Communications Manager

Location: UK (remote / home based)
Deadline: Sunday, 25 April 2021
Position: Part-time, 3 days per week

Women in Football (WIF) is recruiting for a Communications Manager.

WIF is a network of women, men and non-binary people working in and around the football industry. Our vision is an industry where all can thrive and reach their full potential.

We support and champion our peers. We equip individuals and the football industry with the knowledge, expertise and collective support that drives real change. We work pragmatically in partnership with institutions, organisations and individuals to help them progress.

We are a small organisation with a big voice, creating a bigger impact and are at an exciting stage of development. We have around 5000 highly engaged members and we have huge ambitions to change the face of football forever.

We are looking for someone to support us with the delivery of our owned and earned communications, with a focus on creating written and visual content for our member communications, website and social media channels. You will be a great communicator with excellent writing skills, able to ensure our content reflects our brand identity, style and voice, while also ensuring it is adapted for each of the platforms it will appear on. You will be interested in football, both the men’s and the women’s game, on and off the pitch.

You will have responsibility for ensuring we have healthy and impactful relationships with key media to help us deliver against key strategic objectives to be recognised as the go-to voice advocating for gender equality in football by driving audience awareness and engagement.

You will be comfortable and competent using digital platforms, including website content management systems (full training will be provided) and social media channels.

You’ll have good interview skills to ensure a constant stream of news articles for our website and member communications. You’ll also have a creative eye and design competency as you will be required to create assets for use across our platforms.

You’ll be willing to support across all areas of the business, as we are a small team and often help each other out, as and when needed.

The role will be 3 days per week and you’ll work from home. We have always been a successful remote-working team, even before the pandemic. The working days can be flexible, but must be between Monday and Friday and must include Tuesday. Some work in the evenings or at weekends will be necessary and some UK (and potentially overseas) travel may be required when allowed / appropriate. You’ll report to the WIF Head of Marketing and Commercial.

JOB SPECIFICATION

Content Creation

• Conduct interviews and write feature articles
• Good awareness of the football landscape to ensure well informed content planning
• Create copy and visual assets for social media posts across all our digital channels (Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and YouTube)

Maintain WIF Website

• Update the NEWS page (ability to write content, edit external content and upload to web CMS)
• Update all web pages as appropriate to ensure accurate information is always available for web visitors
• Create bespoke landing pages and create and track bespoke campaign URLs

Social Media

• Update and maintain digital content planner
• Manage social media accounts – FB, TW, IG, LIn, YT with support from Mkg & Commercial Manager and interns when available
• Create and schedule content across all social media channels
• Create static image posts for use across digital platforms using MS PowerPoint or Photoshop templates
• Monitor Google Analytics and provide monthly reports
• Create video content from webinars and other relevant footage

E-Newsletter

• Schedule, plan and create content for two monthly e-newsletters with additional standalone e-shots as appropriate
• Track and report on open and click-through rates of e-newsletters

PR

• Plan and own the proactive press communications across the year, integrated with the overall content plan on WIF owned channels
• Build and manage top tier PR relationships with influential print, digital and broadcast journalists, thought leaders in football and equality media networks
• Identify opportunities to engage consumer, corporate and industry audiences to bring our key messages, work streams and campaigns to life in the media
• Create the appropriate press assets and content to cut through and deliver press coverage

CANDIDATE REQUIREMENTS

We are looking for candidates who can demonstrate a proactive approach to communications and an excellent level of writing experience in press or online, preferably with relevant examples focused around sport or football based themes. The following capabilities are key for this role:

• Excellent verbal and written communication skills (native English level or equivalent), able to distil complex topics into simple and compelling narratives
• PR and media experience, preferably with a track record of successfully building, fostering and leveraging press relationships
• A passion for creating engaging angles to land WIF key messages in high impact media coverage, in a timely and relevant manner
• Knowledge of, an interest in and preferably experience of asset creation and design
• Confident user of social media channels
• Experience of or an openness and willingness to learn how to use web CMS (content management system) platforms e.g. WordPress

Preferable / Nice to have

• Experience managing social media channels and creating digital content
• Active Twitter and LinkedIn user
• Experience using Google Analytics
• Good design skills – both image and video editing
• Knowledge of HTML would be preferable
• Experience of SEO / paid advertising

The following would also be beneficial for this role:

• An interest in sport and specifically, football
• An understanding of the English football system
• An interest in the governance side of football

You’ll be UK based and able to work in the UK. We are unable to sponsor visas.

Diversity, equality and inclusion are in WIF’s DNA and our commitment to them is what drives us. We celebrate multiple approaches and multiple points of view and everyone is welcome. If you work with us, you’ll be empowered to bring your whole, authentic self to work – to be you. We know that this is how you will thrive, and that if you thrive, WIF will thrive.

We want our workplace to look like the communities we serve. We welcome applications from all backgrounds and especially encourage applications from people whose ethnicity is underrepresented in the football workforce, people who identify as LGBTQi+, disabled people, people of faith, men and people who have experienced exclusion or marginalisation.

We want this recruitment process to be as accessible as possible, but know that there might be more that we can do, particularly if you have experienced exclusion, disadvantage or discrimination, or if you have particular accessibility needs. We would be happy to provide any reasonable adjustments that you may require – please get in touch with us, and we can think together about how to make this process easier for you.

HOW TO APPLY

If you feel you fulfil our requirements for this role and would like to apply for the position, please send your CV and cover letter to info@womeninfootball.co.uk by midnight Sunday, 25th April, 2021. Please include links to any relevant online articles or features you have written within your CV or cover letter.

Shortlisted candidates will be invited to an online video interview and may be asked to complete a short written task as part of the interview process.

We look forward to hearing from you.

For more information about Women in Football, please visit www.womeninfootball.co.uk