BACKGROUND

The Choir with No Name is a small charity running choirs for homeless and marginalised people in the UK. We currently have choirs in London, Birmingham, Liverpool and Brighton, with plans to launch more choirs across the UK over the coming year. You will be joining us at an exciting time as we start rolling out our new 2021-24 strategy (available to read here)

During Covid, we have been delivering weekly Zoom choir rehearsals and regular support calls with our choir members to keep in touch and keep singing over the past 12 months, but we are preparing to return to in-person rehearsals and live performances when restrictions allow. Under normal circumstances, our choirs rehearse weekly with a decent hot meal afterwards and provide some of the most isolated members of the community the chance to make friends, learn new skills and grow in confidence. Members are then in a stronger position to address life’s other challenges, such as securing housing, enrolling in rehabilitation services or finding work. We are an upbeat, positive bunch with big ambitions, and are looking for a brilliant communication and operations officer to provide maternity leave cover to support our small (but perfectly formed!) central team. 

JOB PURPOSE

This role will support the Head of Development in delivering the communications, finance and fundraising functions of the organisation, as well as overseeing the general administrative operations to ensure the smooth day to day running of the charity. The successful candidate will be highly organised with the ability to multi task, as well as being an excellent communicator with strong writing skills, an eye for detail and some great creative ideas.

To be successful in this role you will be comfortable working in a small, dynamic team that are used to taking initiative and being resourceful. You will have a willingness to get stuck in and a passion for supporting people affected by homelessness and marginalisation.

PARAMETERS

Hours:                    22.5 hours per week
Contract:                Fixed term – 12 months (maternity cover).
Location:                Based in the London office, with the option for some home-working. Occasional evening and weekend work may be required. 
Annual leave:         25 days per year + UK bank holidays (pro rata)
Salary:                    £26,000 p/a pro rata
Pension:                 6% employer contribution
Reports to:             Head of Development

Please note that because this is a maternity cover position, the length of the contract could change.  Any change will be notified with a minimum of one month’s notice. 

You can download this job description in Word format here

JOB DESCRIPTION

Communications

a)  Lead on our external communications including creating and scheduling engaging social media & website content, regular supporter e-newsletters, choir member newsletters and member case studies, ensuring content is compelling, appropriate and follows our organisational and communications strategies
b)  Oversee our press and PR output, contacting media with compelling pitches to raise awareness of our work or promote choir activities; administration of media/press interviews
c)  Oversee our member ambassador programme, facilitating training and supporting members to tell their stories to the press, media and supporters
d)  Maintaining monthly communications statistics and reporting
e)  Work with Head of Development on producing our annual Impact Report

Operations

a)  Administrate the website, online platforms and newsletter sign ups (complying with GDPR regulations)
b)  Manage ticket sales, audience admin and guest lists for gigs
c)  Manage day-to-day financial admin (e.g invoicing and finance software data entry), working with our Head of Development and our external book-keeper
d)  Office management; liaison with lease holder, stationery & merchandise orders, postage, paying in of donations, management of info@ mailbox, field general enquiries.
e)  IT management; implementing and maintaining IT systems and troubleshooting technical issues for the team where possible, liaising with external IT services where necessary
f)  Booking travel and accommodation, organising meetings

Fundraising

a) Support the Head of Development in researching and identifying potential funding opportunities, writing pitches and networking with potential funders.
b) Active role in development and production of public fundraising campaign materials and content.
c) Attending fundraising events throughout the year to represent the charity and shake a bucket!

PERSON SPECIFICATION

Knowledge, attributes, skills and experience

Essential

• Passion for our mission, and alignment with our values
• A good amount of common sense
• Highly IT literate, with the confidence to troubleshoot problems and implement new systems
• Active and confident user of social media
• Strong and adaptable written and verbal communication skills
• Keen eye for detail – able to deliver accurate and detailed data processing, financial admin, reports and communications content
• A conscientious approach to all aspects of the role
• Organised with an ability to multi-task – strong time management skills and able to prioritise a varied workload to maximise efficiency and ensure deadlines are met
• A fast and confident learner
• Creative – ability to create engaging campaign content – both text and design – full of innovative energy and ideas

Desirable

• Good sense of humour and a love of music/singing!
• Experience using fundraising databases and/or accounting software
• Experienced with graphic design platforms, e.g. Canva
• Confident working independently and using initiative to solve problems
• Interest in learning how a small charity is run, with particular focus on finance, fundraising and communications

The specific skills we will be looking for clear evidence of at this first stage of the application include:

• Alignment with our organisational values
• A good amount of common sense
• Active and confident user of social media and digital platforms
• Strong and adaptable written communication skills
• Keen eye for detail
• Highly IT literate, with the confidence to troubleshoot problems and implement new systems

HOW TO APPLY

In the interest of a non-biased approach to recruitment, all applications will be anonymised before they reach the selection panel.  We are not, at this stage, asking for information about your work experience or education, we are only seeking the answers to questions that will demonstrate the above skills. 

To help us with this, please follow these steps:

• Copy and paste the questions below onto a separate Word document (you can download this job description in Word format here to make this easier)
• Answer the questions, trying not to use more than 300 words per question. 
• Don’t put your name or any identifying information on the document. 
• Email the document as an attachment to marie@choirwithnoname.org, by 9am on Tuesday 4th May.  Include your phone number in the email. 

If you have access needs that make any aspect of the application process challenging, please contact marie@choirwithnoname.org and we will make reasonable adjustments.  You can also email this address or call Marie on 07941 260874, during working hours Monday to Thursday, if you have any questions. Marie will not be part of the selection panel who review your application. 

If your answers are among the ones that show the best demonstrations of the skills we’re looking for, we will be in touch to talk about the next stage of recruitment.  If you haven’t heard from us by 13th May, we’re afraid that you can assume that you haven’t been successful. 

Thank you so much for your interest in working with us at the Choir with No Name, and good luck with your application!

APPLICATION QUESTIONS

Try not to use more than 300 words per question – thank you.  Don’t feel you need to use the full word limit if you can answer more succinctly. 

1. Why is the Choir with No Name where you want to be, and why now?

2. We are moving into a new office in May and our comms and operations officer is project managing the move. Tell us how you would plan the move and how you would get the office fully set up and ready for us to return to the workplace.

3. We are hoping to soon move our email and shared drive systems onto Microsoft 365.  We don’t expect our comms and operations officer to have all the technical knowledge to be able to do this themselves, but they will be in charge of making sure it happens.  How would you manage this move internally and where might you look for external help? 

4. Please write 200 words for a fundraising appeal, in a style that befits our organisation, focusing on the power of singing together to make people feel better, stronger and happier.

5. We are launching new online singing workshops for our supporters and the public, so that they can experience a bit of CWNN magic, sing alongside our choir members, and feel part of the family. The workshops are on the last Tuesday of the month at 7pm via Zoom. Please write social media posts to promote these sessions to encourage people to attend, for Facebook, Twitter and Instagram (be as creative as you like!)