Head of Communications
Who we are
People First is an independent customer-led charitable organisation that has served people in communities across the North of England for over 35 years. Beginning in 2024, we have formed a mutually beneficial partnership with fellow third sector organisation The Well Communities, a not-for-profit Community Interest Company, led by people in recovery from substance misuse.
This role will work across both People First and The Well Communities and our wider growing family of partners
We are passionate about our values of equality, respect, and inclusion. We provide a wide range of support and information services across Cumbria, Lancashire, and Teesside, all aimed at helping people to live informed, respected, healthy and fulfilled.
Purpose of job
Are you an experienced communications leader who can set direction, shape reputation
and help organisations make a greater impact? We are looking for a Head of Communications
to lead our Communications Team and delivery a dynamic new strategy for our organisations.
You will ensure our purpose, impact and the voices of the people and communities we work alongside are communicated with clarity, integrity and influence.
Working alongside our Senior Leadership Team and operational leaders,
you will provide strategic counsel on brand, reputation, media, internal communications
and stakeholder engagement whilst directly contributing to our varied output.
You will lead integrated, multi-channel campaigns and set high standards for content,
accessibility, inclusion and quality across all communications. Alongside leadership, you’ll be comfortable putting your experience into practice, being an active part of producing and
shaping the stories we share and the conversations we have online, in print and in person.
You will lead and develop our small Marketing and Communications Team, setting priorities,
managing performance, building capacity and ensuring resources are focused where they
can achieve the greatest impact. You will establish effective systems, governance and measures
of success, using audience insight, digital analytics, media coverage and stakeholder feedback
to improve performance and demonstrate value.
The Head of Communications will anticipate and manage reputational risk, lead crisis
communications and strengthen our profile as a credible and influential voice across the
charity, recovery, health, care and wider public service landscape.
About the Team
This position sits within our newly launched Development and Innovation Team. Connected by common purpose and dynamic ideas, the team includes a mix of development functions including Marketing and Communications, Bid Writing, Income Generation, Fundraising, Partnerships and Research.
The Development Team is tasked by our Board of Trustees to push People First and The Well Communities to think differently about their services, innovate our approaches, ensure strong and diverse financial security and hold a future-focused view on the organisation’s growth and development.
Structured around a trio of Big Picture Principles:
- Strong Foundation: we’ll ensure financial security and sustainable service design
- Radical Thinking: we’ll look outward to examples of great practice, push beyond the status quo and challenge ourselves and our colleagues to explore new ideas and approaches
- Bold Change: we’ll be change-makers both internally and externally, championing transformation in systems, communities, services and lives
The Team is fast-paced, highly collaborative and made up of workstream leads who own their work, think big and support each other to be the best we can be.
The person
We are looking for an accomplished, values-driven communications leader who
combines strategic judgement with strong delivery. You will understand how communications
can build trust, amplify lived experience, influence change and support better outcomes
for people and communities.
You will bring senior-level communications experience and a strong record of developing
and delivering organisation-wide strategies. You will have led teams, managed competing
priorities and delivered high-profile campaigns across digital, media, stakeholder and internal communications.
You will be confident operating in a complex, multi-stakeholder environment. Experience
within the charity, voluntary, public or social impact sector is highly desirable, alongside an understanding of working respectfully with diverse communities and people with
lived experience.
As a credible senior leader, you will be able to advise and coach trustees and senior colleagues.
You will build influential external relationships, exercise sound judgement under pressure and
take ownership of sensitive, high-risk or fast-moving communications.
You will be commercially and insight focused, able to set meaningful objectives, manage
budgets and suppliers, interpret performance data and demonstrate the contribution
communications make to organisational impact, engagement, income
generation and growth.
Above all, you will share our commitment to equality, inclusion, empowerment and social justice, ensuring people’s voices are represented accurately, respectfully and accessibly in everything we communicate.
Skills, knowledge, and experience
Essential
- Senior-level experience in communications, with responsibility for developing
and delivering organisation-wide communications strategies and integrated
multi-channel campaigns - Exceptional written, verbal and editorial skills, with the ability to communicate
complex, sensitive or high-profile issues clearly to diverse audiences - A proven record of building, protecting and evolving organisational brands,
messaging and tone of voice across multiple services or partner organisations - Proven leadership and line-management experience, including setting direction,
managing performance, developing staff and building effective teams - Strong media-relations experience, including proactive profile building, handling
enquiries and preparing senior spokespeople for interviews or public statements - Experience of leading crisis and issues communications, assessing reputational
risk and making sound decisions in sensitive or fast-moving situations - A strong understanding of digital communications, audience insight, analytics
and evaluation, with evidence of using data to improve performance and
demonstrate impact - Experience of managing communications budgets, external agencies, designers
or specialist suppliers, ensuring quality and value for money - A strong commitment to accessible, inclusive and co-produced communications
that amplify lived experience and avoid tokenism
Desirable
- Senior communications experience within the charity, voluntary, health, care, recovery,
public or wider social impact sector - A relevant professional qualification or evidence of continuing professional
development in communications, public relations, marketing or leadership - Experience of supporting organisational growth, fundraising, business development,
public affairs, campaigns or partnership communications - Experience of commissioning and managing creative, digital, research or media
suppliers - Strong knowledge of accessibility standards, inclusive language and good practice
in accessible digital content - Experience of leading communications through organisational change, partnership
development and service transformation
Duties will likely include:
Leadership and Management
- Provide visible, accountable leadership for the Marketing and Communications
Team, setting its strategic direction, priorities and standards - Own, develop and deliver a comprehensive organisation-wide Marketing and
Communications Strategy aligned with the priorities of People First, The Well Communities
and partner organisations - Champion the strategic value of communications across the organisations and ensure communications is involved early in planning, change and decision-making
- Translate organisational priorities into a clear annual communications plan, supported
by appropriate resources, budgets, responsibilities and measures of success - Lead, line-manage and develop the Marketing and Communications Team, creating
a high-performing, collaborative and accountable culture
Delivery and Performance
- Review the Marketing and Communications Strategy annually and maintain a prioritised programme of campaigns and activity
- Oversee the quality, governance and development of websites, digital channels,
social media, email marketing and other communications platforms - Set performance measures and use web, social, media, audience and stakeholder
insight to evaluate effectiveness, report impact and continuously improve activity - Own organisational brand governance, ensuring consistent, accurate and accessible
use of visual identity, messaging and tone of voice - Lead external, digital, stakeholder and internal communications
- Identify strategic communications opportunities and present clear recommendations
to senior leaders - Establish effective organisation-wide processes for gathering evidence, stories and
lived-experience insight, with appropriate consent, safeguarding and quality controls
Reporting and Communication
- Provide clear performance reports against agreed objectives, targets, budgets and key performance indicators
- Present communications insight, performance, risks and recommendations to the
Senior Leadership Team, Board of Trustees, commissioners and funders as required - Ensure communications consistently demonstrate organisational impact, strengthen
Content creation
- Contribute to our varied output according to your skill set, this could include press
releases, news stories, social media content, e-mail marketing or other disciplines - Take a hands-on approach to content production to role model high standards and
new approaches - Work closely with the Marketing and Communications team to provide feedback and
shape the quality and brand accuracy of content
Crisis Communications
- Lead organisational crisis and issues communications, preparing accurate, timely
statements, briefings, question-and-answer materials and stakeholder updates - Provide authoritative advice to senior leadership on reputational risks, emerging
issues and communications opportunities - Coordinate cross-organisational responses so information is accurate, consistent,
approved and shared at the right time - Monitor media, digital channels and stakeholder response, adjusting the
communications approach as circumstances develop
Other duties
- Evening and weekend work may be required.
- The duties outlined above are not intended to be exhaustive and may change as the needs of the organisation alter in line with current agendas. Due to the developing nature of our organisation, we require staff to remain highly flexible in their approach, and work to meet the changing needs of the organisations
- Please note that the successful candidate will be required to subscribe to the DBS update service which requires all People First staff to pay an annual subscription fee.
Driving
A current driving licence and access to own transport is required for this role.
This post requires you to have the appropriate ‘business use’ insurance in place as occasional business use of your car is required to carry out tasks, such as (but not limited to) the following:
- Travel to customer or business meetings
- Running business errands during the day
- Travel between different People First business sites
- Transporting colleagues/volunteers/members/customers or business contacts, for example, to business meetings or self-advocacy groups
- Making deliveries or collections
- Carrying extra equipment
For more information
If you would like further information about the role or have any questions, please contact our Assistant Director of Development and Innovation: [email protected]
To apply
If you’re interested in the role and think you’d be a good fit, we’d like to hear from you.
To apply for this position, please email a copy of your CV (including two references) and a one-page cover letter to [email protected] or alternatively, you can post for the attention of Barry to People First Conference Centre, Milbourne Street, Carlisle, CA2 5XB
All applications should be clearly marked: Confidential - Head of Communications
Closing date: 5pm 13th November 2026