Job Title: Communications & Advocacy Manager

Reporting To: Head of Governance & Strategy

Location: Remote (Ireland) with a requirement to attend the office (Dublin 2) for meetings/training as required

Start date: Immediately

Contract duration: Permanent

Hours of Work: Full-time, 39 hours per week

Remuneration: €54,700 to €59,772 per annum (Internal Grade: Manager Grade 3)

Probationary Period: 6 months

Benefits: 25 days annual leave (exclusive of public holidays), financial support for further education, two days positive mental health leave annually, and access to the four-day working week programme.

To Apply: Apply via this form only no CVs accepted

Closing Date: Closing Date for applications is 04/12/2024

About spunout

spunout is Ireland’s youth information and support platform, working towards an Ireland where all young people are supported and empowered to thrive. spunout has a range of free, accessible and free services that are there for you whenever you need them. If it matters to you, it matters to us.

Through our platform and channels, spunout shares factual information on mental health and wellbeing. We provide immediate, free and anonymous text support to anyone who wants to talk. We share the stories and experiences of young people across Ireland to amplify our voices, and so that we all feel a little less alone. We can also connect you to trusted services and resources around the country for further support.

Our aim is to support young people to be informed, feel empowered and heard, and to support our peers to access opportunities and services to help us achieve our full potential.

spunout is by young people, for young people and we work collaboratively with other young people to support our mental health and wellbeing. A community of young contributors and volunteers powers our services, guides the work we do, and ensures we stay true to our values and mission.

About the role

In the impactful role of Communications & Advocacy Manager at spunout, you’ll lead and shape our communications and advocacy efforts to elevate mental health awareness, literacy, and support-seeking behaviours among young people across Ireland. As the driver of our communications strategy, you’ll design and execute multi-channel initiatives that amplify spunout’s mission and values, helping to ensure young people are informed, empowered, and heard.

Working closely with senior leadership, you’ll lead our advocacy campaigns, engaging with policymakers, influencers, and stakeholders to drive meaningful policy change. You’ll also play a critical role in our media relations and brand management, seeking opportunities to highlight spunout’s work, sharing the stories of young people, and maintaining our brand integrity. This role requires a seasoned communicator and advocate with a deep understanding of Ireland’s mental health landscape, strong strategic and relationship-building skills, and a commitment to positively impacting young people’s mental health and wellbeing.

Key Duties & Responsibilities:

Communications Strategy

Lead the development and execution of a multi-channel communications strategy that aligns with spunout’s mission, values, and operational plans to elevate mental health awareness, literacy and help-seeking amongst young people.
Develop strategic communication goals to increase brand awareness, community engagement, and support for spunout’s mental health services.
Monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of the communications strategy, ensuring continuous improvement through data analysis, audience feedback, and trend monitoring.

Advocacy Campaigns

Drive advocacy campaigns that spotlight critical youth mental health issues and work to influence national policy changes by centreing the voices and experiences of young people.
Engage with policymakers, mental health influencers, and public stakeholders to promote legislative and policy advancements in youth mental health in Ireland.
Collaborate with the CEO to develop an advocacy roadmap that identifies key policy priorities informed by the voices and lived experiences of young people, and leverages spunout’s influence in the youth mental health sector.

Media Relations

Act as the main media contact, proactively seeking opportunities to amplify Spunout’s work through press releases, media briefings, and public statements.
Cultivate relationships with journalists, influencers, and media outlets to secure positive coverage and maintain an ongoing media presence.
Prepare spokespeople with briefing materials and coordinate media training to ensure consistent and impactful messaging across all media interactions.

Brand Management

Oversee spunout’s brand presence to ensure brand consistency across all channels, maintaining adherence to brand guidelines and corporate identity.
Work in collaboration with the Digital Content Team to develop and produce engaging content in all formats, and which resonate with spunout’s audience, to promote the spunout brand.
Lead storytelling initiatives to highlight impact stories, organisational achievements, and the voicesof the young people we support.

Stakeholder Engagement

Develop and maintain key partnerships within the youth mental health community, including collaboration with member organisations, donors, and stakeholders.
Coordinate joint initiatives and projects with partners to enhance Spunout’s visibility and strengthen collective advocacy efforts.

Reporting

Prepare regular communications and advocacy reports for senior leadership, including updates on campaign progress, media coverage, and strategic insights.
Brief the CEO and other executives on relevant external policy issues, advocacy opportunities, and communication risks.

Events

Oversee spunout-hosted events and support event coordination, ensuring they align with spunout’s advocacy goals and brand.
Represent spunout at key forums, conferences, and media engagements, effectively advocating for youth mental health on behalf of the organisation.

And any other reasonable tasks as may be assigned by your line manager from time to time.

Qualifications:

Educated to degree level or equivalent experience demonstrating relevant abilities in Communications, Advocacy, Marketing, or PR.

Experience:

At least three years of experience in a similar communications or advocacy role
Proven track record of successful communications, advocacy, or PR campaigns and activities
Demonstrated experience building and managing relationships with media professionals, policymakers, and diverse stakeholders.
Experience in managing or overseeing research projects and utilising data analysis tools to inform policy papers and key reports.

Skills and Abilities:

Strategic and creative thinking skills, with the ability to devise, implement, and develop long-term plans and strategies for communications, advocacy, and marketing.
Demonstrated ability to influence media narratives and policy changes.
Excellent relationship management skills, with the capacity to collaborate effectively across all organisational levels, fostering strong partnerships both internally and externally.
Ability to work independently with initiative and autonomy, while also collaborating effectively to achieve shared objectives.
Excellent oral, written, and presentation skills, with the ability to connect with diverse audiences and positively influence others.
Skilled in active listening, objective information gathering, and managing challenging situations with reason and balance.
Strong IT and computer skills, ideally with experience in CRM systems, graphic design tools, and data analysis.

Personal Attributes:

Ability to thrive in a dynamic, fast-paced environment with a proactive and improvement-focused attitude.
Commitment to the vision, mission, and values of the organisation.
Knowledge of the charity and mental health sector in Ireland.

Applications and Queries

The deadline for receipt of applications is 23:59 (Irish Standard Time) on the 4th December 2024.

You can apply for this role by completing this application form.

Be advised that any offers are subject to reference checks and Garda clearance

Any queries should be directed to jobs@spunout.ie

* * *

The above job description is not intended to be a comprehensive list of all duties involved and consequently, the post holder may be required to perform other duties as appropriate to the post which may be assigned to them from time to time.

All relevant staff members are required to obtain Garda clearance as a condition of their initial and continued employment.

spunout is an Equal Opportunities Employer.

All documentation received by spunout will be processed in accordance with the relevant applicable data protection legislation. The information will only be used in the processing of job applications and for ongoing administrative purposes with job candidates.

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Communications & Advocacy Manager