Digital & Communications lead (Co-op Partnership)

Barnardo's is here to change childhoods and change lives. And our incredible partnership with Co-op is helping us do just that. Together, we're raising £7 million to support positive futures for 1,000,000 young people across the UK. We are seeking a Digital & Communications Lead to help deliver this ambitious work.

In this role, you will programme manage the digital and communications strands of the Barnardo's and Co-op partnership, working across teams and with senior stakeholders to deliver against agreed objectives, milestones and KPIs. You will make sure children and young people's voices and experiences are at the centre of everything we do.

You will oversee organic and paid social media activity aimed at children and young people, manage the production of content and lead national and regional media and communications activity targeting adult audiences, including Co-op members and partners. You'll also manage relationships with external agencies, quality-assure digital outputs, oversee budgets, and lead regular reporting and evaluation.

The role requires confident matrix management, strong leadership and excellent communication skills. You will provide expert advice on digital and communications best practice, manage risk effectively, and use insight and data to drive impact. Building strong internal relationships and a trusted partnership with Co-op will be key to your success.

We're looking for an organised, creative and ambitious professional who thrives in complex partnerships and is committed to meaningful engagement with children and young people. If you want to use your digital and communications expertise to help transform young lives, we'd love to hear from you.

When completing your application please refer to your skills knowledge and experience in relation to the Person Specification, Job Description and Additional Information document (if applicable). This should be done with an understanding of the context of the service described.

Please note due to the high volume of applications for some posts, this advert might close before the displayed closing date. We recommend that you apply for this role as soon as possible.

We know that our colleagues go above and beyond in delivering our vital work, driven by their passion and commitment to Barnardo's values.  We also know that we can only realise our ambitions and achieve better outcomes for more children, thanks to the talent, hard work and creativity of our people. 

For all these reasons, we are committed to a new approach to pay and reward, to ensure it is fair, attractive and progressive, which was rolled out in April 2023. This is a positive change for the charity, and a part of our People & Culture Strategy. It will assist us in supporting colleagues to belong, thrive and grow in their colleague journey at Barnardo's and in time will offer clear routes of progression for colleagues in both their career and their pay. 

Whilst the full pay band and salary range is advertised, our approach to starting salaries is to appoint between the minimum to mid-point of the pay band – this ensures that pay steps are available to reward our colleagues annually based on their contribution to excellence and alignment to our values and behaviours.  More details on Barnardo's pay framework can be found upon application. 

Workplace Offer: What it means for you

Our hybrid working initiative is based on trust, flexibility and empowerment. We understand our workplace offer means different things to different people, and we encourage those conversations. This may mean working at one of our stores, services, working at home, in the community, at one of our Collaboration Hubs or depending on the role any combination of these. Please read through the advert carefully to understand the remits of hybrid working that will be specific to the role.

• Barnardo's believe in creating equality of opportunity in the workplace and supporting people to manage their work-life balance; we are therefore open to offering flexible working arrangements.
• Annual Leave entitlement for full-time colleagues is 26 days per annum, increasing to 27 days per annum, after 3 years Barnardo's service, 29 days per annum, after 5 years Barnardo's service and 30 days per annum, after 7 years Barnardo's service. Those working less than full time are entitled to the same level of holiday pro rata
• The ability to buy up to another 5 days annual leave via our HolidayPlus scheme
• A host of family friendly leave options including company Maternity Paternity and Adoption pay; together with all family additional leave options
• Service related sick pay from day 1
• Access to a Group Personal Pension with a matched 4% or 6% contribution from Barnardo's. Ability to pay via salary sacrifice to garner both tax and NI savings on your own contribution
• Death in service cover of 4x annual earnings for all staff contributing to our Group Personal Pension
• Cycle2work scheme
• Interest free season ticket loans
• Discounts and cashback from at high street shops including major supermarkets, cinemas, gyms, leisure/theme parks, holidays and much more via our Benefit Portal
• 20% discount at Barnardo's stores
• Opportunity to purchase a health cash plan to claim towards dental, glasses, therapy etc
• Free access to round the clock employee assistance program for advice and support
• Access to Barnardo's Learning and Development offer

*T&C's apply based on contract

We are committed to being an inclusive employer and cultivating a culture where everyone can belong and thrive through inclusion and connectivity. We want our workforce to be reflective of the communities we work with, and for equality, diversity and inclusion to be embedded in everything we do. We are a Disability Confident Leader, are progressing our ambition to be an anti-racist organisation with Anti-Racism Commitments and actions in place and have networks for colleagues who are disabled, LGBT+, Black and Minoritised Ethnic and Women. We particularly encourage applications from Black and Minoritised Ethnic and/or disabled candidates who are currently underrepresented in our workforce. For disabled applicants, we offer reasonable adjustments throughout the recruitment process.

• Reference number:22341
• Job Title:Digital and Communications Delivery Lead (Co-op Partnership)
• Location:Workplace offer: Hybrid working, Barnardo's hub/office or home address
• Contract type:Fixed term
• End date:31.03.27
• Hours:36.25
• Salary:£39,642 - £53,570 plus Office at Home Allowance
• Closing Date:18 January 2026