PeacePlus Nature is an ambitious €20.8 million programme that brings together nine partners to tackle the decline in priority species and habitats in Northern Ireland, and the border counties of Ireland. The project, supported by PEACEPLUS, a programme managed by the Special EU Programmes Body (SEUPB), will work to restore blanket bog, lowland wet grassland and limestone grassland and priority species from breeding waders to Marsh Fritillary Butterfly. RSPB NI in partnership with BirdWatch Ireland, Butterfly Conservation, Monaghan County Council, River Blackwater Catchment Trust, Truagh Development Association, Lough Neagh Partnership, NI Water and An Taisce - The National Trust for Ireland, will work to deliver this.  
 
We are looking for an excellent and enthusiastic communicator with the ability to tell great stories, produce engaging content and organise events to showcase the project’s work to protect wildlife and habitats in Northern Ireland and Ireland.   

As Communications Officer, you will help to deliver our communications and marketing plan to:  

-Champion our exciting project, showcasing the extraordinary wildlife and habitats of the project areas, and our restoration work to benefit them  

-Build understanding and value around the outcomes from the habitat restoration and nature-based solutions arising from the project to inspire future work 

-Help build a vibrant presence in the media, online, on social media and in person at events 

-Support an internal communications approach, as well as with partners and funders 

-Promote opportunities for people to get involved - through employment, apprenticeships, volunteering and citizen science. 

Overview of role 
 
The role involves: 
 
-Delivering multi-channel campaigns    

-Developing and delivering effective proactive communications campaigns to promote our work 

-Excellent copywriting, editorial skills and content creation skills whilst meeting funder requirements 

-Social media management  

-Planning, creation and delivery of innovative social content including video, images, graphics and blogs, as well as social media management 

 Media relations  

-writing, co-ordinating and distributing press releases and pitching stories to journalists broadcast pitches, features, and assets  

-Dealing with reactive media relations and supporting staff and spokespeople with media briefings and training. 

Collaborative working  

-Collaborating with colleagues and partners to identify and share stories about our work in line with the communications plan  

-Providing specialist advice to site and project teams to support the development and implementation of communications  

Event Planning  

Planning, monitoring and evaluation 

-Co-ordinating and delivering appropriate communications plans, evaluation and monitoring including digital, social media, press, campaigns and events.  

This role requires travel therefore the successful applicant will be required to travel to remote locations without the use of public transport. Please note this role involves occasional early/late finishes and weekend work by prior arrangement, for which time off in lieu is applicable.  

Essential 

-Educated to a degree level with a minimum of two years’ experience in public relations, communications or marketing and; or have equivalent experience.  

-Experience in delivering and evaluating multi-channel communications plans in support of major projects, campaigns and initiatives. 

-Knowledge of media relations and experience of sourcing stories, writing for media and producing supporting photographic, audio visual and digital assets. 

-Experience of administering social media accounts including Facebook, Twitter and/or Instagram, LinkedIn including content creation, scheduling, monitoring, and performance reporting. 

-Excellent planning and prioritisation skills combined with the ability to meet tight deadlines and handle unanticipated workloads. 

-Ability to work independently and with other team members to deliver effective results. 

Desirable 

-Interest in nature, nature conservation and global climate issues.

-Experience of working for or with environmental, charitable or heritage organisations or on cross-border campaigns. 

- Event planning and management experience 

PEACEPLUS is a cross-border funding Programme supported by the European Union, the Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, the Government of Ireland, and the Northern Ireland administration. 

Additional notes: 
This is a Fixed-Term, Part-Time (2.5 days a week) role for up to 45 months. The RSPB reserves the right to extend or make this role permanent without further advertising dependent on business needs at the end of the contract term. This role will be hybrid - RSPB Belfast/Home Based. 

To apply you will be asked to complete an application form where you will have the opportunity to explain how you meet the criteria set above. 
Interviews will take place from w/c 6th October. For further information please contact: michelle.forsythe@rspb.org.uk.  

We are committed to developing an inclusive and diverse RSPB, in which everyone feels supported, valued, and able to be their full selves. To achieve our vision of creating a world richer in nature, we need more people, and more diverse people, on nature’s side. People of colour and disabled people are currently underrepresented across the environment, climate, sustainability, and conservation sector. If you identify as a person of colour and/or disabled, we are particularly interested in receiving your application. Contact us to discuss any additional support you may need to complete your application. Before applying for this role, we recommend reading through the candidate guidance notes attached to the top of this advert.