Communications and Awareness Officer

PERIOD OF APPOINTMENT

The post is a permanent, full-time appointment.

SALARY

Salary will be in the range £37,694 - £38,990 per annum. Starting salary will be the minimum of the scale and pay progression will be as per current NICS pay policy.

ANNUAL LEAVE AND PRIVILEGE HOLIDAYS

In addition to public and privilege holidays, currently 12 days, the annual leave allowance will be 25 days, rising to 30 days after 5 years’ service.

VETTING

The successful candidate will be required to satisfy pre-employment checks undertaken by AccessNI in accordance with the Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups (NI) Order 2007 (as amended by the Protection of Freedoms Act 2012).

WORKING PATTERN

The role is full-time, 37 hours per week, Monday – Friday.

LOCATION

The office of the post holder will be located at Seatem House, 28-32 Alfred Street, Belfast, BT2 8EN. The organisation operates a hybrid working policy, which stipulates a minimum of 2 days per week based in the office. The post holder will be office-based until fully trained and can then avail of hybrid working.

PURPOSE OF THE ROLE

The postholder will play a key role in developing awareness and understanding of VSS. This is a varied role and will include public relations as well as building digital presence through strong multimedia skills for creating visual content. VSS use trauma informed practices in all communication and stakeholder engagement activity.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Stakeholder Engagement

• Implement the VSS communication strategy and stakeholder engagement plan.

• Ongoing stakeholder analysis including communication needs and engagement strategies.

• Work with VSS colleagues to manage and deliver VSS engagement events with stakeholders.

• Provide advice and support to VSS colleagues and community partners on SEUPB communications guidelines regarding PEACEPLUS project.

• Monitor and report on media coverage of VSS related issues.

• Assist with monitoring and reporting on political landscape, specifically in the victim and survivor sector.

• Maintain effective links with the external VSS public relations support provider.

• Uphold the VSS reputation and public image in any external communication.

Communication

• Responsible for copy writing for a range of stakeholders across multiple channels, both print and digital. This will include internal updates, press releases, quarterly impact briefs, annual report, corporate plan, leaflets and digital copy including website and social media.

• Responsible for the production of printed and online materials to ensure suitability for intended audiences and in line with accessibility best practice.

• Integrate qualitative and quantitative data from a number of sources into a range of communications to support the communication strategy.

• Develop and deliver targeted campaigns through informed content to support the needs of victims and survivors.

Digital Platforms

• Develop respectful relationships with online audiences through meaningful and valuable engagement across multiple channels.

• Responsible for maintaining and updating the VSS website, ensuring information is engaging, useful and accurate. Liaise with stakeholders and website developer on changes and updates to structure and content.

• Responsible for sourcing information, drafting content and designing layouts for diverse stakeholder groups via digital platforms or apps such as Canva, Sway, Mailchimp or similar.

Senior Management Team Support

• Assist in the development and implementation of the VSS Corporate Plan and Delivery Plan.

• Facilitate ad hoc requests from the Senior Management Team and Board.

Personal Development, Performance and Professionalism

• Endeavour to ensure the ongoing confidence of VSS stakeholders, maintaining high standards of personal accountability.

• Develop interpersonal skills required to facilitate liaison with colleagues within the VSS funded organisations.

• Foster a positive and respectful work environment, promoting collaboration, teamwork and open communication.

• Adhere to company policies, procedures and professional standards while representing the organisation both internally and externally.

The foregoing is a broad range of duties and is not intended to be a complete description of all tasks. It is important to note that additional duties appropriate to the grade may be allocated and the responsibilities may change to meet the evolving needs of VSS.

ESSENTIAL CRITERIA

Applicants should be aware that after an eligibility sift, shortlisting will be done by carrying out an objective evaluation of the information provided by candidates against the eligibility criteria, so that only those candidates who best demonstrate they meet the criteria will be invited to interview.

If an applicant does not provide sufficient detail against each individual criterion, including the details of experience and appropriate dates required to meet the eligibility criteria, the selection panel will reject the application.

By the closing date for applications, candidates must demonstrate that they fulfil each of the following essential criteria:

OR

Three years’ demonstrable experience in the following areas: a) Implementation of an external communication plan and demonstrate delivery across multiple platforms. b) Experience working with both reactive media enquiries and proactive announcements. c) Creating high quality, engaging content for diverse audiences across print and digital platforms using tools such as Canva, Sway and Mailchimp. This includes press releases, reports, corporate publications, web articles, social media graphics, newsletters and multimedia presentations. d) Successfully developing and monitoring digital media channels to include content management sites, social media platforms and digital marketing tools. e) Practical experience developing positive relationships with a diverse range of stakeholders and delivery of stakeholder engagement planning. f) Implementation of successful internal communication campaigns.

Desirable Criteria

In addition, applicants should be aware that after an eligibility sift, should it be necessary to shortlist candidates to go forward to interview, this will be done by applying the following additional criteria:

Please Note: Clear evidence should be provided of all the elements of each criterion in the application form, giving specific length of experience, examples and dates. It is not sufficient to simply provide a list of duties and responsibilities. The selection panel will not make assumptions from the title of an applicant’s post or the nature of the organisation as to the skills and experience gained.