Communications Officer

Job description

Job responsibilities

Hope House Children’s Hospices have an opportunity for a Communications Officer to join our team based in Oswestry, hybrid working with a mix of 3 days office based and home. You will join us on a full-time, permanent basis, although part-time working of 30 hours per week will be considered. In return, our Communications Officer will receive a competitive rate of £25,869- £30,000 per annum.

Hope House Children’s Hospices provide vital care and support to local children living with life-threatening conditions, and their families.

About the Communications Officer role:

Our Communications team harnesses the power of stories to engage and inform people across the region about the importance of Hope House Children’s Hospices, the services that are available to children and families, and our need to raise £7.5 million every year to fund our work.  

We are searching for a dynamic Communications Officer to join our busy team and further develop our profile in Shropshire, Wrexham and Powys through targeted PR and media campaigns, as well as creating engaging content for our social media channels, mailings, newsletters and website.

You will get a real buzz from communications, have excellent news values and contacts in the regional media, and be used to producing top quality copy and photography in a fast-paced environment. You’ll be organised, unflappable, excellent at prioritising and hitting deadlines, and happy to travel around the region to visit our fundraising offices, shops, volunteers, events and families.

What we are looking for a Communications Officer who:

• Brings our brand and services to life by telling real-life stories in an engaging, inspiring and respectful way.
• Can take great photographs for press and printed materials, social media and website.
• Can cultivate existing and new contacts throughout Shropshire, Powys and Wrexham’s print, hyper-local community newsletters, TV and radio and other media outlets to ensure best use of content and constant emphasis on the charity’s need for support.

What we offer:

In return for your commitment, we offer a great reward package, which includes

• generous annual leave entitlement of 33 days per annum
• pension scheme (NHS & organisational pension scheme)
• staff rewards programme
• flexible working arrangements
• great development opportunities.

Closing date: Sunday 23rd July 2023

Interview date: Friday 28th July 2023

Second interview: Tuesday 1st August 2023

If you think you have what it takes to be our Communications Officer then please click ‘apply’ now! We are welcoming informal discussions with our Communications Manager, Nathan Rowden, contact us on 01691 679679. We’d love to hear from you!

Hope House and Ty Gobaith Children’s Hospices are committed to equality of opportunity and meeting the needs of children, young people and families. The care we provide and the environment we create to deliver care reflects our ongoing commitment to respecting the diversity of the communities we serve, and the individual physical, spiritual and emotional needs of each person and their loved ones.

Person Specification

Essential Qualifications

Essential

• <p>A degree&nbsp;or equivalent in Communications, PR, Journalism or a related field and/or;</p> <p>A minimum of two years’ experience in a journalism or communications role</p>

Essential Skills

Essential

• <p>Writing engaging, timely and accurate copy including, but not limited to, appeals, press releases, hospice leaflets, newsletters, social media and website.</p> <p>Bringing our brand and services to life by telling real-life stories in an engaging, inspiring and respectful way</p> <p>Photography for press and printed materials, social media and website.</p> <p>Strong editing and proof reading skills</p> <p>The ability to work under pressure, manage your time and meet deadlines</p> <p>Excellent interpersonal and communication skills</p> <p>A willingness to accept feedback to improve work</p> <p>Pitching stories to target media on a regular basis</p>

Essential Knowledge

Essential

• <p>Excellent news values</p> <p>Highest standards of literacy</p> <p>Understanding of regional media and their organisation</p> <p>Understanding of what engages people on digital media platforms &nbsp;</p> <p>Planning and delivering integrated communications campaigns and evaluating them</p> <p>A general understanding of and interest in the Children’s Hospice Movement</p> <p>A general understanding of Welsh national and local government</p> <p>Microsoft Outlook and Word</p> <p>Awareness of GDPR legislation</p>

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Employer details

Employer name

Hope House Children’s Hospices

Address

Nant Lane

Oswestry

Shropshire

SY10 9BX

Employer's website

https://www.hopehouse.org.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)