We are looking for a Communications Lead to support us in re-establishing and facilitating our Communications and Advocacy Working Group. We are re-hiring this position which has been vacant for a year, so we are looking for an experienced and motivated candidate who can help us rebuild this axis of Calais Appeal.
The purpose of this role is to help Calais Appeal as a consortium to carry out effective and consistent communications activities to raise awareness of the situation for people on the move on the UK-France border and the hostile politics at the border. Awareness-raising should be done with a view to engaging a broader audience, and all activities should be carried out with the goal of advancing our advocacy aims and demands, which are being re-written in early 2025. This role will also be crucial in rebuilding capacity within our Communications and Advocacy Working Group, which we hope will stand us in a strong position to expand from communications into broader advocacy work by the end of this year.
The role also includes working alongside two more commonly hired employees; a Fundraising Lead and Coordinator, as well as a Safeguarding and Welfare Lead.
Responsibilities
* Coordinate fortnightly meetings with the Calais Appeal Communications and Advocacy Working Group.
* Help the members formalise and implement an advocacy-centred communications strategy.
* Give strategic and capacity building support to each member in their own communications activities (including media and press relations).
* Act as a central contact for media and press relations of Calais Appeal, including facilitating journalist visits, drafting press releases and representing Calais Appeal at external events.
* Plan and produce social media posts under a regular deadline (x3 a week) in order to raise awareness and further the advocacy goals of Calais Appeal.
* Proactively gather social media content from Calais Appeal member organisations.
* Website and email management.
* Draft and send a monthly newsletter, and help us grow the newsletter subscribers.
* Help the members to better collect, collate and disseminate data together.
* Proactively search for opportunities to raise visibility of the situation on the UK-France border and the work of Calais Appeal, for example at conferences, events and demonstrations.
* In collaboration with both the Communications and Advocacy and Fundraising Working Groups, implement crowdfunding campaigns and ensure supporting content aligns with our principles and tone., OCHA coordinates the global emergency response to save lives and protect people in humanitarian crises. We advocate for effective and principled humanitarian action by all, for all.
Essential
* Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English.
* A strong belief in the equal right of movement for all persons, and a commitment to challenging the policies and rhetoric which lead to the inhumane living conditions and human rights abuses we witness in the border zone.
* A commitment to anti-racism, anti-white saviorism and intercultural solidarity.
* Knowledge of the current context of migration at the UK-France border.
* Experience working in a similar border context and/or with displaced communities.
* Ability to work flexibly and adaptively regarding the ever-changing situation at the border.
* Previous experience in communications, project management and/or advocacy.
* Strong project management skills, including the ability to balance multiple projects, meet deadlines and prioritise effectively, whilst working collaboratively.
* A willingness to speak at public events.
* The ability to implement a functioning communications strategy for the consortium.
Desired
* Written and verbal communication skills in French strongly desired.
* Experience of working in consortiums or non-hierarchical structures.
* Proven copywriting skills and ideally experience in running communications and creating online content for social platforms (Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, X).
* Experience in public speaking and/or working with the press.
* Technical skills; website editing, post scheduling software, Canva, Action Network, Google domains, Bluehost, video and/or photo editing knowledge.