Monday 22nd June 2015
Dear Applicant
Campaigns Officer
Thank you for your interest in working for Gingerbread. It’s an exciting time for us. We’re working to reach even more of the UK’s 2 million single parents, making sure they know we’re here and are using our support services. We’re also campaigning on a national scale to improve the lives of single parents and their children and ensure their voices are heard.
How to Apply
Please read the job description for the role. The person specification sets out the skills and experience we are looking for.
To apply please complete the application form. Please use the personal statement to set out how you meet the person specification for the role, giving examples where possible.
Email your completed application form to , stating your name and the post you are applying for in the subject line.
Key Information
The closing date for applications is 5pm Wednesday 15th July 2015.
Interviews are scheduled for Thursday 23rd July 2015. To keep our administration costs to a minimum, we will only be contacting candidates who are shortlisted for interview.
Equality and Diversity
We want to recruit people from a range of backgrounds. To help us monitor the effectiveness of our recruitment, please complete a diversity monitoring questionnaire online. This data is anonymous and will not be seen by the selection panel.
If you have further queries or would like to discuss the role, please contact me on 020 7428 5406 .
Yours sincerely,
Charlie Woodworth
Head of Communications
Gingerbread Job Description
Job title: Campaigns Officer
Reporting to: Head of Communications
Overall purpose of the post
The Campaigns Officer will work closely with colleagues to devise and deliver an overarching campaign plan to secure Gingerbread’s campaign goals, influencing politicians and other policy makers and engaging with single parents as appropriate.
Key tasks and responsibilities
1. Considering Gingerbread’s priority public policy goals, identify key stakeholders, ‘moments of influence’ to achieve them and strategies to achieve key policy outcomes
2. Working closely with colleagues, devise and deliver a set of campaign activities to achieve these goals, ensuring timely, relevant interventions. These will include:
- Ensuring press worthy materials are produced
- Exploiting parliamentary opportunities to influence and deliver carefully planned strategies involving a range of mechanisms in a timely manner to maximise impact
- Building alliances with appropriate sector colleagues
- Carrying our supporting discovery work, including producing public and stakeholder facing materials
- Utilising the full suite of modern online campaign tools
- Have extensive direct contact with politicians and other influencers, working collaboratively with policy colleagues
3. Lead on engaging with single parents as part of our campaigning work as appropriate, managing our campaign e-newsletter
4. Take responsibility for co-ordinating Gingerbread’s overarching political engagement programme, maintaining our contacts database, producing briefings, and securing meetings.
5. Team / organisational working
a. Act as an internal ambassador and champion for Gingerbread’s campaigning work, creating enthusiasm and buy-in to our campaigns across the organisation
b. Work constructively within the team and across teams, respecting and supporting colleagues.
c. Contribute to team-planning and organisational-planning exercises.
6. Corporate Responsibilities
a. To champion and promote equal opportunities and diversity both in your area of work and the wider organisation.
b. To maintain awareness and ensure compliance with corporate policies including safeguarding, confidentiality, health and safety and data protection
c. To work in line with Gingerbread values and How we Work.
d. To actively contribute to organisational cohesion, encouraging cross-team working, and a problem solving approach
e. To take personal responsibility for keeping up to date with issues affecting single parents, the work of the charity and maintaining professional skills and expertise
f. To take a flexible approach to work and duties, within an appropriate level of responsibility, carrying out other duties as directed by Directors/Managers
Person specification
ESSENTIAL
1. Proven experience of developing and delivering evidence-based campaigning work, and strong understanding of what makes for compelling campaigns and how to plan them strategically
2. An astute political operator, able to navigate political landscape effectively and represent Gingerbread with credibility
3. Strong verbal and written communications skills, including the ability to tailor tone and message for a variety of audiences and to present messages clearly and effectively with authority and passion
4. A track record of innovation and creative thinking, with the ability to take a flexible approach and come up with different campaign solutions
5. Strong interpersonal skills and ability to negotiate and work with other teams across the organisation, as well as to work sensitively with both vulnerable single parents and high level supporters
6. Good planning and project management experience, able to see projects through from conception to delivery either as part of a team or working independently
7. Experience of evaluating work, and of using data to inform future planning
8. Ability to work under pressure and to deadlines while maintaining quality
9. Ability to use Microsoft Outlook, Word and Excel
10. Commitment to the aims of Gingerbread
DESIRABLE
1. Experience of delivering integrated campaigns
2. Knowledge and understanding of the policy issues Gingerbread works on (poverty, welfare reform, family policy)
The postholder must be willing to work occasional evenings and weekends when necessary, for example to undertake single parent interviews/focus groups or to attend campaign events.
Job Title – Terms and Conditions
This information gives you an overview of the terms and conditions for the post, but is not part of any future contract of employment.
Salary: The salary for this post is £32,032 per annum FTE. For part time employees, the salary will be adjusted on a pro-rata basis. A cost of living review of salaries occurs each year.
Hours of Work: This post is available on a full time basis. Our offices are staffed between 8.30am and 6pm, Monday to Friday. Staff may work flexitime in accordance with our flexitime policy. You will be asked at interview to let us know your preferred working hours and pattern.
Location: This post is based in our offices at Kentish Town.
Contract: This post is offered on a permanent contract.
Pension: Gingerbread contributes 5% of salary to a workplace pension scheme, subject to an employee contribution.
Annual leave: Full time staff are entitled to 28 days leave per year, rising to 29 days after 5 years’ service, and all public holidays, pro-rata for part time staff. In addition, our offices are closed between Christmas and New Year.
Work life balance policies: Gingerbread understands the need for staff to balance personal commitments and family life with work. We are proud of our range of policies to support staff. These include dependent care leave, flexitime, enhanced maternity and paternity provisions, working at home, flexible working and sabbatical leave.
Probationary Period: The first 6 months of your employment will be a probationary period.
References: All appointments are subject to receipt of satisfactory references. This post is subject to a DBS check.
Further Information
If you have any queries relating to the above terms and conditions, please contact Chantel Hayward, HR Manager on 020 7428 5785 or