Job Vacancy - Communications Officer Repair Café Wales

Repair Café Wales are looking for an experienced Communications Officer to drive engagement and reach across all of our social media channels and produce inspiring and creative content so that we can engage new audiences and have greater impact.  The role is suitable for someone who wants to take ownership of a comms function and drive change. There is lots of scope for both quick wins and innovation! Welsh language skills are very desirable.  

Location                            Home working

Contract                            Full time fixed term contract until 31st March 2025

Salary                                £28,925.00

Reporting to                    Operations Manager

Start date                         ASAP 

ABOUT REPAIR CAFE WALES 

‘A society empowered to work together to reduce waste, share skills, and strengthen our communities’

Repair Cafe Wales is a not-for-profit Community Interest Company that opens and supports repair cafes across Wales. In their simplest form, repair cafés are pop up events where the local community can get their broken household items repaired for free by volunteers.  Repair cafés are started by residents, with our support, and run by the local community.

We currently support a network of over 100 repair cafes but we are not stopping there! Our mission is to facilitate the opening of repair cafés in every town, village, city and suburb in Wales. We are focusing our energies on nurturing a cleaner, more sustainable world whilst our communities are inclusive and safe environments for people of all ages and backgrounds to share knowledge, skills, and to generally connect.

We work for our communities to influence standards for goods and government policy, collect data from our community hubs, and help to inform policy decisions that promote a greener, more sustainable world.

ABOUT THE ROLE

We are seeking an experienced Communications Officer to develop and implement an effective communications strategy, supported by the Operations Manager and Director. The Communications Officer will drive engagement and reach across all of our social media channels and produce inspiring and creative content so that we can reach new audiences and have greater impact. This is a key role to our organisation which would best suit a creative self-starter who is energised by problem solving, collaborative working, and a fast-paced environment.  

We are currently a small team that is very supportive of flexible working, with a focus on delivering outcomes. This is a fixed-term contract, with the potential to extend if we are successful in obtaining further funding. This role is home-based but occasional travel to repair cafes across Wales to produce content will be required.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES 

·        Assist in the development and implementation of an effective communications strategy based on our target audience

·        Produce brand guidelines

·        Monitoring and responding to feedback from the media and the public about the organisation on traditional and digital channels

·        Creation of online and offline content, including written articles, press releases, newsletters, videos, reels, graphics and images

·        Scheduling of content on social media channels (Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, TikTok and Instagram) using content management software.

·        Website page and post updates.

·        Implement techniques to measure engagement

·        Establish relationships with relevant micro-influencers and set up and run an influencer campaign

·        Maintain up to date knowledge of social media trends and how these can be used to further increase engagement

·        Perform market research and analysing Repair Cafe Wales’ audience and its needs

·        Track analytics and create reports to review performance and engagement

·        Ensure consistency in terms of voice, branding, messaging and frequency of posting via digital channels

SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE REQUIRED

 Previous experience 

·        Proven experience of using various communications and marketing channels to enhance brand and profile

·        Experience of writing engaging and inspiring copy for media, social media and websites

·        Experience of contributing to the development and implementation of a comms strategy

·        Understanding of developing audience engagement on social media, particularly Facebook, Twitter, Linked In, TikTok and Instagram

·        Experience working on small-scale influencer campaigns is desirable

·        Experience of working in the third sector is desirable

·        Photography and videography experience desirable  

Competencies 

·        IT skills including Microsoft, Canva or other design tools, analytics software, google ads, email marketing platforms and website CMS systems

·        Strong writing skills with experience of drafting and pitching press releases and writing for a range of different audiences

·        Excellent analytic skills with the ability to report on performance across all comms channels

·        A genuine commitment to the values and ethos of Repair Cafe Wales

·        Exceptional communication skills, both written and verbal

·        Ability to build strong relationships with a variety of stakeholders

·        Good attention to detail

·        A flexible approach to dealing with tasks, with the ability to manage multiple priorities in a busy environment 

Technical skills 

·        Welsh language skills are very desirable

·        Knowledge of data protection and relevant legislation

·        Experience of sustainable initiatives or the circular economy is desirable 

VALUES

Repair cafés are a fun, social way to combat the general frustration with wasted materials, resources and a loss of skills. It’s a community, a space for empowerment and the site of transformation where people’s relationships with their household items shift from consumer to owner. 

All employees, contractors and volunteers are required to operate in line with RCW’s core values: 

·        Waste Reduction - Repair cafés help household items be used for longer rather than throwing them away. This reduces the volume of raw materials and energy needed to make new products. It cuts CO2 emissions by reusing instead of manufacturing new products.

·        Sharing Skills - By promoting a repairing culture and inviting each one of our visitors to sit with a volunteer repairer, repair cafés show appreciation for the people who have practical knowledge and ensure these valuable skills are getting passed on.

·        Community Cohesion - Repair cafés promote social cohesion in the community by connecting local residents from very different backgrounds and with different motives with each other through an inspiring and low-key event. 

RECRUITMENT PROCESS

To apply, please submit your CV, a brief cover letter, and any examples of content you have previously produced.  

Applications close: 5pm Wednesday 27th September 

Interviews: W/c 2nd October 

We reserve the right to close this vacancy early if we receive sufficient applications for the role. Therefore, if you are interested, please submit your application as early as possible. 

Repair Cafe Wales recognise the positive value of diversity, promotes equality and challenges discrimination. We welcome and encourage job applications from people of all backgrounds. We particularly welcome applications from disabled and Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) candidates as BAME and disabled people are currently under-represented throughout Repair Cafe Wales. We have made a positive commitment to employing disabled people and guarantee to interview all disabled candidates who meet the minimum essential criteria for the role as set out in role profiles.