CITIZENS UK

2 job(s) at CITIZENS UK

CITIZENS UK
May 22, 2026
Full time
Citizens UK Citizens UK is the UK's biggest, most diverse and most effective people-powered alliance. We bring communities and local organisations together to work on issues that matter; from campaigning for zebra crossings on dangerous roads, to reforming the immigration system, to the Living Wage campaign. We have a track record of winning change through hundreds of local and national campaigns. We know everyday people have the ability to shape the world around them. We believe that through developing local leaders, we can drive nationwide change and create community-led solutions to big and small problems. Living Wage Foundation The Living Wage movement began in 2001, after Citizens UK brought together communities in East London to discuss poverty and low pay. The campaign grew in momentum and soon required a mechanism to recognise employers who wanted to join the movement, which saw the establishment of the Living Wage Foundation in 2011. Still part of Citizens UK today, the Living Wage Foundation continues to work with community organisations to make sure the voices of both workers and businesses are part of the Living Wage movement. We now work with over 16,000 employers, benefitting over 475,000 people and winning over £3bn of better wages for people who need it most. Citizens UK works with a broad base of institutions across the political spectrum. At the Living Wage Foundation, we take the same deliberately broad-based approach and accredit all organisations who pay the real Living Wage to their directly and indirectly employed staff and are committed to tackling in work poverty. As a team we work across a range of industries and sectors to achieve this mission. We seek pragmatic coalitions in order to progress specific campaigns, and partnership around a particular issue such as Living Wage, does not imply an endorsement of broader purpose and policies. Purpose We have an exciting opportunity for an experienced digital communications professional to join the Living Wage Foundation team as our Digital Communications Manager. The ideal candidate would have demonstrable digital communications skills and experience, on top of an enthusiasm for engaging supporters across our social networks, website and email communications. The candidate will be tech savvy and have experience managing social media, using a website CMS and other digital tools that will support engagement with the real Living Wage and other key areas e.g. Living Hours and a Living Pension, across multiple stakeholders. They'll also be an effective storyteller with an understanding of how to transform stories into impactful online communications. As part of a busy department of communications specialists spanning media, digital, you will play a critical role in shaping our digital engagement strategy through our website, social media channels and email marketing. As well as leading the team to expand our reach and build brand awareness through creative content, you will also have a keen eye for analytics and work with our partner agencies to deliver effective campaigns across paid social media ads, Google Ads and website management. The person in this role will line manage a Communications Officer who will offer digital communications support. The ideal candidate will be a patient and kind people manager who enjoys supporting the personal development of team members This role will work closely with Citizens UK colleagues, including the Citizens UK communications team on cross-organisational priorities. You will report to the Senior Communications and Marketing Manager at the Living Wage Foundation. This role will play an integral role in shaping the wider communications strategy. You will be working as part of a passionate communications team, with a strong commitment to the Living Wage campaign. Main Responsibilities Working as the Digital Communications Manager, reporting to the Senior Communications and Marketing Manager, your main responsibilities will include: Social media: Lead the team in the use of social media to increase brand awareness and impact; generate innovative approaches. Oversee Communications Officers to monitor, manage, create and schedule content on our social media accounts, tailoring content to different channels and audiences. Establish systems for monitoring and evaluating key performance indicators and delivering to time and budget. Manage paid advertising strategy on social media, overseeing relationship with external agencies. Website: Work with developers to maintain and update website CMS alongside Operations team, support the team in creating news and blog content and help upskill colleagues to create content for the website. Support on development of a members' dashboard area to improve processes and enhance the accreditation experience. Use insights and analytics to monitor the success of the website e.g. Google Analytics. Materials development and dissemination: Ensure all work is completed within brand guidelines. Roll-out a content strategy to support the digital communications and marketing strategy, taking responsibility for resourcing the workplan for the wider team and contractors. Manage our newsletter and mailing lists with Living Wage Employers; looking for opportunities to improve content and impact. Basic design and video-editing support of communications and marketing collateral. Support the wider team and employers with ad-hoc marketing requests and digital materials to support their work plans. Situational awareness and research: Lead the team in conducting stakeholder analysis; identifying and segmenting audiences and their positions and interests. Confident to test and learn from new digital and marketing approaches. Identify new ways to communicate effectively with our internal employer network, by building understanding of our key audiences and employer journey. Strategy development: Participate in development of the communications strategy, contributing tactical and creative ideas around implementation, ensuring it is integrated with wider communications and campaigns strategies. Shape digital engagement and marketing strategy, ensuring that plans deliver against the influencing goals; evaluating effectiveness of the strategy and adjusting as required. Work with wider teams to support the development of tailored digital communications strategies Manage limited budgets for the digital growth strategy. Reputational and risk management: Appropriately manage and mitigate risk on our digital channels; developing processes and messaging when necessary. Demonstrate awareness of potential reputational risks and proactively develops appropriate protocol and messages, including expected professional fundraising standards. Effectively represents the organisation with senior stakeholders External relationships: Collaborate with Living Wage Employers and supporters to create engaging content and further Living Wage visibility online. Manage external relationships with agencies, designers and other contractors to resource digital communications work, ensuring quality and brand consistency. Campaigns and events management: Develop creative digital marketing campaigns that promote our brand and further engagement objectives. Create a digital strategy for Living Wage Week, including creation of the employer digital pack, overseeing delivery by Communications Officers. Provide digital support and advice for organisational campaign and event priorities. Establish systems for monitoring and evaluating key performance indicators and delivering to time and budget. Internal comms and knowledge management: Identify gaps in our internal knowledge management in digital practices and strengthen these with clear processes and documents to drive best practice amongst wider team. Provide digital support and advice to colleagues across numerous projects; this might include trainings on the use of digital platforms and trends, in order to build internal capacity and best support their work. Act as a brand ambassador for the whole organisation. Internal relationships: Line management of the Communications Officer. Provide leadership on our digital engagement, ensuring colleagues feel supported, developed and valued Ability to manage or coordinate staff across the organisation. Ensure the work produced across the team is of high quality and reflective of organisational values. Contribute to CUK mission and its strategic objectives: Demonstrate enthusiasm and commitment to the function and the core mission of CUK/ Living Wage Foundation. Reliably implement and participate in the development of cross-organisational policies, procedures, and values in the delivery of work across the communications department. Learning, expertise & DEI Keep up to date with comms developments, good practice in third sector etc. Train others with relevant and helpful advice and technical support Proactive in maintaining own wellbeing and supporting direct reports in managing their wellbeing at work Display self-awareness of DEI issues and the impact on direct reports . click apply for full job details
CITIZENS UK Colchester, Essex
Oct 04, 2025
Seasonal
Senior Organiser, Citizens Essex Citizens UK Citizens UK is the UK's biggest, most diverse and most effective people-powered alliance. We bring communities and local organisations together to work on issues that matter; from campaigning for zebra crossings on dangerous roads, to reforming the immigration system, to the Living Wage campaign. We have a track record of winning change through hundreds of local and national campaigns. We know everyday people have the ability to shape the world around them. We believe that through developing local leaders, we can drive nationwide change and create community-led solutions to big and small problems. Citizens Essex is a relatively-young Chapter of Citizens UK, covering 3 main geographical areas: Colchester, Chelmsford, and Southend. Our ideal candidate for the position of Senior Organiser has high emotional intelligence, is curious about other people, politically astute, and is fundamentally relational. They will have a track record of making things happen, be able to work with a high degree of independence, are comfortable with uncertainty, and able to think strategically as well as operationally. They will be interested in understanding and working with different sectors and types of organisations, as well as engaging with people from a wide range of faiths and cultures which are different to their own. They are an excellent communicator. They will learn and teach the craft of broad-based organising and be interested in receiving feedback to support their own development and growth. They will build and maintain relationships with a large number of leaders across the County and coach them to take action together on a common agenda. Community Organising Through our theory of social change, called community organising, we train thousands of everyday people to lead change in their communities, equipping them with the skills to hold politicians and other powerholders to account. We are made up of 500+ member organisations in powerful alliances throughout the UK. Our members include schools, universities, faith groups, parents' groups, health practices, charities, trade unions and other civil society organisations. Purpose At Citizens UK, our organisers and project staff work within communities to develop leaders, strengthen organisations, campaign for change and organise across difference. There are various project roles and operational, communication, finance and HR roles that support the organisation and project staff and organisers to deliver on this mission and work. This work is rewarding and can be challenging; it requires a personal commitment to inclusion, a willingness to listen and disagree respectfully, and an interest in working in an organisation where our staff, member institutions and leaders will come from a diversity of backgrounds and often hold views that may be very different from our own. More information about how we operate within this context and build trusted relationships across difference can be found on our website and is covered in induction. Onboarding and navigating this relational culture, and type of work, is supported by line managers and further training. Main Responsibilities A Senior Organiser is mastering the craft of community organising and taking increasing responsibility for developing major campaigns, managing budgets and managing staff. They operate with a high degree of independence and are significant contributors to CUK-wide functions such as training. Senior Organisers model the broad-based community organising methodology in their work including the building of relational power, the recruitment and retention of dues-paying institutions, the development of leaders, the strengthening of member institutions, leader-led public actions, and the winning of systemic change. You will bring communities together to drive change both locally, regionally, and nationally. This role will work closely with local civic institutions, such as churches, mosques, schools, universities, unions and other community groups to: develop the leadership of people within those organisations - our 'leaders' who lead the campaigns we work on help them identify the changes they want to see and create strategies to win those changes strengthen institutions' own abilities to achieve their missions. This includes listening to members of the community to find common issues, engaging local decision-makers through meetings, and planning in-person 'actions', where you might hold those in power to account. All of this work is underpinned by the knowledge that everyday people have the ability to shape the world around them. This work will be rooted locally, but you will be a part of a bigger national drive to make change alongside diverse local alliances across the UK. In Essex, the work is currently focusing on the first Mayoral Election for the County but you will also work on other campaign priorities that are developed through the institutions you work with. Working as a Senior Organiser for Citizens UK, reporting to Regional Supervisor for the South of England, your main responsibilities will include: Build relational power to further the goals of CUK Develop a comprehensive power analysis for Essex, particularly as the County will elect its first Mayor in May 2026 Develop and grow strong working relationships with power players at a county-wide level or sector, including journalists; taking the initiative to establish new relationships as required Conduct one-to-one relational meetings in order to develop relationships with leaders; demonstrating timely and effective agitation to stimulate action Work effectively with local journalists and media outlets to further CUK's goals Develop a strategic plan to enhance people's participation in public life as well as enhance non-partisan political and democratic practices across Essex. Develop a strategy built on an acute sense of how communities and institutions behave within, and across, the cultures and contexts of Essex. Develop a plan that enables clear and impactful cross-institutional collaboration across Essex. Identify and develop relational leaders prepared to act with others for the common good Work with and learn from the best veteran leaders on key actions Play a central role in the development of primary leaders; creating plans with them that are carried out Nominate leaders for training on the core taster curriculum and for National Training Strengthen institutions and develop BBOs Organise diverse alliances to work together locally but, most importantly, at chapter level Create/develop a leadership team of representatives from several institutions at chapter and local that are successful in combining action with growth Design organising strategies that combine internal & external action Support leaders through the Cycle of Action to create change Take the staff lead on chapter-wide actions and campaigns; aiming to achieve significant wins at chapter/campaign level Facilitate Issues Workshops and Delegates Assemblies and, in March 2026, a Mayoral Accountability Assembly Develop strategies for significant impact; with comprehensive plans & tactics Support actions, ensuring publicity, and facilitating high level negotiations Evaluate the effectiveness of actions; demonstrating ability to incorporate lessons learned into future actions Contribute to CUK's financial viability through effective fundraising & financial management Recruit new dues paying institutions; negotiating annual membership dues and letters of understanding as required Recruit and work with large organisations; ensuring that they invest into the alliance and not solely internal delivery Contribute to fundraising by securing £75k-£90k per annum overall, at least half of which should be 'hard money' from retention and recruitment of member institutions and strategic partners. Contribute to effective teamwork Line manage other Organisers in Essex Attract and help recruit new Organisers Lead other Organisers or Associates in a manner that supports high performance by providing clear expectations and providing proactive coaching, support and accountability. Teach entire training curriculum on National Training successfully; acting as a 'Track Captain' by providing meaningful feedback and support to other trainers Deliver sessions at Guild Days Produce all required reports and follow CUK's procedures on time and to the required standards Contribute to the Craft of Community Organising Schedule an average of at least 3 to 4 1-2-1 relational meetings into your daily schedule as a core part of your professional practice Commit 10 working days pa (pro rata for part-time staff) to the preparation, delivery and evaluation of Citizens UK National Community Leadership Training; Contribute to the leadership of a Guild Team and help it develop as a Community of Practice that enables Organisers across the UK to develop their skills and experience. Inclusion Displays self-awareness of DEI issues and good practice. Is alert to the impact on chapters and team members. Lead, support collaboration and acts within their area of responsibility and influence. Support in the resourcing, evaluation, and reporting of DEI work, as relevant . click apply for full job details