Digital Communications Officer

About People’s Trust for Endangered Species

Whether bats or beetles, hedgehogs or hyenas, we stand up for animals and their habitats.  The delicately balanced ecosystem that we all depend on is under threat. Alarmingly, in the UK almost two-thirds of species have declined in the last 50 years. Globally, around a quarter of mammals face extinction in the next three decades. This rate of loss can be stopped and that’s why People’s Trust for Endangered Species exists. For over 40 years we’ve improved the outlook of endangered species in Britain and throughout the world.

Passion drives our work but it’s grounded in science. Our approach is to invest in research and test the best ways to protect endangered species in their natural habitats. Then we put what works into action, creating vibrant wildlife havens.

Our work is varied and extensive, ranging from direct support for conservation professionals to involving the public and volunteers in practical action to help specific species and their habitats. Current priority species are hedgehogs, dormice, water voles and invertebrates and our priority habitats are orchards, woodlands, hedgerows, wood pasture and parkland.  As well as carrying out our own work, which focuses particularly on British mammals, we support conservation work throughout the world. Recent projects funded range from protecting areas for snow leopards in Mongolia to protecting slow loris habitat in Indonesia.

We have 19 staff, five trustees and thousands of volunteers helping us.

Job purpose

The Digital Communication Officers lead digital communication and engagement with the public, through the website, social media, email marketing and occasional face-to-face encounters at public events. The role supports both our desire to educate the public about our cause and recruit volunteers as well as our need to fundraise and find new supporters. Oversight of the Trust’s WordPress-based website and leading other digital communications brings the Digital Communication Officers into direct contact with all of the Trust’s staff, liaising over digital strategies, communication of campaigns, editorial content, timings and website development.

Job share

This role is shared between two members of staff, one full time and one part time. This vacancy is for the part-time role which is for a minimum of 2.5 days and a maximum of 3 days a week. Hours and days worked are negotiable across the week at the outset. The role is office-based in Battersea, London (although all staff are working from home during the covid-19 outbreak, subject to change).

Duties and responsibilities

Managing job share

• Developing and maintaining an effective relationship with the other member of staff job sharing.
• Adopting a flexible approach and agreeing specific tasks for each person according to skills and logistics.
• Managing work and communicating using planning tools (such as Trello).

Website

• Overseeing the PTES website content and development, advising and implementing additional features to enhance user experience.
• Managing the relationship with our external web development and support team, holding regular review meetings, managing tasks weekly, ensuring developments are on time and on budget.
• Create supporting landing pages for appeals and social media advertising.
• Keeping website up-to-date and working with colleagues on content.
• Ensuring website content follows the style, design and tone of brand guidelines.
• Monitoring website use, SEO and Google Analytics, feeding back to staff, advising and implementing modifications.
• Maintaining an up-to-date listing of Wildlife Encounter events, and online support for training courses and occasional conferences, ensuring registration and payment processes work, creating attendee lists, dealing with booking enquiries.

Digital media and email marketing

• Collaborating with and advising PTES and Hedgehog Street staff on digital marketing campaigns creative, content, messaging, supporter acquisition and engagement. 
• Implementing and monitoring campaigns and appeals across all required social media channels to increase reach, conversion and income generation.  
• Managing PTES social media platforms daily, developing content and community to increase charity loyalty and awareness.
• Using Hootsuite to schedule, post, monitor and respond to social media activity on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and YouTube, and liaising with a colleague posting on Instagram (channels may change over time). Using judgement over time spent to engender engagement and conversion sufficiently.
• Working closely with staff to strategise supporter email journey.
• Liaising with team on Facebook advertising content and strategy but not leading.

External events

• Organising, administrating and promoting PTES Wildlife Encounters events, including taking bookings and answering queries, and collecting feedback (typically 10 events a year run by the post holder, other staff or external people).
• Assisting staff with, and occasionally attending, external public events, to ensure consistent communication messages to public audiences
• Contributing ideas for interactive and innovative public engagement at such events to educate and raise awareness and secure potential volunteers.

Other tasks

• Liaising with external PR consultant on press releases ensuring all outreach in in line with the communication strategy.
• Liaising both internally and externally with numerous stakeholders, supporters and others.
• Helping with other tasks as advised by the Chief Executive.
  

Relationships

Internally you will report to the Chief Executive, work closely with your job share colleague and regularly with many other conservation and fundraising team colleagues.

Externally you will work closely with our website service providers, supporters on social media, and our PR/communications agency.

Person Specification

Essential knowledge and experience

• University degree or equivalent in a relevant discipline.
• Experience of using WordPress CMS and the confidence where necessary to learn to upload web content quickly and effectively.
• Experience of copywriting and webpage design.
• Experience of representing a business or charitable organisation across social channels and ability to effectively engage with an online community as voice of the charity.
• Experience of implementing digital marketing plan, particularly through Facebook.

Essential skills

• Commitment to our goals and values and an interest in biodiversity and conservation.
• Strong communication skills and ability to relate and converse confidently with a wide range of people with diverse backgrounds remotely and face-to-face.
• Ability to write clearly and effectively for differing audiences and over different channels with a consistent tone of voice.
• Proven ability to multitask with skills in project management, meeting objectives on time and on budget.
• Self-motivation, a general ‘can do’ cooperative manner, and the ability to work independently and as part of a team with a passion for conservation.
• Ability to work with consistent accuracy and attention to detail.
• Flexibility to be able to work out of hours on occasion.

Desirable selection criteria

• Working with web developers to structure website for specific audiences.
• Knowledge of email marketing tools such as Pure360 or Mailchimp.
• Knowledge of Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Premiere Elements.
• Knowledge of social media planners (Hootsuite), Google Analytics, Google AdWords.
• Working in the charity sector.
• Full UK driving license.

Contract              :              Job share. Part-time, 50-60% FTE. Working days flexible

Salary                   :              £26,000 pa pro rata depending on hours agreed

Responsible to :              Chief Executive

Annual Leave    :              23 days pa pro rata + 3 taken between Christmas & New Year

Location              :              Office in Battersea, South London

Closing date      :              Monday 20 July 2020                   

This role requires employment experience in a related role and unfortunately is not suitable for new graduates who have not yet gained this.

To apply please complete an application form and upload your CV at https://ptes.org/apply-for-a-job/