Communications and Engagement Manager

The Innovation and Engagement department is comprised of the Innovation team and the Engagement team. The Engagement team is focussed on raising Justice Connect’s profile, supporting Justice Connect’s campaigns for law reform, communicating powerfully with our various stakeholders with various needs, and raising funds to support our organisation’s work to close the justice gap.

You will play a critical role in maturing Justice Connect’s approach to strategic communication and engagement, increasing brand awareness, deepening engagement with existing stakeholders, and using digital marketing to reach those in need of our assistance.

You will work closely and collaboratively with the Head of Innovation and Engagement and other senior leaders at Justice Connect, and manage a small team as well as external contractors and consultants.

Role purpose: 

To lead the Justice Connect Engagement team to:

• deliver a compelling Justice Connect brand, voice, and presence, and can reach the right audience with the right message
• develop and execute a refreshed communication strategy including approaches tailored to our wide range of stakeholders with significantly varying needs (from help-seekers to institutional funders)
• to oversee finalisation and execution of our fundraising strategy
• create meaningful engagement opportunities for our key stakeholders to deepen and widen support for Justice Connect and its mission to increase access to justice

Key responsibilities:

The role is responsible for (with the support of a small team):

• Providing effective leadership to drive engagement, performance and strong outputs of the engagement team, and leading capacity building efforts across the organisation around engagement activities
• Developing and leading the creation of refreshed communications and marketing strategy, and creating and overseeing a workplan to deliver on this strategy
• Managing Justice Connect’s website:
  -including content management covering promotional content, corporate content and content for clients in delivered in collaboration with services and subject matter experts
  –  working collaboratively with the innovation team to enhance the website’s technical functions

• Contributing to the development of and overseeing the execution of Justice Connect’s fundraising strategy (with support from expert fundraising consultants) including:
  –  Donor relations
  –  Fundraising campaigns
  -Grants tracking (no grant writing required)
  –  Funder stewardship and engagement events

• Other responsibilities related to the Engagement portfolio, including:
  -Maintaining Engagement department business processes
  -Producing Justice Connect’s annual report
  –  Delivering the patron and ambassador program
  -Producing media and promotional collateral
  -Developing advocacy campaign strategies in collaboration with our advocacy subject matter experts
  -Managing third-party service providers

Selection criteria: 

Qualifications- 

• Tertiary qualifications in media, communications, journalism, PR, IR or similar 

Experience-

• Experience in professional communications roles (essential)
• Experience creating, implementing and evaluating strategic communications and engagement plans (essential)
• Experience in a fundraising or campaigning creation (desirable)
• Experience in stakeholder management and engagement, in particular working with high value customers/donors (desirable)
• Experience in relevant tech systems including CRMs, mailing systems, social media, design suites and data management systems (desirable)
• Experience in content management and website management (desirable)
• Proficiency in project management including using project management programs (desirable)
• Experience in leadership and managing a team (desirable)

Knowledge, skills & attributes- 

• A commitment to Justice Connect’s vision, strategy and values, including a commitment to social justice
• Excellent communication skills and the ability to successfully build and manage key relationships, including relationships with patrons, ambassadors, donors, funders and internal stakeholders including board and staff
• Comfort working at the intersection of competing demands and navigating intra-organisational dynamics to build consensus and produce outcomes
• Comfort working in agile practice with openness to pivoting as organisational priorities change
• Excellent time management skills, ability to stay focussed and calm under pressure, ability to meet deadlines
• Understanding of NFP funding environment
• Leadership skills, both of direct reports and as an influencer within an organisation