Communicating change

Transition Town Totnes Job Spec| Communications Officer

Location: Transition Town Totnes office, The Mansion, Fore Street, Totnes

Contract type: Permanent (subject to funding)

Work pattern:  1.5days (11.25hrs) per week, plus additional hours where agreed (37.5hrs FTE)

Reporting to: Guy Erlacher-Downing, TTT Coordinator    

Rate of pay: £27.500pro rata

Holiday: 25 (pro-rata for part-time staff) working days holiday in each holiday year (beingthe period from 1^st September to 31^st August).  You are also entitled to receive your normalremuneration for a pro rata of all Bank and Public Holidays normally observed in England and Wales.

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Deadline: 5pm, June 14^th |   Interviews: w/c June 17^th

Please email your CV and cover letter to: guy@transitiontowntotnes.org

Introduction to Transition Town Totnes

Transition Town Totnes (TTT) is a community-led charity, working to develop a regenerative and healthy community within our local area. We do this by catalysing, supporting and collaborating with a diverse portfolio of grassroots projects, enterprises, partnerships and individuals embedded in the town. With our coordination, these projects form a movement that innovates models of community leadership and systems thinking across different themes(with different goals) whilst working towards a common vision: Our vision is for a thriving, inclusive, and resilient local community that works in balance within the natural world on which we depend.

We manage, deliver, and collaborate with a number of projects across themes of economy; food; community wellbeing; energy; inner transition; and others.

Furthermore, as we approach our 20^thanniversary, we will also be developing a comms strategy and plan to celebrate this milestone.

1.   Role Description

Main responsibilities

The Communications Officer plays a key role in planning and deliveringcommunications to our supporters,volunteers and staff. Thepost holder will write, edit, co-ordinate and publish content across variouschannels, including the website, social media, press and print and onlineengagement materials.

Developing our communications strategy and coordinating delivery

●     Coordinating the creation and delivery of Transition Town Totnes’ communications strategy, working with our coordinator, trustees and project leads to ensure our communications support our organisational strategy and theory of change.

●      Developing a communications strategy and planto celebrate our 20th anniversary in 2025.

TTTnewsletter

●     Liaising with different Project Managers and Project leads across TTT to collect stories and information for a bi-monthly e-bulletin with a local and international readership of 1,000+

●     Writing and editing the monthly newsletter using Mailchimp

●     Sourcing and editing images

●     Ad-hoc additional mail-outs for large events or one-off news using Mailchimp

Overseeing our website & social media

●     Updating and overseeing the TTT website, including liaison with the web host and developer

●     Keeping the online TTT programme of events up to date

●     Keeping the website news feed updated

●     Generating and sharing content about TTT and related activities on TTT Facebook, Instagram and Twitter channels, including responding to messages via these channels

Writing for local press and magazines:

●     Compiling information from across TTT for monthly articles in the Totnes Directory andother print opportunities. Writing and editing content and images for the spread.

Media

●     Acting as first point of callfor general enquiries from press and media

●     Writing and distributingoccasional press releases prior to large events

●     Maintaining an up-to-datelocal media list, including contacts for local groups, organisations and distribution lists for promoting TTT activities.

Meetings 

●     Attending occasional staff meetings (normally first Thursday of the month)

●     Attending monthly Core Group meetings (second Wednesday of the month)

●     Attending monthly Trustee meetings (third Friday of the month)

Other

●     Monitoring adherence to Data Protection (GDPR) across TTT

●     Where feasible, supporting groups and projects with additional communication activities, such as inputting to project communicationstrategies, and poster or leaflet design

●     From time to time you may be invited to help at weekend or evening events. This would be in a voluntary capacity, and we respect yourright to decline.

2.    Key Skills and Attributes

Essential

●     Experience of writing,editing, co-coordinating and publishing written content across various channels, including web, social media, print and online materials

●     Experience of producing basic designs for promotional material (use of Canva etc.)

●     Experience of social media management and digital content development

●     Experience of maintaining websites with up-to-date communications

●     Experience of developing and distributing media releases and responding to media queries

●     Demonstrate experience of being able to work independently and autonomously  

●     A willingness to support cross-cutting TTT activity and participate in Core Group and core activities

Desirable

●     Experience of digital media and communications strategy

●     Experience of using MailChimp and WordPress /Webflow

●     Have a good working knowledge of local media outlets

●     Experience of working in charities or grassroots organisations aiming to bring about environmental or social change