Job Description:

Job title: Marketing & Communications Assistant

Salary: £20,000 to £25,000 pa (dependent on experience)

Responsible to: Marketing & Communications Manager

Location: The Poppy Factory, Richmond, Surrey

Hours: Full time, 37.5 hours a week.

Background:

The Poppy Factory is the UK’s leading employability charity for Wounded Injured and Sick Veterans. It has been providing direct employment for disabled veterans at its headquarters in Richmond since 1922, creating the famous poppies and remembrance products for the Royal Family and The Royal British Legion’s poppy appeal.

The charity also supports hundreds of disabled ex-Armed Forces men and women into meaningful employment around the country through a bespoke employability service called Getting You Back to Work. The service was founded in 2010 and thousands of work opportunities have been found with employers across England & Wales since this time.

The charity is now shaping the employability service to mirror the evidence-based Individual Placement and Support (IPS) model of employment support for disabled people.

As the service continues to grow, there is a need to reach more veterans and supporters and to create engaging communications for all stakeholders. Our aim is also to provide education, insights and guidance to help transform the way employers think about employing disabled veterans, as well as fundraising from individuals and organisations to provide a sustainable income for the organisation.

The charity is building towards a world in which every workplace values disabled veterans.

Purpose of the role:

The Marketing & Communications Assistant will support the Marketing & Communications Manager to organise and create engaging content in order to:

- Encourage more disabled veterans to register for Poppy Factory support- Demonstrate our impact and help transform the way businesses think about

employing disabled people

- Improve internal communications across the various teams- Support the fundraising team and income generating activities

Main Duties:

1. To be responsible for a range of marketing and communications-related activities as follows:

- Designing content, graphics and adverts for digital and print channels - Liaising with colleagues for content and copy- Copy-writing and writing press releases- Curating fresh content for the website, blog and social media accounts - Helping to drive online traffic through web-related campaigns - Assisting with internal communications and managing the staff newsletter- Collecting data for marketing reports - Working alongside other departments to promote the work of TPF externally- Planning and scheduling communications- Promoting and occasionally helping at various events (time off in lieu will be given for

events out of work hours)- Managing suppliers, including printers, designers, creative and PR agencies- Coordinate marketing material needs and stock across teams

Please note the above list is not exhaustive and will evolve with the role and as the function and charity grow.

2. To assist the Marketing & Communications Manager, contributing to continuing development and implementation of the organisation’s marketing and communications plan.

3. As required, provide support to the Marketing & Communications Manager for projects; presentations, reports, drafting and proof reading documents; coordinating and taking minutes at meetings.

4. To undertake any other duties as required by the Marketing and Communications Manager as appropriate taking account of the nature and scope of the role.

Person Specification

Essential Experience; Qualifications and Skills:

- Previous experience in a similar role- Experience of design and proficiency in Adobe Creative Cloud software (a

qualification in design is advantageous)- Advanced IT skills, a proficiency in Microsoft Word/Excel and an understanding of

creating images/documents for web. - Experience with (or knowledge of) web marketing tools such as Mailchimp and

Hootsuite- Excellent organisational and time-management skills- An eye for detail- Excellent written and verbal communication skills

Desirable but not essential:

- Marketing or Communications qualification - Design qualification- Experience in use of Contact Management Systems (training on The Poppy Factory

CMS will be provided)- Ability to manipulate spreadsheets and databases to analyse data and produce

reports- Experience in the charity, health or employment sectors- Awareness of The Poppy Factory’s life-changing employability service

Attributes

- A strong team player- Proactive “can-do” approach, ability and resilience to work effectively under pressure- Empathy with and ability to work effectively alongside individuals with various health

challenges or impairments

Marketing & Communications Assistant JDPS – January 2017