Job Description

Communications Officer (Permanent)

Salary: £26,000 pro rata

Hours: 15 hours per week home based flexible working, ideally with the potential to increase to 21 hours by the end of the year, subject to funding.

About PiPA

Parents & Carers in Performing Arts (PiPA) believes that a truly world class performing arts is inclusive of all talents and circumstances. We work together to amplify the voices of parents and carers and encourage a new mindset, that parents and carers enrich the performing arts. We show what’s possible by working in partnership with organisations to find new ways of working that are inclusive of parents and carers. In just 5 years we have established an industry-led Best Practice programme of change management with over 40 leading performing arts organisations taking part.

Purpose of the Role

The Communications Officer is an important new role that will play a key part in helping PiPA increase its reach, engagement and impact through inclusive messaging. You will work closely with the Executive Director and act as the in-house Communications specialist, acting as the focal point for the day-to-day editorial and content management of our social media channels and website. This will include copywriting, content creation, scheduling, engagement, analytics, managing images and assets and campaign support, ensuring our communications are influential, informative and inclusive. You will also identify opportunities to recruit future Ambassadors for PiPA, promote our events and organise outreach, invitations and guest lists.

This role would suit someone who is a creative and tenacious self-starter, who has experience of building up a social media presence whether in a professional or personal capacity and who thrives in a fast-paced working environment.

This is an exciting role at a growing organisation that punches above its weight, with high levels of responsibility for someone with a deeply embedded sense of equality and inclusion, which is demonstrated through the choices you make on a day to day basis. If you are passionate about making a difference and are committed to creating a more accessible performing arts industry, then we would love to hear from you.

In return we proactively promote work-life balance, offer 25 days annual leave plus public holidays, pro-rated to hours worked, and provide a high degree of flexibility and autonomy in the role. You can be based anywhere in the UK.

The Communications Officer should have these skills:

Essential

  • Experience of producing content and day-to-day running of social media accounts
  • Strong communication skills with experience of applying tact and diplomacy when necessary
  • Researching images and writing compelling copy for different audience profiles
  • Experience of working with website CMS, ensuring timely, responsive and relevant content
  • Ability to develop and grow an online presence
  • Experience with CRM such as MailChimp and managing databases for creating newsletters
  • Knowledge of or interest in the Performing Arts (Dance, Music, Opera, Theatre)

Desirable:

  • Experience of producing video content
  • Experience in helping to organise events
  • Experience using Microsoft Office 365, Adobe design software – InDesign, Canva, Photoshop or similar
  • Photo/video editing skills
  • Basic HTML skills
  • 2 years’ experience communications, particularly in the third sector.
  • Knowledge of the charity/not for profit sector

Personal attributes:

  • Excellent team worker
  • Ability to work both independently and collaborate with others, as part of a team, as the task requires.
  • A positive, proactive, can-do attitude; adaptable and flexible approach.
  • Excellent time management and organisational skills; ability to work under own initiative to manage varied workload and competing deadlines effectively.
  • Ability to work under own initiative to prioritise and manage multiple and varied tasks.
  • Results oriented and problem-solving approach to work and challenges; attention to detail.
  • Flexibility to work outside core hours as needed to meet the requirements of the role, such as supporting/attending PiPA events.

In the first 6 months of the job:

  • Your first focus will be the launch of our new website, working closely with the Executive Director, to ensure a coordinated approach across all our social media channels, including Facebook and Twitter.
  • You will work closely with the Executive Director to deliver the newly developed Communications Strategy.
  • You will support the National programme of activity and events through online promotion, industry and partner outreach, event planning, invitations and guest list management.

Next Steps

  1. To apply for this role initially please tell us how you meet each of the essential criteria listed above in no more than 150 words per point.
  2. Please also answer the following two points in no more than 300 words for each:
  • How will your skills and experience enable you to design a mini campaign to raise the profile of people with caring responsibilities for disabled, sick or elderly relatives within the performing arts?
  • Please show how in the past you have reached new followers/ subscribers through developing and growing an organisations (or your own) online presence.

The deadline for the initial submission is 9am Tuesday 15th September.

  • Shortlisted candidates will be notified by Monday 21st September, asked for a CV, sent a short task and invited for an online interview on Monday 28th September.
  • The role will start in early October to be decided with the successful candidate.

Please send your responses to the above, in one document, as well as a completed Equality and Diversity Monitoring form, downloadable here, to Deborah@pipacampaign.com by 9am on Tuesday 15th September.

PiPA is always looking for brilliant people that believe in our mission and who can contribute to our team in different ways. We are committed to bringing inclusive career opportunities to people currently underrepresented in the performing arts. We want to hear from people with a wide variety of lived experience who can bring their skills and passion to PiPA.