Job Description
Job Title:
Group Head of Communications (1 year maternity cover)
Service:
Commercial
Project/s:
Communications and Marketing
Reporting to:
Chief Executive/Commercial Director
Team of five staff, with two direct line reports (Senior
Management
responsibilities:
Marketing Manager and Communications Manager), plus
freelancers, volunteers and interns as required.
Context
Coram, the UK’s first children’s charity, has been helping vulnerable children for 275 years, and now
helps a million children and young people every year. We help children and young people develop
their skills and emotional health, we find adoptive parents and uphold children’s rights, creating a
change that lasts a lifetime.
We have a big reputation in our field. Coram runs one of the UK’s most successful voluntary
adoption agencies, the nation’s largest children’s health and drug education programme, and we
promote and protect children’s rights through the law in the UK and overseas. Our vision is that
every child has the best possible chance is life, and our mission is to develop, provide and promote
best practice in the support of children and young people.
This is an exciting year for Coram as it’s our 275th anniversary which we are proudly celebrating
with a host of activities to raise funds and ensure many more people get to hear about the lasting
difference Coram makes for children and young people. This includes City Rocks, with Lily Allen,
Sophie Ellis-Bextor and other stars performing in what we aim to be our biggest musical fundraiser
at The Royal Albert Hall and an online campaign to unite supporters in raising awareness about our
work.
We use communications to inform, educate and motivate all of our key audiences, from the
children, young people and families we help, to the supporters, professionals and key influencers
who help us to deliver our work.
We need an outstanding candidate who has the experience and ability to lead the communications
and marketing teams on a full time basis, covering a period of maternity leave from June 2014 for
approximately a year.
You will be an enthusiastic professional with a strong track record across a range of
communications disciplines who will thrive in this varied, challenging and exciting role.
Purpose of the Role:
To lead the management and development of communications and marketing to increase
the visibility and support of the work of the Coram group of charities.
Main Duties & Responsibilities:
Communications and Marketing Strategy

To oversee the delivery of the communications and marketing strategy for the Coram
group of charities and work closely with the Senior Management Team to continue to
develop and adapt this to meet ongoing priorities

To work with the Senior Marketing Manager and Chief Executive (the Brand Group) to
shape key communications, marketing and brand development projects including
advertising campaigns, core message development and group website development

To work as part of the Brand Group to ensure consistent brand and message delivery
across all communications and operations of the Coram group including with the
Foundling Museum

To provide communications and marketing support for fundraising activities and events
to optimise their value to the Coram group
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
Support the Senior Marketing Manager in marketing capacity for increased trading
income
Media relations and reputation management

To ensure media relations and enquiries are effectively managed, and to lead PR
campaigns with targeted media to achieve agreed priorities

To lead and deliver the planning and delivery of the media and marketing elements of
Coram’s 275th anniversary campaign, including supporting the online

To work closely with policy experts across the Coram group to help best represent and
communicate the needs and voices of the children and young people we support

To brief, advise and work with the Senior Management Team and Trustees on
managing reputational risk and crisis communications

To manage the Coram group’s social media presence to maximise its benefits for the
group and manage any associated risks

To undertake ‘on call duty’ in rotation with the Communications Manager to ensure
that all media enquiries and crisis management are dealt with to deadline
Internal communications

To support internal communications including the production of the monthly staff enewsletter

To ensure the Senior Management Team, Head of Service and Trustees are kept
informed of key developments that may be of media/pubic interest
Management

To lead and support the communications and marketing teams, developing staff
members within role, and build a network of appropriately skilled associates to help to
deliver the Coram group’s communications needs as and when required on an agency
style basis

To develop and manage the communications budget, and support the Senior Marketing
Manager with the marketing budget, ensuring costs are cross-charged to internal client
budgets as agreed
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
Any other duties reasonably required within competence including attendance at
evening and out of hours events and media rota
Person Specification
Criteria required
Essential
for the role
Skills &
Excellent writing and editorial skills
Knowledge
Excellent understanding of the
media and its needs
Expertise in maintaining and
growing a strong brand and
profile, including the delivery of a
consistent brand across multiple
channels
Ability to build excellent working
relationships with good influencing
and diplomacy
Ability to meet deadlines and to
prioritise competing deadlines
Knowledge of how to support
service users in a case study/
media context and related
confidentiality and legal issues
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Desirable
Excellent verbal and presentation
skills with the ability to
communicate complex ideas to a
generalist audience
Experience
Substantial experience across a
Experience of children’s
range of communications
social care issues and legal
disciplines, including media
issues affecting children and
relations, marketing and website
young people
development
Previous experience of working on
a freelance basis or for a multifaceted organisation
Experience of delivering
Solid experience of media relations
internal communications
including national news, feature
placement and issues based
Experience of delivering
campaigns
campaigning/lobbying
communications
Demonstrable success in a relevant
communications environment,
ideally in both voluntary sector
and agency settings
Demonstrable expertise in planning
and project management, with the
skills to engage colleagues and
support at all levels
Solid experience of handling
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issues/crisis PR
A track record of successfully
working with and influencing
media and key decision makers,
especially in the social policy
sectors and government
Experience of offering media
briefing and advice to wide range
of staff including senior
management and services
colleagues
Experience of celebrity and VIP
engagement and endorsement
Strong experience of managing,
motivating and developing staff
and
volunteers, delegating and
managing
busy workloads.
Personal
Attributes
Positive, flexible and pragmatic
Professional and diplomatic
Friendly open manner and the
ability to communicate with a wide
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range of stakeholders
Able to remain calm in high
pressure situations
Able to manage a large and
complex workload in a fast paced
environment
Sound judgement and tact
especially in terms of
communications protocols
Resourceful and creative
Innovative and energetic
Commitment to Coram’s equal
opportunities policy and to child
development in the UK
Technical and
Proficient in office IT systems
Relevant postgraduate
qualifications
including Word, Powerpoint
qualification/s
Degree level minimum, including
high grade GCSE English
Excellent proof reading and editing
skills with good attention to detail
Numerate with the ability to
develop and manage detailed
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budgets and to work within tight
financial constraints
Understanding and user skills in
social marketing and online tools
including Content Management
Systems
Circumstances
Able to travel in the UK on
business and to work outside
office hours where required.
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