Onward is looking for a fantastic candidate to join our team as Head of Campaigns. The right candidate will have a background in campaigning, as well as a strong record of working within comms & media. Working closely with the research and events teams, you will shape Onward’s external outreach across a range of different mediums to ensure Onward’s ideas have maximum impact and reach. The ideal candidate would have a proven track record of being able to develop and lead impactful campaigns, build political support behind ideas, place stories in national and regional media, and develop creative social media campaigns that capture the interest of centre-right thinkers and commentators.

This is a senior role. The successful candidate will have exceptional written communication skills, with a particular focus on how to deploy effective arguments to influence and attract people to Onward’s ideas. They must also demonstrate excellent spoken communication skills, and show an affinity with Onward’s values.

Main responsibilities 

Lead Onward’s external output, both in terms of media relations and creative oversight of Onward’s messaging and campaigns:

• Create and lead campaigns including all aspects from impactful traditional and digital media to building political support
• Build and maintain strong, trusted relationships with journalists, MPs and broadcasters, and act as a point of contact for journalists seeking comment or information
• Develop strategies for placing stories in the media about the work of Onward, and other mediums to build momentum for our research and policies
• Build relationships with centre-right leaders and thinkers to position Onward’s work at the heart of the centre-right renewal
• Mobilise political support on the centre-right behind our new ideas, developing relationships with parliamentarians, councillors and the wider Conservative family.
• Oversee and expand Onward’s social media output with new forms of content and digital campaigns
• Work with the research team to prepare press releases, statements and opinion pieces to promote Onward’s work
• Manage the ‘Onward’ brand through creative control of the website, social media platforms and internal and external communications