Job vacancy: TJN Head of Communications

We’re hiring again! Details of the new Head of Communications role below, and job information pack to download here.

Key facts:

Application closing date: 30 March 2018
Start date: May 2018
Reports to: Chief Executive
Contract: Permanent
Hours: Full time (37.5 hours per week)
Salary: £50,000
Location: Home-based (anywhere in the world)

Background

Supported by a major grant from the Ford Foundation, and by other funders including Norad and the Adessium Foundation, TJN is now implementing a four-year strategy built around four programmes (financial secrecy, scale of tax injustice, tax justice and human rights, and the race to the bottom), all of which are supported by a cross-cutting communications function. TJN is in a period of growth and transition, and is building the systems and processes that are needed to support this development, while staying true to its founding values of collaboration and co-operation, and to the innovative tactics that have made possible its success to date in changing global narratives on tax.

TJN has built an enviable media profile for itself and for the wider tax justice movement. Thanks in large part to the work of TJN, tax justice has moved from being a fringe concern to a mainstream political issue that regularly generates media headlines and debates at the major global fora, including the OECD, the UN and the EU. TJN’s recently published Financial Secrecy Index made front-page news across the world, and TJN’s social media influence continues to grow, with 4.2m impressions and 64,000 engagements on Twitter in 2017.

The communications team manages the public-facing output of the organisation and relations with our partners and advocacy targets. The team is vital to communicating our message effectively and to advancing our aims.

Objectives

The Head of Communications role is a new post that has been created to co-ordinate the growing breadth and depth of TJN’s communications and media work and to shape our communications processes, in order to maximise the impact of TJN’s four programmes (above) in changing global narratives on tax.

The purpose of this role is to ensure that TJN’s high public profile is maintained, and that our research is received and understood by key stakeholders and advocacy targets. The post holder will build good relationships with journalists and the wider tax justice movement to maximise the impact of our message, and will work closely with colleagues to support their own communications outputs. Increasing our advocacy impact (by influencing those in power) is a key priority, and communicating our positions and messages to influencers such as the media is one of our main routes to impact.

We want to retain the autonomy and flexibility of a small organisation, while adopting light-touch processes to underpin our growing levels of activity and impact. The post holder will therefore work collaboratively with TJN communications professionals, technical researchers, operations staff and directors to discuss and agree new communications plans, positions, products and processes, balancing effective co-ordination with a respect for TJN’s non-hierarchical ethos.

Responsibilities

Communications

• Working collaboratively and inclusively with technical policy leads and communications colleagues to frame clear and consistent policy narratives, positions and messaging on priority issues
• Developing new communications ‘products’ with colleagues, packaging and presenting TJN materials in a variety of ways to suit different audiences (policy/research reports, infographics, documentary films, videos, op-eds, etc)
• Supporting communications colleagues who are leading in specific areas (blogs, social media, podcasts, events etc)
• Co-ordinating TJN’s public-facing outputs to ensure that material is published regularly and that messaging across different communications channels (blog, emails, reports, videos, podcasts, tweets etc) is coherent and consistent
• Building and maintaining a communications calendar for use by TJN staff and advisers
• Ensuring that external events are planned in a way that is consistent with the wider TJN communications strategy
• Monitoring TJN online stats (website hits, twitter followers etc) and building a strategy for improving our presence
• Working with colleagues to edit the TJN website, and producing a weekly email newsletter for subscribers
• Ensuring that TJN’s digital outputs are search engine-optimised to reach as wide an audience as possible

Media

• Acting as a spokesperson for TJN in broadcast media, and passing journalists to colleagues where appropriate
• Preparing and disseminating press releases in collaboration with colleagues
• Drafting and agreeing responses to media queries in collaboration with colleagues and senior advisors
• Pro-actively maintaining contacts with journalists and promoting TJN as a source of reliable, independent research
• Building and maintaining a comprehensive and up-to-date spreadsheet of media contacts
• Ensuring there are sufficient trained spokespeople for TJN to respond to print and broadcast media requests
• Ensuring that TJN is always available to receive and respond to media comments (rotas, partner organisations etc)
• Monitoring media coverage (using our media monitoring service) and flagging up reputational risks to colleagues
• Co-ordinating TJN’s response to media events, and developing processes for dealing quickly with major events
• Ensuring that TJN colleagues and external stakeholders are proactively briefed on upcoming media stories

Person specification

Experience

• Management / Several years of experience of managing a communications function in an NGO, company, political party, think tank or similar organisation, or equivalent experience in a similar role, such as journalism
• Understanding / Knowledge and understanding of economic justice issues (ideally of tax justice issues)
• Explanation / Experience of communicating complex financial or economic issues in a simple and clear manner
• Representation / Experience of representing an organisation in public (ideally on broadcast media)

Skills

• Team-working / Managing an autonomous team supportively and sensitively, balancing the need for co-ordination and clear decision-making with a consensual and collaborative management style
• Relationships / Building and maintaining successful relationships with journalists and other stakeholders
• Presentation / Communicating effectively, persuasively, accurately and succinctly, both in person and in writing
• Digital / Using online publishing, marketing and monitoring tools and social media (desirable)
• Creative / Video production and editing, and photography (desirable)
• Languages / Proficiency in at least one major global language in addition to English (desirable)

Attributes

• Commitment / Being focused on achieving high standards in pursuit of TJN’s objectives
• Adaptability / Finding ways of dealing with unexpected opportunities and challenges
• Resourcefulness / Achieving results with limited financial and human resources
• Judgement / Setting the right tone so that our communications outputs are punchy but not irresponsible
• Collaboration / Working supportively and effectively as part of a team
• Integrity / Choosing the right course of action when the alternative might be easier
• Flexibility / Willingness to do what is needed to get the job done (including irregular hours and travel)

How to apply

Please upload a CV (resume) and answer a series of questions, addressing the experience listed in the person specification as well as your motivation, using our online application form by 30 March 2018 at 23.59 GMT.

We reserve the right to offer this post at a lower level of seniority and salary if we feel that this would be more appropriate for the preferred candidate.