This role requires that you are resident and have the right to work in the UK.
About NEON
NEON is a not-for-profit organisation that exists to help social justice movements win. We build capacity and infrastructure to accelerate the transition to a new economy. We work across a wide range of progressive issues including climate, housing, healthcare and migration. Across our three hubs (movement building, communications and operations) we support a network of over 1000 movement organisations working towards political and social justice in the UK.
This role is anchored within NEON s Comms Hub. Established 10 years ago, the Comms Hub is a powerful, effective, pillar of the UK s progressive communications infrastructure. The Hub convenes, networks, and books progressive spokespeople into the media at scale (averaging 1,500-2,000 media bookings a year), produces clear, usable tested messaging guidance that cuts through, and trains comms professionals (around 500 people annually). Our team serves as a go-to resource for strategic comms advice and planning, and crisis-comms support for groups across the progressive movement. NEON s Comms Hub is relied on by a wide-range of organisations: from grassroots campaigners to expert insiders. The Comms Hub has five programmes, and Digital will be the sixth programme.
Read more about the structure of the Comms Hub here, before applying.
Purpose of this role
The Head of Digital is an exciting new role at NEON. This role will be responsible for designing and running a flagship new digital programme, that will sit at the heart of NEON s Communications Hub. The aim of the digital programme will be to help connect, strengthen and scale the UK s progressive digital comms infrastructure.
Right now, progressive movements are losing the "air game" to far-right voices who are effectively using podcasts, social media, new media platforms and smart, aggressive, experimental digital strategies to dominate and shape national debates.
Working closely with our experienced Comms Hub team, and our trusted networks, this role is a unique opportunity to be part of building the digital comms networks, skills and strategies progressive movements need to take on the rising far right and win.
At NEON, that would mean: convening and co-ordinating communities of digital comms experts, creators, editors and strategists; designing and delivering effective targeted digital skills training that will build capacity and confidence; supporting our 24/7 spokesperson and media booking team by setting up effective clipping and distribution programmes; and identifying opportunities to collaborate with our partners to run high-impact reactive digital strategies that shift the conversation.
What you ll be doing:
The successful candidate will play an active role in shaping the strategy and focus of this programme, as well as the sequencing of the roll out of key workstreams. However, this role is likely to be anchored around the following key responsibilities. In this role, you will:
1. Lead the strategy development and delivery of the new digital comms programme, alongside the Co-Directors of the Comms Hub.
2. Set up and manage a supportive, reactive social media unit within our existing Spokesperson Network, with the support of our Media and Messaging teams. This unit will clip interviews and create original content for our established network of spokespeople, and help to secure bookings in new digital-first media outlets.
3. Work closely with the whole Comms Hub team, to design and convene a powerful co-ordinated network of progressive creators and influencers. Built from our existing spokesperson pool, as well as new networks, members of this digital creator network will be individuals with the backing of social movements and the reach, potential and positioning to shape the national debate. Together with the Heads of Messaging, Training and Media, you will help to provide this network with hands-on training and strategy support, evidence-based messaging, and traditional and new media booking opportunities.
4. Design and oversee a strategic, effective suite of digital training offers, designed to upskill influential progressive spokespeople, movements and groups, at scale. This will include shaping our existing training programmes, as well as designing and developing new offers. This could include: a half-day follow-up to our flagship 3-day spokesperson training, a one-day digital strategy training for comms teams within our networks, and shaping our bespoke, issue-specific and crisis-focused trainings to support groups dealing with online-hate or abuse. This workstream will be supported by our Head of Training, relevant Comms Hub team members and delivered with the support of external consultant trainers.
5. Identify opportunities to trial and run effective digital experiments with partners and movement groups within the Comms Hub. For example, this could look like collaborating with a network of migrants-rights groups to create co-ordinated digital content to push-back against a far-right attack at a moment of whirlwind. Or spotting an opportunity to work with the Head of Messaging to trial a new AI-driven platform to A/B test messaging in targeted ads during a movement campaign on wealth taxes.
6. Set up a network of consultants to support and deliver the core programme workstreams including: freelance videographers, editors, digital strategists and trainers.
7. Provide on-going 1:1 support to our spokespeople and allied organisations, particularly during moments of crisis and whirl-wind .
8. Provide regular insights to our partners on the digital trends shaping public opinion and national discourse.
9. Play an active role in the wider Comms Hub strategy and day-to-day operations, including attending our weekly strategy meetings, feeding into key messaging and narrative development projects, and supporting delivery across the hub.
10. Oversee and the digital programme s finances and budget on a month-to-month basis, and the programmes Fundraising Strategy, with the support of the Co-Directors of Comms and the Head of Fundraising.
11. Play an active part in the wider NEON team, contributing to organisation-wide plans.
Who you are:
You will be someone with:
* 5 10 years experience in digital comms, including developing and deploying a strategy for multi-year multi-project programmes of work
* A track record of creating innovative, high-impact digital campaigns and content that push forward a progressive agenda
* Hands-on experience of creating shareable and persuasive video and digital content, campaigns and strategies that cut through, reache new audiences at scale, mobilise movements and persuade new audiences of progressive ideas
* A strong understanding of digital media, and a natural enthusiasm for tracking and responding to new trends in a fast-changing digital media landscape
* Someone who enjoys piloting new approaches, experimenting with new techniques and quickly jumping on opportunities to tell compelling progressive stories online.
* Experience developing the tone, positioning and personal brand of an organisation, spokesperson or individual online.
* A strong understanding of the news agenda you ll enjoy being plugged in to how online conversations are changing, and be able to quickly jump on opportunities to tell a compelling alternative progressive story.
* Experience collaborating with creators, influencers, and a range of partners to deliver creative, hard-hitting campaigns, grow reach, drive action and really change minds
* A strong understanding of different audience types, and experience adapting messaging and using digital testing methods to assess impact and improve performance.
* Experience designing and running effective, inclusive training for diverse groups of people, with the ability to help others land powerful, shareable content too.
* Politically aware and motivated by progressive causes, with a commitment to centring anti-oppression in your work and helping ensure people especially those from marginalised backgrounds stay safe online and get their voices heard.
* Excellent team-working and relationship-building skills, with experience building networks, making connections and working across differences.
* Experience of fundraising, including building and maintaining funder relationships and making a compelling case for projects to a range of stakeholders.
We know that people from certain backgrounds and identities are often excluded in progressive movements and we re committed to doing what we can to correct this.
So:
1. We particularly welcome applications from marginalised groups, especially people of colour and other ethnic minorities, people who identify as LGBTQIA, Disabled people and those who identify as working class or have done so in the past.
2. We know the work goes way beyond "diversity", it's about making the space inclusive too. So we are continuously working on that at NEON. So far this includes tangible things like a flexible work policy so people have genuine flexibility around where and when they work and a 28 hour week as standard; a gender-neutral parenting/leave policy, an anti-oppression strategy which is held at senior level given how important it is to the organisation. It also includes the day-to-day work of creating psychological safety for everyone at NEON and celebrating the wisdom of black, indigenous, queer, Disabled and other cultures in the way we work and behave
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