The Landworkers’ Alliance are recruiting a Communications and Membership Recruitment Coordinator for a 12 month maternity cover position.
We are committed to our Equal Opportunities policy and we welcome and encourage applications from anyone interested in this role who feels they have the relevant experience and skills.
For this exciting and engaging role, we are seeking a confident and skilled communicator who understands the complex issues and dynamics surrounding food and farming in the UK and internationally in order to develop and deliver strategies for membership recruitment and communications.
The role will involve coordinating, developing and delivering a communications strategy with our members and the wider public using multiple modes of communication that include, but are not limited to, regular newsletters, social media platforms, and the Landworkers’ Alliance website as well as communications through alternative, agricultural and mainstream media outlets. This role requires a detailed knowledge of the politics and practice of food, farming and land use in the UK, including the key players and central issues in food sovereignty and agroecology; an understanding of communications software, platforms and strategies; and an ability to communicate sensitive issues to a wide range of stakeholders. This role also requires the coordination of facilitating communications between our members and will involve gathering and distributing updates from LWA members, staff, organisers, coordinating group and allies on a weekly basis.
The other key part of this role will involve coordinating, developing and delivering a membership recruitment strategy to increase the number of members and supporters in the Landworkers’ Alliance. We currently have almost 1000 members with a development strategy target to increase this to 3000 by 2025. The role will have freedom and flexibility to deliver a work plan and creative strategy to build, increase and strengthen the Landworkers’ Alliance membership that may include (but is not restricted to) a communications and engagement campaign, recruitment at events and fairs, collaborating with other food and farming organisations, and working with the LWA membership across Wales, Scoltand and England to build membership at a local and sectoral level.This roll will also include working with the existing Landworkers’ Alliance membership to develop member benefits and services.
The Communications and Membership Recruitment Coordinator will meet with the Coordinating Group and staff of the LWA to develop proposals and work to deliver an agreed work plan with targets set by the Coordinating Group. This role will work alongside staff positions working on events, sales, campaigning and lobbying, training and exchange programs and mobilisations. In addition the role will also collaborate with LWA members in volunteer organising and mobilising positions across the UK including Branch Coordinatorsing in England, Wales and Scotland, and sector and regional groups.
The LWA does not have a centralised office and staff work remotely however they will be required to attend meetings that take place in various locations around the country. Reasonable travel costs will be covered in addition to the salary.
Specific responsibilities and outputs of this role will be:
Communications
● Coordinating, developing and delivering a dynamic and engaging communications and media strategy for promoting the work of the LWA to members and public audiences on all our social media platforms, and introducing new and creative ways of communicating effectively.
● Developing, delivering and facilitating communications with and between LWA members through newsletters and other channels, including increasing participation and supporting member engagement with a new online forum on our recently redeveloped website
● Managing and generating content for members and the public on all our social media platforms including website, newsletters, facebook, twitter, instagram and press.
● Write content to communicate the work, policies and political positions of the LWA, including reaching regional and national press.
Membership
● Coordinating, developing and delivering a creative and energetic strategy and campaign to increase the membership of the LWA.
● Working with the LWA membership to develop and improve existing membership benefits and services.
● Collaborating with other grassroots food, farming and forestry organisations to develop mutual benefits for members.
Working with the Landworkers’ Alliance Coordinating Group, staff and membership
● Working effectively and in collaboration as part of a dynamic and fast working team of the Landworkers’ Alliance Coordinating Group, staff, branch organisers, regional coordinators and the LWA members.
Person Specification
This is a complex role which requires a wide range of skills and experiences. The appropriate candidate will have the following skills and experiences:
Essential:
● Experience of grassroots organising.
● Experience of developing and implementing a media and communications strategy for an organisation
● Ability to communicate confidently and sensitively the complex issues surrounding food sovereignty, agroecology and food justice in a clear way to diverse audiences such as grassroots organisations working around food and climate justice, community groups, land based workers, policy makers, funders, general media and the public.
● Experience of writing press releases and gaining national press coverage for events and campaigns.
● A solid understanding of organisations and campaigns working to influence and change the food, farming and land use system in the UK.
● A solid understanding of the history, politics and practice of agriculture in the UK.
● A creative and innovative approach to membership development and recruitment with an ability to enthuse and inspire potential members about the benefits of joining the Landworkers’ Alliance using diverse strategies, communication tools and modes of engagement.
● Strong skills and confidence working as part of a diverse team with proven capacity to self-manage and work autonomously.
● The ability to develop work plans, monitor progress and report on work done to the Coordinating Group and staff.
● Experience and skills in working well in partnership with other food,farming and land use organisations to develop joined up strategies and campaigns for membership recruitment and mutual benefits.
Technical Skills
In addition, the successful candidate should be able to demonstrate experience of the following platforms, or be able to convince us that with appropriate training they would be confident and competent to do so.
● Designing and sending newsletters on platforms such as mailchimp
● Creative skills using design software such as Indesign and WordPress websites
● Creating engaging content on social media platforms including Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, as well as knowledge of scheduling tools and analytics
● Confidence using spreadsheets and Excel
● Ability to drive/travel irregular hours
Hours: 12 – 16 hours per week depending on experience. Duration: One year contract (January 2020 – January 2021). Location: Working remotely with the capacity for regular travel for work and meetings in England, Wales and Scotland. Remuneration: £27,040 per annum, pro rata.* Annual salary for 12 – 16 hour per week, £8,112 – £10, 816. *the LWA has a pay parity policy and flat payment structure, with all workers paid at the same rate.
Application process:
How to apply: Please send your CV (two – three pages maximum) and a one page cover letter outlining how you meet the person specification and what you think you can bring to this role. Please send your application to info@landworkersalliance.org.uk
Deadline for application: The deadline for applications is Monday 2nd December 2019 5pm. Please note we are not able to accept applications after the deadline.
Shortlisting dates: We will be shortlisting for interview by Wednesday 11th December 2019.
Interview dates: Interviews will be held on Tuesday 17th December 2019 in Bristol
Start date: The job will start on Monday 20th January 2020 with a request to attend the Landworkers’ Alliance annual strategy meeting for all staff and the coordinating group on Saturday 1st February and Sunday 2nd February 2020.
