Senior Marketing and Communications Officer
Posted 7 hours 59 minutes ago by upReach
Permanent
Full Time
Marketing & PR Jobs
Not Specified, United Kingdom
Job Description
Key information
Location: Manchester, Bristol, Newcastle, Nottingham, or London
Hours: 37.5 hours per week (full time)
Start date: ASAP (we are happy to work with notice periods)
Duration: Permanent
Salary: £31,830 - £35,280 per annum if based in London. £29,175 - £32,625 per annum if based in Bristol, Manchester, Newcastle or Nottingham, plus a £312 yearly tax-free work from home allowance.
Application deadline: 12 noon, Monday 10th November 2025
The application for this role will consist of a written application; a telephone interview; and an Assessment Centre (via Zoom).
Assessment Centres will take place week commencing 1st December and will consist of an interview and a task relating to the role.
About upReach
Do you think that your socio-economic background should determine your career prospects?
upReach s vision is of a society in which everybody has an equal opportunity to realise their full career potential. Our work is important because right now a student from disadvantaged background who gains a first-class degree from a top university is less likely to secure an elite job than a more privileged student with a 2.2.
We are an award-winning charity employer working to address this issue in partnership with employers and universities. We help undergraduates from lower socioeconomic backgrounds achieve their career potential by providing an intensive programme of support that addresses socio-economic barriers to graduate employment.
To find out more about our work, visit our website and read our Annual Report, and Impact Report.
ROLE SUMMARY
This role will be pivotal in devising, executing, and evaluating impactful marketing and communication strategies that resonate with key audiences and advance upReach's mission of transforming social mobility in the UK. The successful candidate will split their time between PR and external affairs (50%) and marketing campaign development and delivery (50%), with flexibility to adjust based on organisational priorities.
Reporting to the Senior Marketing and Communications Manager, and closely collaborating with the Junior Marketing and Communications Manager on specific projects, focussed on increasing press coverage, creating compelling marketing materials, and delivering impactful campaigns. You will work closely with the wider team to ensure all communications align with upReach s brand, with the ultimate aim of championing upReach's mission to transform social mobility in the UK. You will also support upReach in fulfilling our 2024-27 strategic objectives.
CORE RESPONSIBILITIES
PR, External Affairs & Policy:
SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE
We are looking for someone who is passionate about social mobility and believe that background should not be a barrier to graduate employment.
To be successful, you would ideally have experience in marketing and communications, particularly in executing PR and policy strategies, facilitating media relations and/or running successful communications campaigns. While not required, experience within a charity, social impact or education-focused organisation would also be highly beneficial for this role.
Required skills:
In general, Senior Officer level involves you demonstrating more leadership capabilities than in an entry-level position. This includes having ownership of a new area (press/PR), and demonstrating an ability to informally lead and have positive influence on the wider team . click apply for full job details
Location: Manchester, Bristol, Newcastle, Nottingham, or London
Hours: 37.5 hours per week (full time)
Start date: ASAP (we are happy to work with notice periods)
Duration: Permanent
Salary: £31,830 - £35,280 per annum if based in London. £29,175 - £32,625 per annum if based in Bristol, Manchester, Newcastle or Nottingham, plus a £312 yearly tax-free work from home allowance.
Application deadline: 12 noon, Monday 10th November 2025
The application for this role will consist of a written application; a telephone interview; and an Assessment Centre (via Zoom).
Assessment Centres will take place week commencing 1st December and will consist of an interview and a task relating to the role.
About upReach
Do you think that your socio-economic background should determine your career prospects?
upReach s vision is of a society in which everybody has an equal opportunity to realise their full career potential. Our work is important because right now a student from disadvantaged background who gains a first-class degree from a top university is less likely to secure an elite job than a more privileged student with a 2.2.
We are an award-winning charity employer working to address this issue in partnership with employers and universities. We help undergraduates from lower socioeconomic backgrounds achieve their career potential by providing an intensive programme of support that addresses socio-economic barriers to graduate employment.
To find out more about our work, visit our website and read our Annual Report, and Impact Report.
ROLE SUMMARY
This role will be pivotal in devising, executing, and evaluating impactful marketing and communication strategies that resonate with key audiences and advance upReach's mission of transforming social mobility in the UK. The successful candidate will split their time between PR and external affairs (50%) and marketing campaign development and delivery (50%), with flexibility to adjust based on organisational priorities.
Reporting to the Senior Marketing and Communications Manager, and closely collaborating with the Junior Marketing and Communications Manager on specific projects, focussed on increasing press coverage, creating compelling marketing materials, and delivering impactful campaigns. You will work closely with the wider team to ensure all communications align with upReach s brand, with the ultimate aim of championing upReach's mission to transform social mobility in the UK. You will also support upReach in fulfilling our 2024-27 strategic objectives.
CORE RESPONSIBILITIES
PR, External Affairs & Policy:
- PR Strategy: Contribute to the development and implementation of a PR strategy to raise awareness of upReach and the cause of social mobility, secure new partners/funders, and attract student applicants.
- Media Content: Create press releases, opinion pieces, blogs and research that reflect the charity s policy positions on key social mobility issues, and keep upReach website up to date with the latest coverage and articles.
- Impact Monitoring: Track and quality score incoming press coverage to analyse performance and adjust strategies based on incoming insights, pro-actively securing additional backlinks.
- External Stakeholder Management: Help respond to incoming media inquiries, ensuring timely responses and distribution of materials. Cultivate relationships with journalists, media outlets, influencers, other social mobility organisations, and other key stakeholders to expand upReach s visibility, updating the CRM and journalist database accordingly.
- Media, Policy and Research Monitoring: Track and respond to relevant social mobility and education-related policy changes in the UK, ensuring upReach has an active voice in these discussions where appropriate and disseminating key updates to the wider team.
- Award Submissions: Support the identification and submission of high-quality award entries to build upReach s profile across key target sectors.
- Crisis Communications: Support in the preparation of responses to any external inquiries or crises, ensuring upReach s reputation is protected.
- Patron and Ambassador Research: Assist in the research of potential high-profile ambassadors for upReach, ensuring they align with our mission and values.
- Student Attraction: Support the delivery of upReach s student attraction strategy to raise awareness of upReach amongst eligible undergraduate students.
- Campaign Support: Assist in the planning and execution of multi-channel marketing campaigns that drive engagement with beneficiaries, partners, donors, and funders.
- Content Creation: Work closely with the marketing team to produce compelling digital and print content, including case studies, social media posts/templates, blogs, email campaigns, videos and more.
- Brand Consistency: Assist in reviewing external-facing materials to ensure they align with upReach s brand guidelines, tone of voice, and key messages. Act in a consulting role to support the successful delivery of Associate-focussed communications.
- Marketing Asset Management: Maintain a comprehensive inventory of marketing materials, ensuring resources remain up-to-date and relevant, while monitoring distribution amongst the team.
- Monitoring and Evaluation: Assist in reporting on the success of campaigns using tools like Google Analytics and social media insights.
- Collaborative Marketing: Collaborate with other charities, higher education institutions, and student societies, to develop co-marketing opportunities that expand programme reach among target student audiences.
- Manage the External Affairs rotation to help one member of the Future Charity Leaders Programme (FCLP), upReach s internal graduate scheme, to learn more about this area of the charity.
- Continue to develop skills, knowledge and best practice that will enable you to excel in the role, including training on pitching to the media, crafting compelling content and building press relationships.
- Undertake other marketing, communications or administrative tasks that are required within this role.
SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE
We are looking for someone who is passionate about social mobility and believe that background should not be a barrier to graduate employment.
To be successful, you would ideally have experience in marketing and communications, particularly in executing PR and policy strategies, facilitating media relations and/or running successful communications campaigns. While not required, experience within a charity, social impact or education-focused organisation would also be highly beneficial for this role.
Required skills:
- Written Communication: Ability to write in a clear and persuasive way that breaks down complex issues into digestible content (e.g. press releases, social media posts and newsletters). Excellent verbal communication for networking, media relations, and public speaking.
- Creativity and Storytelling: Strong creative flair to develop engaging content and narrative that resonate with different audiences across digital and traditional platforms.
- Media Knowledge: Good understanding of the media landscape, with experience in managing media contacts, securing coverage, and building relationships with the press.
- Attention-to-Detail: Strong eye for detail, including excellent proofreading and editing skills, to ensure high-quality, error-free content.
- Brand Awareness: Understanding of how to promote and protect upReach s brand reputation and the importance of maintaining brand-compliant messaging across all platforms.
- Project Management: Strong organisational and project management skills, with experience handling multiple tasks and deadlines simultaneously. Ability to quickly adapt to changing situations, including responding to media inquiries or handling unexpected challenges.
- Pro-activity: A proactive attitude and an ability to suggest, research and implement new ideas to achieve our organisational objectives.
- Hands-on experience with some or all of the following tools/software:
- G-suite
- Zoom
- Canva or similar design software.
- Mailchimp or similar email marketing software.
- Website content management systems (CMS).
- Bigin, Zoho or similar customer relationship management tools (CRMs).
- Trello
- Knowledge of GDPR compliance.
- Knowledge of regulations around charity communications, including compliance with data protection laws and ethical storytelling.
In general, Senior Officer level involves you demonstrating more leadership capabilities than in an entry-level position. This includes having ownership of a new area (press/PR), and demonstrating an ability to informally lead and have positive influence on the wider team . click apply for full job details