Job Description

Click here to read the full job description:
https://sustainablesoils.org/?view=article&id=513:our-people-join-the-team&catid=2

About the Opportunity:

The Sustainable Soils Alliance (SSA) is looking for a Communications and Public Affairs Intern to support us in our work campaigning on one of the emerging, critical environmental issues of our age: healthy soil and its role in farming, sustainable land use and climate change.

We are offering a paid internship that would suit someone looking to launch a career in environmental communications, policy or business, and gain an understanding of how a small but highly influential NGO works.

About Us:

The SSA was launched in 2017 with the objective to see soil health elevated as an environmental priority alongside air, water and biodiversity. We have created a unique platform where policy makers, NGOs, researchers, farmers and businesses can collaborate and are now widely recognised as the leading soils-focused campaigning organisation in the UK.

Our aim is to increase the awareness, understanding and action around soil health, and much of our work involves researching, developing and disseminating clear, compelling and concise materials and messages about the policy, practice and science of soils to our target audiences in business, policy, the media and beyond.

Our work embraces many of the critical environmental, economic and societal challenges of the day - the impact of climate change on land use, the future of farming, clean and healthy rivers and how to incentivise and regulate the agriculture sector.

About You:

We are looking to give this internship to an enthusiastic and personable candidate, willing to engage proactively with a small team with initiative, flexibility and openness. You will be dynamic, able to work to deadlines and have a genuine enthusiasm for communication - in a variety of formats.

In return, you will reap the benefits of working for a nimble organisation with significant influence: first-hand exposure to politicians, academics and the country's leading environmental and conservation organisations as well as learning how an NGO functions from within. We will help you grow and develop, mentoring you in how to work to briefs and complete project components, where and how to seek support, and how to work with feedback.

About the Role:

The majority of our work is undertaken by the Executive Team, made up of two Executive Directors, a Communications Executive and a Project Manager who share responsibility for delivering projects and coordinating our community of experts and collaborators. The role will report to one of the Executive Directors, who will act as mentor throughout the internship.

Though headquartered in Bristol, we are a small, mostly virtual organisation, and much of our work is online. While we recognise the merits of remote working, we also look to ensure that our team members have regular, day-to-day contact with like-minded people working in the same field and feel part of a professional community.

To that end we have established a 'desk' presence in the vibrant, youthful offices of partner organisations in central London and central Bristol. Where needed, we will look to explore similar opportunities for successful candidates in other parts of the country.

The successful candidate should be based in the UK, and it will be expected that they regularly attend in-person team meetings in Bristol or London and, where appropriate, stakeholder meetings and events across the UK. Unfortunately, we are unable to provide sponsorship for international visas.

Responsibilities:

? Drafting and developing a range of communications materials - briefing notes, infographics and social media posts

? Maintaining and growing the SSA's social media presence and maintaining website

? Drafting and proofreading SSA content and newsletters

? Compiling our weekly news roundup of the latest soil related scientific and political developments

? Organising stakeholder and fundraising events

? Supporting the team with calendar oversight, meetings planning and meeting output drafting

? Assisting with financial administration, including invoicing, expenses and reporting

? Supporting fundraising efforts, drafting, proofing and submitting funding applications

? Assisting in the delivery of specific project work where necessary

Employee Benefits:

Working at the SSA you will have the following salary benefits provided:

25 days holiday plus English public holidays

Birthday off

Pension contributions

Health insurance

Life insurance

Yearly eye test

How to apply:

Please read our full job description for this role (below) and submit your CV with a one-page covering letter outlining your motivations for applying to info@sustainablesoils.org by

11:59pm Monday 28th July.

The environmental sector is amongst the least diverse in the UK. We are working internally and with like-minded sister organisations to address this where we can. We hope that the actions we take will ensure the opportunities offered by the SSA are attractive to people from a diverse range of backgrounds, especially those from communities who experience systemic marginalisation. We want the SSA to be a workplace where people feel comfortable, supported and empowered.

No previous experience in the environmental sector is necessary for this role and this is a paid internship (Real Living Wage) - we pledge to value the lived experience of all of our candidates, as well as any relevant work experience. We know that long lists of criteria can be off-putting and that some candidates will not apply for a role unless they feel they are 100% qualified. If you feel you meet at least some of the essential criteria and feel passionately about the role, we still encourage you to apply.

Job Types: Full-time, Permanent, Internship
Contract length: 12 months

Pay: 24,700.00-25,309.00 per year

Benefits:

Company pension Health & wellbeing programme Life insurance Work from home
Work Location: Remote

Application deadline: 28/07/2025
Reference ID: Communications and Public Affairs Intern
Expected start date: 02/09/2025