Senior Manager – Campaigns & Communications Planning

Help Change Attitudes towards Childhood

At Barnardo's, we believe in children – and in the power of influencing attitudes to create lasting change. As part of our Strategy & External Affairs department, the External Communications & Engagement function plays a critical role in shaping public understanding of the issues facing children and strengthening support for our work to deliver positive change.

We're looking for an experienced and ambitious Senior Manager (Campaigns & Communications Planning) to lead our advocacy campaigning activity and help coordinate impactful communications across the charity.

What Will You Be Doing as the Senior Manager (Campaigns & Communications Planning)?

• Lead and deliver advocacy campaigning activity that supports Barnardo's strategic aim to change attitudes towards childhood
• Oversee and manage a single, central communications grid bringing together activity from across the charity to maximise impact and audience experience
• Work closely with senior leaders and colleagues across Strategy & External Affairs, Fundraising & Marketing, Children's Services and other departments to plan, prioritise and integrate communications activity
• Collaborate with the Voice & Influence team to ensure children, young people, parents and carers help shape our advocacy and campaigning work
• Line manage up to five colleagues, providing clear leadership, support and development

This is a senior, influential role at the heart of shaping Barnardo's external voice which combines strategic oversight with hands-on leadership. You'll be part of a committed department that shares learning, supports wellbeing and is united in a clear mission: delivering change for children.

What Are We Looking For?

We're looking for a Senior Manager (Campaigns & Communications Planning) who has:

• Significant experience (at least five years) working in communications, advocacy and/or campaigning
• Experience of line management and operating effectively within matrix-managed environments
• A strong track record of communications planning in a large or complex organisation
• Excellent written, verbal and interpersonal communication skills
• A creative, curious mindset, with the ability to adapt quickly in fast-changing contexts

You'll also be able to attend in-person meetings at least twice a month in central London, and occasionally elsewhere in the UK.

We know that our colleagues go above and beyond in delivering our vital work, driven by their passion and commitment to Barnardo's values.  We also know that we can only realise our ambitions and achieve better outcomes for more children, thanks to the talent, hard work and creativity of our people. 

For all these reasons, we are committed to a new approach to pay and reward, to ensure it is fair, attractive and progressive, which was rolled out in April 2023. This is a positive change for the charity, and a part of our People & Culture Strategy. It will assist us in supporting colleagues to belong, thrive and grow in their colleague journey at Barnardo's and in time will offer clear routes of progression for colleagues in both their career and their pay. 

Whilst the full pay band and salary range is advertised, our approach to starting salaries is to appoint between the minimum to mid-point of the pay band – this ensures that pay steps are available to reward our colleagues annually based on their contribution to excellence and alignment to our values and behaviours.  More details on Barnardo's pay framework can be found upon application. 

Workplace Offer: What it means for you

Our hybrid working initiative is based on trust, flexibility and empowerment. We understand our workplace offer means different things to different people, and we encourage those conversations. This may mean working at one of our stores, services, working at home, in the community, at one of our Collaboration Hubs or depending on the role any combination of these. Please read through the advert carefully to understand the remits of hybrid working that will be specific to the role.

Barnardo's require colleagues to be UK residents, based in the UK and to complete their roles from within the UK (with the exception of colleagues providing Barnardo's services in Jersey and colleagues who live in the Republic of Ireland providing services in Northern Ireland)

• Barnardo's believe in creating equality of opportunity in the workplace and supporting people to manage their work-life balance; we are therefore open to offering flexible working arrangements.
• Annual Leave entitlement for full-time colleagues is 26 days per annum, increasing to 27 days per annum, after 3 years Barnardo's service, 29 days per annum, after 5 years Barnardo's service and 30 days per annum, after 7 years Barnardo's service. Those working less than full time are entitled to the same level of holiday pro rata
• The ability to buy up to another 5 days annual leave via our Buy Your Leave scheme
• A host of family friendly leave options including company Maternity Paternity and Adoption pay; together with all family additional leave options
• Service related sick pay from day 1
• Access to a Group Personal Pension with a matched 4% or 6% contribution from Barnardo's. Ability to pay via salary sacrifice to garner both tax and NI savings on your own contribution
• Death in service cover of 4x annual earnings for all staff contributing to our Group Personal Pension
• Cycle2work scheme
• Interest free season ticket loans
• Discounts and cashback from at high street shops including major supermarkets, cinemas, gyms, leisure/theme parks, holidays and much more via our Benefit Portal
• 20% discount at Barnardo's stores
• Opportunity to purchase a health cash plan to claim towards dental, glasses, therapy etc
• Free access to round the clock employee assistance program for advice and support
• Access to Barnardo's Learning and Development offer

*T&C's apply based on contract

We are committed to being an inclusive employer and cultivating a culture where everyone can belong and thrive through inclusion and connectivity. We want our workforce to be reflective of the communities we work with, and for equality, diversity and inclusion to be embedded in everything we do. We are a Disability Confident Leader, are progressing our ambition to be an anti-racist organisation with Anti-Racism Commitments and actions in place and have networks for colleagues who are disabled, LGBT+, Black and Minoritised Ethnic and Women. We particularly encourage applications from Black and Minoritised Ethnic and/or disabled candidates who are currently underrepresented in our workforce. For disabled applicants, we offer reasonable adjustments throughout the recruitment process.  

Our basis and values