneliness; improving health and wellbeing; building skills, confidence, and opportunity; to ensuring young people can become change makers in their community, the impact that we make is great. And we won’t stop until everyone in the UK has the opportunity to thrive. People-led and impact driven, we are a national charity that is deeply embedded in local areas across the UK. We operate in five regions: London and the South East; Wales and the West of England; East of England; the Midlands and North West England; and Scotland and North East England. We also have an Employee Volunteering Team with over 25 years’ experience, acting as a broker to provide tailor-made solutions to employers. We turn local knowledge and energy into action and progress, building stronger communities and a better future for all. This is an exciting time to be joining the team. We’re changing the way we work to meet new ambitions and make sure our impact continues to grow alongside out business. Job Purpose: Hosted by Volunteering Matters, the Communications and engagement officer will support the iWill Movement’s place-based social action efforts, focusing on Blackpool. This part-time, 12-month role will build relationships with young people and local partners, generate compelling stories, and support communications strategies that amplify youth social action in the region. This role works as part of the wider iWill team from Volunteering Matters and UK Youth, and reports to the Head of Partnerships and Impact. The role requires a hands-on communicator who is passionate about profiling young people’s voices and creating opportunities for collaboration. You’ll work with local partners, including the United Youth Alliance, to showcase the impact of youth social action, help generate support for the movement in Blackpool, and profile learning, impact and successes back into the wider iWill Movement. For the role to be truly transformational the Communications and Engagement Officer will need to: • Believe in the Power of Youth. • Be a key advocate for the views and experiences of young people, using the role to work with and platform young people. • Be a natural connector, building relationships and alliances within the local community. • Always maintain total independence in the spirit of the movement, serving young people and their youth social action first, wherever that may be. • Be willing to enable and platform young people to tell their own stories, even if abdicating personal power. • Ensure that young people’s views, experiences, and work is communicated clearly to wider stakeholders to inform the evolution of iwill. Key Duties: 1. Communications Strategy Development: • Co-develop and implement a place-based communications strategy for Blackpool, in collaboration with the Digital Communications Manager. • Ensure local communications align with national iWill messaging and campaign moments. Content Creation: • Generate engaging stories, case studies, and digital content featuring young people and local partners. • Work with young people to create and share their own content, empowering them to tell their stories. Digital and Media Engagement: • Profile local activities and partnerships, creating content and stories for social media and other digital platforms. • Build relationships with local media to amplify the work of young people and partners in Blackpool 2. Engagement Partner Collaboration: • Work with the Head of Partnerships and Impact and our local delivery partners to identify opportunities to profile local organisations who demonstrate a commitment to the Power of Youth. • Attend online and in-person meetings with local partners in Blackpool to profile their work. • Generate partner commitment to iWill campaigns and initiatives, such as iWill Week. • Work collaboratively with local lead delivery partner to deliver communications and engagement strategies that showcase their partnerships and impact. Youth Engagement: • Build relationships with young people, including attending evening sessions in Blackpool, to create authentic, representative content. • Support young people in participating in iWill campaigns and initiatives, such as Power of Youth Day. Event Organisation: • Work with local partners to plan, administer and deliver events that showcase youth social action and foster collaboration in the community. 3. National Collaboration: • Work as part of the iWill central coordination hub to align local work with national campaigns, including iWill Week and Power of Youth Day. • Contribute to national reporting and evaluations, ensuring local impact is recognised. Experience, skills and attributes: Essential: • Experience developing and delivering communications strategies. • Proven ability to create compelling digital content for a variety of audiences. • Strong relationship-building skills with young people and partners. • Proficiency in managing social media platforms and working with traditional media. • Experience in organising events and stakeholder engagement. • Strong writing and storytelling skills, with a focus on amplifying marginalised voices. • Comfortable working flexibly, including occasional evenings and travel within the UK. Desirable: • Experience working in the youth, voluntary, or community sectors. • Knowledge of campaign management and evaluation. • Familiarity with website CMS (e.g. WordPress) and digital content accessibility standards. Primarily home-based, the role will require regular in-person activity in Blackpool, and occasional travel to London, and elsewhere in the UK. Flexible working hours will be required to accommodate evening sessions and in-person meetings in Blackpool and the Fylde with partners and young people. The role requires reliable internet access, and ability to work independently whilst also part of a busy remote team. The role is part of the UK wide iWill team and will report to the Head of Partnerships and Impact, and work closely with the Digital Communications Manager. Duties may vary in line with the needs of the Movement as appropriate. I.T. equipment and infrastructure will be supplied. This is a 12-month fixed-term role, part time 21 hours per week. Secondments and job shares will be considered. The role will require a DBS check. Our Values & Way of Working: In all that we do, we embrace a philosophy of ‘Freedom within a Framework’ and are guided by our values: Empowering, Inclusive, Compassionate, Positive & Straightforward. This job description is intended to include the broad range of responsibilities and requirements of the post. It is neither exhaustive nor exclusive but while some variations will be expected, these will be at an appropriate level for the role. Diversity & Inclusion Volunteering Matters welcomes all applicants and are keen to ensure our team reflects the diversity of the UK and the communities we serve. We encourage applications from disabled, LGBT and Black, Asian and Minoritised Ethnic backgrounds, along with candidates with any protected characteristics and from disadvantaged groups. Disability Confident & Reasonable Adjustments: We guarantee to interview anyone with a disability whose application meets the minimum criteria for the role. Please provide evidence in your application, which demonstrates that you meet the level of competence required in the “Experience/Skills” section of this advert. To be considered for a guaranteed interview or to discuss any reasonable adjustments during the process, please state this in your application. We have also committed to the following pledges which positively encompass our recruitment and selection processes and methodology: The Promise, Show The Salary, Salary History. Benefits Our employee benefits reflect our culture which is built on an approach of full flexibility with accountability, and designed to let you make your most positive contribution; we offer Flexible Working by Default (re hours & place of work), Unlimited Annual Leave, Employee Pension scheme, Life Assurance, Cycle to Work Scheme, Season Ticket Loan, Employee Assistance Programme, enhanced sick and family leave. We are also open to discuss job share applications. GDPR Statement If you apply for a role with us, we will retain your contact details including your name, address, email address and phone number to help us manage your application for up to 6 months. We will not use your personal data for any other purpose or share it with any third party. You can contact us at any point to update your personal information or ask us to delete it from our records.