May 2019

Dear Applicant

Communications & Engagement Manager

Thank you for your interest in the role of Communications and Engagement Manager with the IGA. Please find attached:

Background information about the post and the IGA A Job Description and person specification An application and monitoring form

If you would like to apply for the post, please send your completed application to Richenda Kew at r.kew@iga.org.uk. If you have any queries about the job or about the charity, please feel free to email me at k.osborn@iga.org.uk. Please note that we cannot accept CVs.

The closing date for applications is 9am on Monday 8 July and interviews will be held in Ashford on Wednesday 17 July.

As a charity we try hard to control costs, so I hope you understand that we are only able to contact people who we would like to invite for interview. Therefore if you do not hear from us by Friday 12 July, please assume that on this occasion your application has not been successful.

Thank you again for your interest, and I hope to hear from you soon.

Yours sincerely

Karen OsbornChief Executive

About the International Glaucoma AssociationThe IGA is the charity for people with glaucoma – a blinding eye disease. Our vision is that all those with glaucoma and those at risk should have the knowledge and access to the care they need to avoid preventable sight loss.

There are three pillars to our work:

1. We prevent needless sight lossIt’s estimated there are around 700,000 people in the UK with glaucoma. Half of them don’t know they have it. The disease is usually painless and asymptomatic. It develops gradually, and sight loss often happens without people realising.By raising awareness of the importance of regular eye checks and adherence to treatment we can save peoples’ sight.

As long as glaucoma is detected and treated early, most people retain a good degree of useful sight for life. Glaucoma is normally detected during routine eye health checks at a local optician or optometrist practice. We run campaigns in print, digital and broadcast media to raise awareness among the general public and At-Risk groups, and we’re particularly active during World Glaucoma Week in March and our own Glaucoma Awareness Week in June.

2. We support people to live well with glaucoma The range of treatment options available for glaucoma can be complex and confusing, and the treatment is often worse than the condition itself. Our member surveys repeatedly show that many people don’t fully understand their condition, which makes treatment choices difficult and can cause anxiety. To help people understand glaucoma and the treatment options that are available, we provide free information and advice leaflets, a telephone helpline, an online forum, regional patient support groups, and volunteer Buddies who provide peer support. The incidence of glaucoma increases with age, and the majority of the people we support are aged 60+. We also support professionals, encouraging excellence in glaucoma care and ensuring the patient voice is heard. We sit on a number of strategic advisory groups, exhibit at conferences, and give presentations and interviews to raise awareness.

3. We fund vital research into diagnosis, treatment and care We spend c. £250,000 a year on research, working across ophthalmology, optometry and ophthalmic nursing. We also support the IGA Professor of Ophthalmology at University College London, Ted Garway-Heath.

The IGA has 17 staff, 13 at our head office and 4 Development Managers covering Scotland, Wales and the South West, London and the South East, and the North East.

We have a trustee board of 11 who bring expertise in ophthalmology, optometry, finance, strategy, research and living with glaucoma. We are also supported by a newly re-launched Clinical Advisory Board of 21 experts who provide advice and support to the board and staff team.

We have a very small volunteering programme – currently around 15 volunteers around the UK - and are looking to review and revise our volunteer strategy later this year.

The charity has a turnover of c. £1.3m p.a. The majority of our income comes from legacies, but we are actively trying to broaden our fundraising portfolio to reduce reliance on legacy income. Our services are open to anyone, but the vast majority of our beneficiaries come from the UK. Thanks to the generosity of our supporters, our services are free to anyone who needs them.

Our core values

Compassion – We treat everyone who needs our help with empathy, sincerity and care

Honesty – We conduct ourselves and our activities with honesty and integrity

Excellence – we are passionate about everything we do, and committed to excellence in all we do, individually and collectively

Equality – We respect each other and value diversity

Relevance – We evolve to serve the needs of our beneficiaries so that we are relevant both today and tomorrow

Comms at the IGA

Our comms work focuses on three main constituencies: people living with glaucoma, the professionals who support them, and the general public.

Key professional relationships include ophthalmologists, optometrists, pharmacists, ophthalmic nurses, and allied professionals.

The IGA has a membership of c 4,000, which includes both patients and professionals. Current communications are very generic and we have been working hard on our CRM (Raisers Edge) to facilitate much more targeted communications in the near future. We also aim to increase the use of digital comms where possible, although a significant majority of members tell us they value our current large font print format, so digital will run alongside traditional media for some years yet.

We carry out both annual and ad hoc awareness-raising campaigns, and the former centre around our own Glaucoma Awareness Week in June and World Glaucoma Week in March. These target all three constituencies and involve broadcast, press and digital media. For the last two years we have run an additional national campaign to encourage Muslims with glaucoma to keep using eye drops during Ramadan, and this looks likely to become a regular part of our calendar. We are also active during National Eye Health Week (September). Ad hoc campaigns focus on specific aspects of glaucoma or general eye health.

Key external communications include:o quarterly members magazine IGA News - mainly print (large font), a small

minority emailed as PDF, though we hope to increase digital uptake. o a range of patient information publications – mainly booklets and leaflets in

different aspects of glaucoma, but also posters aimed at raising awareness. 80-90,000 print copies are mailed p.a., the bulk to hospital eye services and eye care professionals, but also to individuals living with glaucoma. Downloadable from IGA website

o Awareness Weeks - mass print mailing targeting eye health professionals and hospital clinics; electronic marketing using MailChimp and Online Express

o e-news communications with stakeholders – mainly generic, 2 -3 p.a. We hope to move to more frequent targeted communications in the coming year

o website o educational or promotional films and audio o press releases, articles and statements o face-to-face engagement at exhibitions and conferences - in particular the UK

& Eire Glaucoma Society annual conference which we organise – plus ad hoc speeches and presentations by senior managers and trustees

This is a time of digital change and growth for us: our current website (using Magento and WordPress) is no longer fit for purpose and we are about to start the planning process to commission a new one which we hope will launch in 2020. We are also working with beneficiaries to see how we can use technology to deliver new patient support services in the coming years.

We outsource all our design work (contracted for 60 design hours pcm) and have a budget to buy in external PR support on an ad hoc basis where needed – usually for the major campaigns. We also outsource our social media activity but are keen to both expand our reach activity and engage and enthuse our staff produce more in-house.

About the roleWe are looking for an energetic comms professional to lead our small comms team at an exciting time for the charity. Over the past year we have recruited some new staff and starting to develop some new projects, and the Comms Manager role has been vacant while we focused on this. We are now keen to recruit and are looking for someone who can bring considerable creative energy and enthusiasm to the role - someone who can bring new ideas to our systems and culture to maximise the impact of our comms work.

The benefits include 21 days annual leave, up to 5% contributory pension, access to Benenden healthcare support and an AXA Employee Assistance Programme.

An enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service check is required for this post.

IGA structure

Finance OfficerWendy Chamberlain

CommunicationsAdministratorKelly Oliphant

Sightline AdvisorTrish Ganszczyk

Executive PARichenda Kew

Chief Executive Karen Osborn

Support & Membership Admin

(job share)Natalie SmithCarolyn Lewis

Comms & Engagement

Manager

Fundraising Manager

Jenny McCarthy

IT Development Manager

Tracy Dorman

Clinical Advisory Panel

Head of FinanceKay Cox

Development Managers

Eryl Williams (Wales & SW)

Subhash Suthar(London & SE)

Hannah Morrow(NE England)

Philippa Mason(Scotland)

Finance Committee

Head of Patient Support Services

Joanna Bradley

Communications & Events Officer

Tracey Fabre

IGA Board of Trustees

Sightline ManagerHelen Doe

Job Description

Job Title Communication and Engagement Manager

Responsible to Chief Executive

Responsible for Communication & Events Officer, Comms Administrator (p/t)

Location IGA head office, Ashford, Kent

Hours Full time, 35 hours/week (will include occasional evening and weekend work)

Contract Permanent

Salary £30,000 - £32,000 plus up to 5% contributory pension

Expenses All reasonable out of pocket expenses will be reimbursed and mileage will be reimbursed at 45p/mile (up to 10,000 miles in any tax year, 25p/mile thereafter)

Role purpose:To create and implement communication strategies and campaigns that increase awareness of glaucoma, widen beneficiary and supporter engagement, and meet the needs of people living with the disease and those who support them.

Main duties Create and implement communications strategies and campaigns to enable the

charity to deliver its business objectives. Be responsible for writing and sourcing articles and news items, conducting

interviews, editing, design and production of the charity’s external communications (printed, audio-visual and digital). These include:

o our quarterly members magazineo a range of patient information publications and educational films

o e-news communications with the charity’s different stakeholder groups o website contento educational or promotional films and audio o press releases, articles and statements o speeches and presentations for senior managers and trustees

Create and update key information and clear and consistent messages about our work. Act as a ‘brand guardian’, creating and maintaining appropriate and consistent language and terminology across all internal and external communications.

Engage with members and the people we support to ensure our communications reflect their priorities, needs and concerns. Gather case studies to support our work and manage a case study database.

Work closely with our Fundraising Manager to ensure communication plans are aligned and assist in the production of high-quality supporter communications.

Work with colleagues and clinical advisors to ensure the accuracy of medical and clinical information.

Manage and expand the IGA’s social media presence, sourcing and sharing newsworthy information from across the charity; encourage and support increased staff involvement in social media.

Co-ordinate current website content management, including generating content, making improvements to functionality, monitoring performance and playing a key role in the group developing the new website.

Foster positive relationships with partners across the corporate, charity and statutory sectors; develop and deliver joint campaigns where this is an effective way to achieve our goals.

Lead on all contact with the media and act as a spokesperson when necessary; respond to requests from the press for comments, views and supporting information and maximise opportunities for further engagement on relevant topics

Line manage the comms team: encourage and motivate the team, provide supervision, support and appraisal, periodic role review, and performance management.

Oversee our internal communications: ensure staff and trustees are well briefed on key communications issues and branding, enhance staff engagement and share good practice to empower staff and volunteers to improve how they communicate and engage, help us build meaningful feedback loops to support organisational development.

Monitor, analyse and report on the outcomes and impact of communicationsand use this insight to improve performance.

Manage and work within the annual communications budget

Keep up to date with best practice within the charity sector and particularly changes to communications innovation, legislation and codes of practice

Manage relationships with external contractors and suppliers Advise colleagues on the review and revision of IGA policies as they relate to

comms issues (including social media, brand guidelines, data protection and information governance, ethical partnerships, etc)

Maintain up to date knowledge of GDPR and support the development of good practice to ensure compliance across internal and external communications

Take an active part in external events such a patient conferences

This is an outline of the responsibilities and duties of the Communications and Engagement Manager; it is not intended as an exhaustive list and may change from time to time to meet the changing needs of the IGA and our beneficiaries. Any changes will be made in consultation with the post holder.

Person specificationEssential skills & qualities

Proven ability to develop and deliver successful and creative communication strategies

Experience of developing compelling content for print, digital and broadcast communications channels, accurately conveying information and engaging with a wide range of stakeholders

Excellent interpersonal communication and relationship management skills Excellent copywriting and proofreading skills Confident IT user across a range of software Good numeracy skills; the ability to transform complex data and research

findings into meaningful accessible reports and action plans, and to use data effectively to measure impact and improve performance

Awareness of data protection requirements and the implications for marketing and communications

Highly organised, methodical and efficient, with exceptional attention to detail; calm under pressure, with the ability to manage tight and shifting deadlines.

A strong work ethic, a commitment to the IGA’s aims and values, and a desire to improve the lives of people living with glaucoma

Enthusiastic and pro-active, able to take initiative and work autonomously. Creative, innovative and passionate about communications

Ability to work flexible hours as required, and to travel independently throughout the UK

Desirable

Experience of managing website content, web-editing software and tools to maximise digital presence

Relevant experience in the charity and/or health & social care sectors An understanding of the health and social care landscape and the services

available for people with - or at risk of - eye disease

This post is subject to a Disclosure and Barring Service check at an enhanced level.

International Glaucoma Association

Application Form

Position applied for: Communications and Engagement Manager

Personal details

Surname:

Forenames

Address

Postcode:

Phone:

Email:

EducationName of school, college Qualifications achieved, grade andor university year taken

Please list any work-based or other training courses undertaken, any other relevant skills, interests or public duties, and any voluntary work experience.

Employment HistoryPlease list your present or most recent job first, give full details, explain any gaps in your job history, and continue on a separate sheet if needed.

Dates Employer Position held Reason for leaving if applicable

Current salary p.a. £

Please attach a statement (max 800 words) detailing what skills, knowledge and experience you could bring to the role and why you would like to be employed in this position.

Please make sure you address the person specification in your response, as these are the criteria we will use to shortlist for the post.

Please also feel free to attach examples of past work that you feel would support this

application. These could be any kind of comms activity in any media, but please limit this to two examples where you were the lead or sole creator/author.

Please attach as a separate file or URL.

Do you need a work permit to work in the UK?Yes ☐ No ☐

If offered this position will you continue to work in any other capacity?Yes ☐ No ☐

If yes, please give details below

Please note the successful applicant will be subject to a satisfactory DBS (Disclosure and Barring Service) check.I understand that any employment, if offered, will be subject to the information on this form being correct, and I confirm that no valid information has been wilfully withheld. I understand that if I am appointed, I am liable to dismissal without notice if the information on this form is later proved to be inaccurate.

I agree that the IGA may hold and handle these details in line with data protection legislation.

Signed:

Date:

Please tell us how you heard about the vacancy:

Thank you

Equality Monitoring FormThe International Glaucoma Association is committed to developing and implementing its Equality Policy and seeks to ensure that recruitment and selection is carried out fairly. Please help us to do this by completing the following information. The information you provide will not form any part of the selection process.

Ethnic GroupPlease tick one of the options from the list below:

White British ☐White Irish ☐White - any other White background ☐ (add details if you would like)

White & Black Caribbean ☐White & Black African ☐White & Asian ☐Any other mixed background ☐ (add details if you would like)

Asian or Asian British ☐Indian ☐Pakistani ☐Bangladeshi ☐Any other Asian background ☐ (add details if you would like)

Black or black British ☐Caribbean ☐African ☐Any other black background ☐ (add details if you would like)

Any other Ethnic background ☐ (add details if you would like)

Gender identity Male ☐Female ☐Other ☐ (add details if you would like)

Age Up to 19 ☐ 20-25 ☐ 26-35 ☐ 36-45 ☐ 46-55 ☐ 56-65 ☐ Over 65 ☐

Do you consider yourself to be disabled? Yes ☐ No ☐The Equality Act 2010 defines a disabled person as someone who has a physical or mental impairment which has a substantial and long-term adverse effect on their ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities.

I would prefer not to answer these questions ☐