Job Description

Job Title: Senior Marketing and Communications Officer
Location: Hybrid / remote with minimum 2 days per week in office, Pembury
Salary: xc2xa327,000 - xc2xa329,000 (depending on experience)
Contract: Permanent
Hours: 37 hours per weekClosing date for applications: Friday 23rd May 2025Are you a skilled marketing professional ready to make a meaningful impact?Aspens is seeking a creative, driven Senior Marketing and Communications Officer to help promote our services, fundraising and activities that transform the lives of autistic people, those with a learning disability and their families.You'll develop and deliver engaging campaigns, manage communications channels, and create content that aligns with our brand voice. Collaborating with teams across Aspens, you'll drive audience engagement and support income-generation activities.This is the job for you if you have excellent communication skills and know how to bring a story to life. You'll be confident using digital channels to engage with a range of audiences, as well as traditional methods.Join us at Aspens and help make a difference. Apply today to become part of our inspiring mission!About AspensAspens is a charity that provides high-quality person-centred care and support to individuals on the autism spectrum and with learning disabilities, and their families. We provide an integrated network of services and support across the South-East to empower individuals to lead their lives as independently as possible.We support children, families and adults across Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Brighton and Hove, Surrey and the London Borough of Bexley. Our services include registered care homes, supported living, community outreach, day services, children and young people's groups and support, specialist support, and online support for families and carers across the South-East.Aspens has three charity shops in Bexhill, Crowborough and Paddock Wood and online stores on eBay, Etsy and Vinted. We also have The Bluebell Cafxc3xa9 and animal farm and a pre-loved donations centre in Pembury.Purpose of Role
This role will work with direction from the Marketing and Communications Manager to deliver marketing campaigns to raise awareness of and promote Aspens' services, income-generation activities including fundraising, retail and hospitality, and recruitment; engage with our internal and external stakeholders; and reach new audiences. A key part of the role will be internal 'customer' support, collaborating with departments across the charity to meet shared goals in line with Aspens' strategic objectives.Key ResponsibilitiesCampaign deliveryxc2xb7 Collaborate with the operations, fundraising, retail and recruitment teams to create and deliver comprehensive marketing campaigns to promote Aspens' services, shops/e-commerce, hospitality, events and recruitment and meet shared goals in line with the charity's strategic objectives.xc2xb7 Create and deliver internal comms campaigns to drive engagement and increase retention of staff.xc2xb7 Monitor and evaluate campaign performance by reporting on agreed objectives and KPIs.Content Creationxc2xb7 Develop relevant and engaging content to be utilised across channels, including, but not limited to website, social media, internal channels and email, in our shops, Bluebell Cafxc3xa9 and the community to reach new and existing stakeholders.xc2xb7 Graphic design - production of assets for marketing purposes.xc2xb7 Developing marketing and comms bank of photos and video; photography and videography at events.xc2xb7 Working with external companies to produce marketing collateral (signage, banners, artwork, leaflets, branded items etc.) and managing stock levels of marketing materials.xc2xb7 Review all materials to ensure alignment with Aspens' brand guidelines and tone of voice.Channel Management

• Under direction from Marketing and Communications Manager manage internal and external channels.

• External channels including, but not limited to: Aspens' website and linked bookings sites; charity social media channels (Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and TikTok); supporter communications (Mailchimp).

• Internal channels including, but not limited to: Staff intranet and staff newsletter (Mailchimp)

Brand AwarenessUnder direction from Marketing and Communications Manager promote Aspens and the impact of our work to relevant stakeholders and audiences. This includes digital and traditional advertising, management of Awards nominations, PR and media.Audience Insightxc2xb7 Utilise audience data to develop understanding of audiences.xc2xb7 Carry out research to monitor and keep up to date with marketing and charity trends and best practice to support audience engagement.xc2xb7 Share insights with Marketing and Communications Manager.Events

• Collaborate with the Business and Income Generation Team to support the planning and promotion of events and represent Aspens at events, some of which may require evening or weekend attendance.

Team Working

• Work closely with Marketing and Communications Manager and Business and Income Generation Team and build strong relationships with teams across the organisation.

Otherxc2xb7 Occasional travel to other offices, services and shops across Aspens' region.xc2xb7 Administration tasks as required.Person Specificationxc2xb7 Demonstrate close alignment to Aspens' valuesxc2xb7 Excellent written and oral communicationxc2xb7 Commercial awareness - understanding of business operations and the ability to think strategically about how decisions impact performance and profitabilityxc2xb7 Goal-oriented mindsetxc2xb7 Excellent relationship building and people skillsxc2xb7 Creative, with lots of ideas for engaging contentxc2xb7 Numerate and data-drivenxc2xb7 Ability to prioritise workload effectivelyxc2xb7 Self-motivated, with the ability to work independently and within a teamxc2xb7 Proactive approach, ability to come up with creative solutionsxc2xb7 Excellent attention to detailxc2xb7 IT skills including Microsoft Teams, Word, Powerpoint, Canva, Mailchimp, Xcel, Google Analytics, Google Adsxc2xb7 Graphic design skillsxc2xb7 Photography and videography skillsxc2xb7 Ability to edit websites/intranetxc2xb7 A degree of flexibility to work occasional evenings and weekends if requiredExperience

• At least two years' experience as a Marketing/Communications Officer/Executive, ideally within the charity sector

• Experience in planning and delivering integrated marketing campaigns

• Experience of managing a range of marketing channels including social media, websites and internal platforms

• Experience of engaging different stakeholders.

• Proven track record of achievement in meeting or exceeding targets, with clear examples of delivering results against set objectives

Essential Training and QualificationsA Levels or equivalentGCSE English at grade C (or above).Desirable Training and QualificationsA degree level qualification in Marketing/ Communications or a related fieldWhat you can expect from us:

• Fantastic paid training and career progression opportunities (including recognised qualifications in health and social care)
• Paid DBS (we will recover the cost should your employment terminate for any reason, other than redundancy, before passing your probation)
• Flexible work arrangements with opportunities to take on additional bank shifts too
• 30 Days Annual Leave (including Bank Holidays) / Pro rata dependent on hours. Annual leave entitlement increases with length of service
• Nest Pension and Death in Service Benefit
• Dedicated Employee Assistance Programme and Access to Mental Health First Aiders
• Aspens High Street Stores -20% discount on all items for Aspens' staff
• Bluebell cafxc3xa9- Discounted staff menu available
• Refer a Friend scheme, so you can earn up to xc2xa3250 for every person you refer to work for Aspens
• Recognition schemes, including 'Employee of the Month'

How to Apply:Simply click 'Apply now' and one of our team will be in touch to discuss the role.Any offer is subject to an enhanced Disclosure and Barring check, which we will complete on your behalf if you don't already have one, and satisfactory employment references. We will consider job share and part time arrangements for all posts in line with the needs of the Charity.Equal Opportunity StatementAt Aspens Charities, we are committed to creating a diverse and inclusive workplace. We welcome applications from all qualified individuals, including those with disabilities and those who are likely to be underrepresented in Aspens' workforce, such as sex/gender, minority ethnic group, religion, belief, sexual orientation, age, as well as abilities. We believe that a diverse team leads to better outcomes and a more enjoyable work environment where everyone feels valued, heard, and has an equal opportunity to thrive.As a Disability Confident employer, Aspens Charities is dedicated to supporting and promoting the recruitment, retention, and career development of people with disabilities. We recognise the value and contributions that individuals with disabilities bring to our organisation.Accessibility and AccommodationsWe are committed to providing an accessible recruitment process for all applicants. If you require any accommodations during the application or interview process, please let us know.

Aspens Charities