Candidate Brief
Digital Manager
December 2015
Welcome
CARE International UK is seeking an experienced manager to lead the maintenance, development and growth of our digital channels. An integral role within our small but dynamic Communications team, your job will be to advise colleagues on how to best use our digital channels to generate income and engagement from our target audiences – individual supporters, policymakers and other influencers, as well as corporate partners and institutional donors.
Over the past year, we have enjoyed many successes: we launched a fully revamped website www.careinternational.org.uk in April; our Walk In Her Shoes (https://walkinhershoes.careinternational.org.uk/) event on International Women’s Day attracted more than 200 pieces of press coverage; our 70th anniversary campaign http://thenandnow.careinternational.org.uk/ attracted similar attention from the media; and we were named one of the three beneficiaries of the Telegraph Christmas Appeal supporting our work with Syrian refugees.
We launched a new organisational strategy in late 2015, and will soon be developing a new communications strategy to complement it. Digital growth will be a key part of our new communications strategy and your experience and ideas will be very important in shaping how we best use and develop our digital channels to further enhance CARE’s reputation and profile, building on 2015’s successes.
If you have significant experience of working in a web production or development role, and proven experience of managing complex websites and social media channels, I strongly encourage you to apply for this exciting, challenging role. As you will read on the next few pages, CARE’s work covers both humanitarian response and longer-term development programmes in many countries, so you will be working with fascinating, topical content and issues, helping to bring CARE’s work to even wider audiences in creative and engaging ways.
Nicola Peckett
Head of Communications
December 2015
Background Information
CARE is one of the world’s leading humanitarian and development organisations. Founded nearly 70 years ago with the CARE package, CARE now fights poverty and injustice in 84 countries and has built up a strong reputation for innovation and impact.
CARE’s programmes focus on achieving lasting change by tackling the underlying causes of poverty and strengthening the capacities of poor communities to help themselves.
In everything we do, CARE places special focus on gender issues and working alongside poor women and girls because, equipped with the proper resources, women have the power to help whole families and entire communities escape poverty. Women are a vital part of CARE’s community-based efforts to improve food and nutrition security; protect life and resilience in humanitarian crisis; increase access to quality healthcare and education and expand economic opportunity for all.
CARE helps poor people have a greater say about the decisions and policies that affect their lives, supporting them with information and skills so they can challenge decision-makers. CARE’s advocacy efforts also bring evidence from our programmes of what works to change policy and practice at both a local and global scale. CARE is a non-sectarian and non- partisan organisation.
About the CARE Confederation
CARE International operates in 84 countries, but is held together by 13 national members. These national agencies are separate legal entities but operate through one presence in each country and work together under the CARE International Board and Secretariat, based in Geneva. They are bound together by the CARE code.
Globally CARE employs 8,000 staff, with over 95% of them locally sourced and has an annual income of $800m.
CARE has just agreed a new global Program Strategy which will govern all of our work and which will mean that by 2020, CARE and our partners will support 150 million people from the most vulnerable and excluded communities to overcome poverty and social injustice.
About CARE International UK
CARE International UK is an important part of the global CARE International confederation and one of the largest and most influential members. We employ 115 staff and generate around £45 million a year for CARE’s poverty-fighting work. As well as raising money for CARE’s humanitarian and development work around the world, we provide programme expertise in four key areas:
Humanitarian response
With a long-term presence in many of the world’s most vulnerable places, we take a comprehensive approach to emergency response including preparedness, immediate assistance and long-term recovery. We have a particular focus on women and girls; shelter in emergencies, and building resilience through our climate change adaptation and food security work.
Women’s Economic Empowerment
We are working with poor women to give them access to economic resources through programmes on financial inclusion, supply chains and workers’ rights. The private sector has a critical role to play in reducing poverty and supporting women’s economic empowerment. We take an innovative approach to engage with the private sector at global, national and local levels to improve the impact of their activities so that real opportunities are created for poor people. CIUK has also launched Lendwithcare – a new solution for financial inclusion which offers the chance for people in the UK to make small loans to poor entrepreneurs.
Preventing and responding to sexual violence in conflict
In an increasingly turbulent world, we provide expertise and support to our field operations in countries experiencing conflict, by supporting programmes spanning peace-building, reconciliation and rehabilitation. Protecting women from violence and increasing their participation in peace-building is a major advocacy priority.
Governance
The capacity of poor people to influence the institutions that govern their lives is fundamental to addressing the underlying causes of poverty. We work at a local level to help the most vulnerable and marginalised hold public authorities and other power holders to account for how they take decisions and allocate public funds.
Within the CARE confederation, we have five strategic roles. We:
1. Design and deliver quality programmes that address the underlying causes of poverty and specifically examine and address the disproportionate impact of poverty on women and girls.
2. Advocate for policies to help the poorest, and change government and business practices to bring about lasting social change among communities living in poverty and affected by crises.
3. Raise strategic and transformational funding for CARE’s poverty-fighting programmes in the world’s poorest and most vulnerable communities.
4. Support CARE International’s global transformation to achieve broader and deeper impact in our fight against poverty by providing strategic direction, resource and expertise.
5. Value our staff and strengthen our organisational effectiveness and accountability.
Background to the job
The Digital Manager is a member of CIUK’s Communications team, reporting to the Head of Communications and working closely with the press team and, in particular, the Editorial Content Manager who oversees the content of our websites. You will manage a Digital Officer, whose role is to monitor and contribute to the flow of new content, provide technical training and assistance, and oversee day-to-day community management.
You will work closely with colleagues in our fundraising teams, helping them ensure that our digital channels maximise their income-generating and supporter engagement potential. You will also work closely with our policy and advocacy team on the development of our policy blog http://insights.careinternational.org.uk/ which we will be revamping in 2016.
Job Description
1. Overview
Post Title: Digital Manager
Directorate: Marketing and Communications
Department: Communications
Responsible to: Head of Communications
Accountable to: Director of Fundraising, Partnerships and Communications
Base location: Vauxhall, London
CARE International UK reserves the right in consultation with employees to change base location according to organisational and departmental requirements.
Line Management Responsibility: Digital Officer
Budgetary Responsibility: Up to £50,000 per annum
Key contacts:
Internal contacts:
· CIUK Chief Executive, Senior Management Team
· All Fundraising Heads, Fundraising Department colleagues
· Programme Director, Programme Heads, especially the Head of Advocacy, Programme department colleagues
· IT department colleagues
· Country Offices and Regional Offices
· CARE International Secretariat Communications team
· CI Communication working group and other colleagues across the federation.
External contacts:
· consultants, contractors and suppliers of digital and website services (eg Engaging Networks, Pedalo)
· digital team and other colleagues in partner organisations, including coalitions (eg DEC, BOND), pressure groups, other INGOs and other stakeholders (eg DFID)
· digital specialist networks (eg E-Campaigning Forum, Charity Web Managers Forum, Digital Fundraising Group)
The above list is provided for guidance only and is not an exhaustive list of all the contacts with whom the post holder may be required to liaise.
2. Job summary
The main purpose of this role is to enhance the profile and reputation of CARE and its work by developing CARE International UK’s (CIUK) digital communications strategy and leading on its implementation. This will be achieved by:
· leading on the development and improvement of all of CIUK’s digital channels to ensure they maximise their communications, advocacy and income-generating potential (50%)
· overseeing the continuous maintenance of all of CIUK’s digital channels, ensuring the upkeep of functionality and usability (15%)
· contributing proactively to and advising on digital content development (20%)
· managing digital services (eg online campaigning software, external web agencies and hosting companies) and supporting and advising colleagues with their digital needs (15%)
3. Responsibilities
· Develop and lead the implementation and evaluation of CIUK’s digital communications strategy, in line with the organisation’s strategic plan.
· Oversee the development of the CIUK websites (www.careinternational.org.uk, http://insights.careinternational.org.uk/and CIUK microsites), and social media activities, ensuring they reflect CIUK’s vision, mission and brand, responds to organisational priorities, and effectively reaches CIUK’s target audiences.
· Manage and support the Digital Officer, conduct regular 1:1s and appraisals, and manage performance, in line with organisational policies and procedures.
· Maintain smooth functioning of our websites and other digital channels, ensuring trouble-shooting of any technical problems, introducing innovations in functionality, and training colleagues where necessary.
· Devise, project manage and deliver innovations to CIUK online spaces and other digital projects designed to maximise CIUK communications, advocacy and income-generation.
· Manage all key relationships required to deliver CIUK’s digital communications, particularly with external suppliers, in order to achieve value for money, high quality and agreed levels of service delivery.
· Manage our online campaigning software Engaging Networks and, working with other departments, advise on the creation of compelling online actions that engage supporters and influence change. Build these actions or project manage the delivery of these actions with external developers, as appropriate.
· Liaising closely with the Editorial Content Manager and Press and PR Manager, contribute actively to planning content across all digital channels, working with other departments across CIUK to deliver content that supports their communications, influencing and/or income-generating objectives.
· Support departments quickly and efficiently in their reactive digital communications needs, especially in response to humanitarian emergencies.
· Analyse performance of our websites through Google Analytics in order to identify areas for improvement in conversions, content, design and navigation. Report regular KPIs to Senior Management and team leaders.
· Support Programme and Advocacy department colleagues in the development and implementation of their digital communications needs.
· Proactively seek to understand the communications needs of CIUK’s priority target audiences to improve the quality of our digital engagement with these groups.
· Lead on Search Engine Optimisation, developing and implementing plans to increase our websites’ visibility in organic/natural search.
· Conduct usability tests on our websites and implement improvements to ensure that users are given the best possible online experience.
· Manage a budget of up to £50,000, ensuring services are procured and paid for in line with organisational policies and procedures.
· Keep abreast of digital trends, issues and initiatives in the charity sector and generally by following relevant media, attending seminars and conferences, and liaising with colleagues in other INGOs as necessary.
· Contribute proactively to and follow the Communications team’s policies and procedures. Participate proactively in weekly Communications planning meetings and team meetings.
Special features:
This post holder may have to work out-of-hours in the evening or at weekends, in response to a humanitarian emergency or urgent/breaking news story. Wherever possible, adequate notice will be given.
This role includes any additional duties as may be reasonably required by a senior manager within the scope of the above.
This document forms part of the post holder’s contractual terms and conditions of employment.
The document is not an exhaustive list of core elements of the role. This job description is a working document and may be amended from time to time by mutual agreement.
Data Protection
The post holder hereby agrees not to disclose any confidential or sensitive information to a third party or outside organisation except where required to do so by law.
Health and Safety
The post holder agrees to abide by CIUK’s Health and Safety principles and code of conduct and to take all reasonable steps to ensure both their own safety in the work place as well as that of their colleagues.
Equal Opportunities
The post holder agrees to promote and uphold the principles of equal opportunities in accordance with CIUK’s Equal Opportunities Statement and all related policies.
Person specification
Education/ qualifications / · Educated to degree level / · Relevant degree or technical qualification
Skills/Abilities / · Strong interpersonal skills
· Excellent project management skills
· Excellent analytical skills
· User focused
· Proactive and approachable
· Attention to detail / · Experience of working within a communications team
· Experience of working in a cross-departmental environment
Experience/
knowledge/ understanding / · Significant experience of working in a web production or development role
· Proven experience of managing and developing large, complex websites
· Good knowledge of using social media to communicate and engage with supporters
· Thorough working knowledge of open source CMS, HTML and CSS
· Good experience of using Engaging Networks systems to build advocacy actions and fundraising journeys
· Strong knowledge of Google Analytics and online KPIs
· Good knowledge of Search Engine Optimisation and Search Engine Marketing best practice
· Significant experience of creating graphics and editing photos using Adobe Creative Suite
· Working knowledge of WAICG accessibility issues and W3C web standards / · Experience of managing a small team
· Experience of digital/ online fundraising
· Experience of working with fundraising teams
· Experience of video and audio editing and production
· Experience of training others in content management systems
· Some understanding of basic JavaScipt development
· Experience with Google Tag Manager
Other / · Energetic and proactive
· Diplomatic and constructive
· A commitment to the mission and values of CARE International
· An interest in humanitarian and development issues
Application Process