Job Role – Communications and Public Affairs Manager

Salary £32k to £36K (per annum, dependent on experience, plus paid holiday, hybrid working from day one and benefits package)

About Us

The Sport and Recreation Alliance believes that the power of sport and recreation can change lives and bring communities together. Together with our members and in partnership with the wider sector, we make the most of opportunities and tackle the areas that provide a challenge.

We provide advice, support and guidance to our members and the sector, who represent traditional governing bodies of games and sport, county sports partnerships, outdoor recreation, water pursuits, and movement and dance exercise. As the voice of the sector, we work with government, policy makers and the media to make sure grassroots sport and recreation grows and thrives. Having an active nation is important as it delivers huge benefits to society and the millions of participants, volunteers, staff and spectators.

For the team employed at the Alliance, it is more than just a job. The team all want to make a difference. The Alliance may be small, but the work and the impact is far-reaching. Whilst we are focused on meeting targets and delivering outcomes, we know that it is important that people maintain a healthy life-work balance and feel they are looked after. We actively encourage learning and development and have introduced a coaching approach to performance reviews and have implemented a new recognition and reward framework.

This a busy role and represents a good chance to learn and make your mark. The environment is very positive and fun as you would expect in a sporting organisation, but we work hard. As a member of our team, you’ll be doing everything you can to deliver our strategy. And we’ll be doing everything we can to support you every step of the way. We’re committed to helping all of our team develop their skills and reach their full potential. From face-to face training to networking and volunteering – you’ll have all the opportunities you need to make the right moves for you. We know the postholder won’t start with expertise in all these areas and we will help develop your knowledge.

ROLE SUMMARY

The Communications and Public Affairs Manager will play a crucial role in driving forwards the work of the SRA, communicating and advocating the interests and work of its members and boosting the SRA’s reach, profile and impact across the sports sector, media and Government.

We are looking for a self-starter, with excellent communication and inter-personal skills, and a deep understanding of the media (national and trade) and political landscapes. The successful candidate will help to oversee a small but highly motivated and talented team, while working in tandem with the SRA’s policy and research teams.

MAIN TASKS AND RESPONSIBILITIES

• Lead on media relations, developing and delivering marketing and communications plans to build the Alliance’s and its members’ reach and impact with journalists and media, pitching in and amplifying stories and generating coverage.

• Manage the development and delivery of content – from newsletters to speeches to social media to manifestos - as part of integrated marketing, communications, public affairs, governance and campaign activity across all our channels, protecting and promoting the activity of the Alliance and its members through the media, engagement with MPs and Peers and at set-piece events.

• Establish and manage a resource of information on the Alliance to enable the organisation to respond efficiently and accurately to enquiries. Assist the Chair, Chief Executive and other senior Alliance staff as appropriate with the preparation of speeches and presentations.

• Help to lead the Alliance’s public affairs work to protect and promote the Alliance’s and our members’ interests with Government, parliamentarians and external stakeholders; keeping across and advising on policy and public affairs risks and opportunities to the Alliance and its members, and building and maintaining effective networks in Government and Parliament and across wider political ecosystem.

• Support with the organisation and delivery of internal and external committees and groups, principally the APPG for Sport but also other groups as required. 

• Assist with the planning and delivery of Alliance events, policy, governance and research activity as required.

• Responsibility for line management, and financial management related to marketing, communications and public affairs activity.

PERSON SPECIFICATION

The successful candidate should have the following skills, experience or demonstrate the ability to:

• A proven track record of developing and delivering marketing and communications plans to drive meaningful engagement

• Experience of successfully managing relationships with UK media contacts

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills and attention to detail - experience drafting press releases, briefings and speeches, and with the ability to engage key stakeholders and explain complex issues in written work or through verbal briefings.

• Excellent understanding of parliamentary activity, and the ability to advise on relevant procedures and public affairs opportunities and strategies  

• Read and understand complex documents (e.g. Parliamentary Bills and Acts, Government strategies and action plans) and distil from these the key implications for the sport and recreation sector.

• Work autonomously, applying careful judgement in pressurised situations with the ability to balance the interests of the Alliance and its membership against broader public affairs objectives.

• Build and maintain effective relationships with a range of people at different levels of seniority including Alliance members, parliamentarians, journalists, civil servants and other external stakeholders.

• Develop campaigns and strategies proactively and in response to policy proposals, legislation and other political developments.

• Manage a range of tasks effectively, meeting tight deadlines with high quality work.

• Work effectively within a small and highly focused team, responsible for delivering a key aspect of the Alliance’s mission.

• Highly skilled working across different social media platforms.

The successful candidate should have good knowledge and understanding of:

• UK media landscape – leading media broadcast and print publications across political and sports sectors

• UK Government and Parliament, and in particular knowledge of parliamentary procedure and how best to influence parliamentarians.

• The Alliance’s key strategic policy objectives and how our policy and public affairs work supports these.

• How social and fiscal policy impacts on sport and recreation, and how investment in sport and recreation can in turn contribute to a healthy and prosperous nation.

• The breadth of organisations that make up the sport and recreation sector.

Benefits of working at the Alliance

Below is a list of the range of benefits we offer our employees.

• 25 days paid holiday, increasing to 27 days after 3 years and 30 days after 5 years. Paid bank holidays. You also have the option to buy an additional 5 days leave per year.
• In addition, we offer 3.5 privilege days which is taken between Christmas and New Year.
• 2 moments that matter days to be taken each year which can be used for whatever is important to you - from celebrating a birthday to a movie day.
• 4 volunteering days per year.
• No long-hours culture. Our team work hard but we strongly discourage late working. We like our team to be able to enjoy their personal life as well as their time at work.
• Centrally located attractive office in Holborn which includes collaboration spaces and is close to shops, cafes, bars, gyms and sport clubs.  
• Hybrid working from day 1 – all the team do a mixture of working at home and office working.
• Focus on learning and development. The team are encouraged to discuss their career paths with their line managers as our new approach to performance appraisals. We also tap into the expertise within the sector for employees to shadow with possible mentoring opportunities and a focus on learning from each other including our Board members.
• Enhanced sick leave, maternity, paternity and adoption leave.
• Special leave ranging from dependents and carers leave, household emergency, moving house through to bereavement leave for family members and pets.
• Private healthcare with Vitality which includes a range of reward partners.
• £250 annually towards gym, sports club or sports equipment purchases.
• Choice of 2 pension providers.
• Access to an employee assistance programme through Health Assured should you need additional financial or emotion support. We annually train members of our team to become Mental Health First Aiders.

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion

Diversity is valued within our team. More than just encouraging your application, we're committed to conscious inclusion that (we hope) cultivates an ethos of belonging, connection and shared purpose. It’s this philosophy that drove us to shape our values and behaviours and we open our doors to those who share those values.

Every role in the Alliance team is open to applications from all sections of society. We believe in the potential of everyone; regardless of race, religion or belief, ethnic origin, different physical ability, family structure, socioeconomics, age, nationality, marital, domestic or civil partnership status, sexual orientation, gender identity, or any other difference that makes you, well, you.

Our recruitment process anonymises your application at shortlisting stage. If you are invited to interview and you have a physical or mental medical condition which could impact on your ability to participate in the Alliance’s recruitment process, please let us know before your interview by emailing the recruiting manager who is recruiting for this position or HR.

Role Summary

Please refer to the job description to see the main tasks and responsibilities

How to apply

For full details of the position please visit www.sportandrecreation.org.uk.

To apply, please send a CV with a covering letter outlining why you want the role and how you meet the role specification. Your covering letter should be 2 sides of A4 maximum. Please send your CV and covering letter to recruitment@sportandrecreation.org.uk

If you would like an informal chat about the role, please contact the recruitment inbox and we will ask the recruiting manager to make contact to discuss.

The closing date for applications is 11.59pm on Sunday 29^th October 2023. Interviews will be held on Monday 13^th November 2023.

Protecting your data

Prior to completing and submitting an application, please refer to our privacy notices on our website.

Equality and Diversity Monitoring

It would really help us if you were able to complete our equality and diversity monitoring survey found here. This is anonymous and does not form part of the recruitment process.

Recruitment Agencies - Please note we are only looking at direct sourcing for this role and if this were to change, we will contact our preferred agencies directly.