Marketing & Communications Officer

Schools North East is approaching its 20th year as the region’s dedicated, independent voice for schools. We are a successful, dynamic and influential charity, representing over 1,150 schools in the North East and specialist schools nationally through the National Network of Special Schools for School Business Professionals (NNoSS).

We are entering an exciting next phase of our development. Our marketing and communications work is central to that: it helps us reach schools, grow engagement, tell the story of North East education, support our events and memberships, and strengthen our influence with policymakers, partners and the wider education sector.

Due to internal promotion, we are now recruiting a Marketing and Communications Officer to work closely with our Marketing Manager and the wider team. This is a varied, creative and delivery-focused role, suited to someone with marketing or communications experience or an early-career or graduate applicant with strong writing, digital and creative skills and the desire to develop quickly.

You will help produce content, campaigns and communications across Schools North East, NNoSS, Jobs in Schools | North East, our events programme, memberships and policy activity. You will be joining a small, ambitious and high-performing team where people take ownership, work at pace and care deeply about the difference we make.

If you are organised, curious, creative, confident with words and digital tools, and motivated by work with a clear social purpose, we would be delighted to hear from you.

Why join us

This is an exceptionally varied and hands-on role where you will see the direct results of your efforts; from producing high-impact content like the Weekly Update to promoting flagship events that bring the region’s education community together. You won’t just be executing tasks; you will be helping to shape a positive narrative for our region’s schools, working within a small, ambitious team where your ideas are valued and your contribution is visible.

Beyond the meaningful mission, you will develop a broad and practical marketing skillset across digital communications, social media, and CRM management, all while receiving dedicated mentorship from our Marketing Manager. Schools North East offers a supportive and collaborative culture that truly cares about its people, providing a package designed for work-life balance, including 30 days of annual leave plus bank holidays, a contributory pension, and a modern office in central Newcastle with the flexibility to work from home on Fridays.

For a creative professional looking for real responsibility and a future-focused career, we provide an environment where you can grow professionally while doing work that truly matters for our region, as part of a small but highly impactful team.

Key Responsibilities:

Marketing and Engagement

• Contribute to lobbying and policy work through campaign activity
• Deliver and coordinate campaign activity within agreed plans to grow event attendance, memberships, sponsorship, partnerships and engagement across Schools North East programmes
• Promote programmes through email, website, social media and marketing materials
• Help maintain audience data and segmentation to ensure communications are relevant, timely and effective
• Identify and share member stories, case studies and examples that demonstrate the value of Schools North East
• Contribute ideas to improve the effectiveness of campaigns, content and audience engagement

Content & Brand

• Create, edit and proofread engaging content for newsletters, websites, blogs, social media, email campaigns and stakeholder communications
• Support production of the Weekly Update and translate complex information into clear, accessible content for schools and partners
• Produce marketing materials and maintain a consistent Schools North East brand across all channels and outputs
• Use storytelling and creative content, including video and photography, to strengthen audience connection and engagement

Digital & Marketing

• Use digital platforms including CMS, email marketing tools, CRM systems and social media channels to deliver day-to-day activity
• Update website content and apply basic SEO good practice to support clear user journeys and accurate information
• Monitor campaign performance and use data and insight to support improvements in communications activity
• Work collaboratively across the organisation and support events through content capture, delegate communications and promotion
• Maintain organised records and ensure communications meet data protection, accessibility and quality standards
• Support paid digital advertising campaigns (e.g. Meta, LinkedIn or Google Ads)

Essential Requirements

• Background in marketing, communications, journalism, media, PR, digital marketing, design or a related field (including through study, work, volunteering or personal projects)
• Strong written communication skills, with the ability to create clear, accurate and engaging content for different audiences
• Good verbal communication and interpersonal skills, with the confidence to work effectively with colleagues, members, partners and stakeholders
• Creativity, audience awareness and the ability to contribute ideas for campaigns, content and engagement
• Experience using digital communications tools such as CMS platforms (e.g. WordPress), email marketing tools (e.g. Mailchimp), design tools (e.g. Canva or Adobe), social media scheduling tools, Google Workspace, CRM systems and analytics platforms
• The confidence and willingness to learn new systems as required
• Excellent attention to detail, including proofreading and editing to a high standard
• Strong organisation skills, with the ability to manage multiple tasks, meet deadlines and work at pace
• Understanding of how communications support engagement and audience growth, with an interest in developing knowledge of campaign performance and impact
• A collaborative, proactive approach, with the ability to take direction and work on initiative
• An interest in education, schools and the role of Schools North East as the Voice, Glue and Bridge for North East schools

Desirable

• Experience creating content across digital and print channels, including social media, websites, newsletters, blogs, video, photography or graphics.
• Understanding of SEO, email marketing, audience segmentation, accessibility or user journeys
• Experience in an education, charity, membership, public sector, events or partnership environment
• Experience supporting or managing paid digital advertising campaigns (e.g. Meta, LinkedIn or Google Ads)

To apply: Please submit your full CV, clarifying any gaps in employment, along with a cover letter clearly linking your skills and experience to the job description and person specification to recruitment@schoolsnortheast.com, FAO Lindsay Gerencser.