Digital Marketing Officer
Now is an exciting time to Mercy Ships UK. With a growing supporter base, a talented staff team and ambitious targets to reach over the next five years, we are looking for a talented Digital Marketing Officer – Website and Digital Channels to join our team.
Mercy Ships is a faith-based charity, bringing safe surgery to people in Africa who have limited access to healthcare and little or no money to pay for it. For over 40 years, Mercy Ships has visited more than 55 developing nations. We are passionate to serve those in need and to leave a lasting impact for the future by working alongside governments, supporting health systems and delivering training within the countries we visit. Our volunteer crew represent our organisation onboard our two ships through excellence and diligence. Sixteen Mercy Ships offices around the world collaborate on fundraising, recruitment and public relations.
Mercy Ships UK
The UK currently raises circa £9 million a year to support Mercy Ships’ operations, benefiting from a diverse base of committed funders and partners. As well as providing financial resources for surgeries, healthcare, education and local partnerships, the UK identifies over 400 professional volunteers with medical, maritime and many other skills to crew the world’s largest charitable hospital ships
‘Africa Mercy’ and ‘Global Mercy’, – bringing immediate relief to thousands of individuals and leaving a sustainable legacy of hope and healing in every nation we visit.
Values
Mercy Ships was founded by Don and Deyon Stephens in 1978, committed Christians with a vision to follow the model of Jesus, who inspires action and guides us to imitate God’s heart for those marginalised by poverty and disease. Mercy Ships is a diverse community made of people from all walks of life, practically demonstrating love, integrity and excellence to make a lasting impact. While not all of our staff are practising Christians, they all align with and respect the Christian values that underpin Mercy Ships’ work.
Approximately 90% of the population in sub-Saharan Africa lacks access to safe and affordable surgical care. On average, there are only 1.8 beds per 1,000 people, and nearly 40% of healthcare settings lack hygiene infrastructure. The need for Mercy Ships is clear – we strive to provide safe and equitable healthcare for those who need it most.
Shelley Pigott, Executive Director, Mercy Ships UK
M E R C Y S H I P S A P P O I N T M E N T B R I E F
Impact
Since 1978, Mercy Ships has brought hope and healing to more than 2.88 million people through free, life-changing healthcare and training. Our volunteer professionals have performed over 122,000 surgical procedures and provided more than 556,900 dental procedures to those in desperate need. Alongside this, we have trained more than 55,500 local professionals in their area of expertise, equipping them to go on and impact over 252,000 others within their own communities.
Our commitment extends beyond the hospital ship—we have completed over 1,110 community development projects, including the reconstruction of schools, clinics, orphanages, water wells, and agricultural programmes. These initiatives ensure sustainable transformation by strengthening local infrastructure and skills for the future.
Today, we have proudly served across more than 55 of the world’s poorest nations, with two remarkable hospital ships:
The Global Mercy: the world’s largest civilian hospital ship, featuring 6 state-of-the-art operating theatres, 199 patient beds, the capacity for 640 crew, and a gross tonnage of 37,856.
The Africa Mercy: with 5 fully equipped operating theatres, 85 patient beds, space for 470 crew, and a gross tonnage of 16,572.
Together, these ships represent a unique and powerful force for good, bringing hope, healing, and lasting change to those who need it most.
Our work
Mariama’s story
Mariama is a lively and healthy baby, but a severe facial cleft strained her joyful smile. This facial cleft affected 7-month-old Mariama’s lip and nose, making it difficult for her to eat and causing her parents to worry about their child’s future.
Since paediatric services capable of treating baby Mariama’s condition were not available near the family, local doctors directed her father to Senegal’s capital city in hopes of finding help.
It was there that he heard about a hospital ship capable of providing healing for his little girl.
Soon after, Mariama received an operation onboard the Africa Mercy that repaired her cleft lip. After surgery, Mariama and her family stayed at the HOPE Centre, where her mother learned how to make nutritional baby formula and learned about the importance of nutrition for her child. Now, Mariama is home with her family, happy and healthy!
Our Mission
Mercy Ships follows the 2,000 year-old model of Jesus, bringing hope and healing to the world’s forgotten poor.
Our Vision
Mercy Ships uses hospital ships to transform individuals and partner with nations.
Our Values
Following the model of Jesus, we seek to:
Love God
Love and serve others
Be people of integrity
Strive for excellence in all we say and do
History of Mercy Ships
Founded in 1978 by Don and Deyon Stephens, Mercy Ships has worked in more than 55 countries, providing services valued at more than £1.3 billion.
By improving healthcare delivery in every country visited, Mercy Ships is working to eradicate the diseases of poverty. Mercy Ships follows the model of Jesus by “bringing hope and healing to the forgotten poor”, helping people of any faith or none.
Mercy Ships delivers a customised five-year partnership model with every country it is invited to support. Relationships are built with the national government and ministry of health, so that the specific needs of each country are met; we work to strengthen the country’s healthcare systems and drive policy change.
The aim is to tackle the root causes of the problems rather than just the consequences.
Mercy Ships UK (a key member of the Mercy Ships global partnership) was founded in 1996. We run the two largest charity hospital ships in the world: the Global Mercy and the Africa Mercy.
Behaviours
We put beneficiaries first
Our performance impacts lives, so we strive for the very best results.
We are open to challenge
We challenge current norms, ideate, create and develop.
We expect the best
We consistently seek the best in and for others.
Together in everything
We are a relationally-driven team.
Effective interaction
We communicate with clarity and purpose.
Role Description
Hours of Work: Full-time (37.5 hours per week, excluding 45 minutes for lunch per day) Hybrid
Contract: 12 months (FTC)
Line Manager: Senior Digital Marketing Manager
Salary: £34,000- £35,000 per annum (DOE)
Direct Reports: Two philanthropy managers, who manage two philanthropy officers (team of 4).
Benefits:
25 days annual leave + bank holidays, increasing + 1 day with each year of service, up to 30 days annual leave
Up to 7% Employer pension contribution
Eye care, travel and training loans, and family-friendly policies
Access to EPA Wellbeing scheme
Learning & Development budget. We invest in creative excellence and continuous development, with a dedicated learning budget to support your growth.
Role Purpose
The Digital Marketing Officer – Website & Digital Channels will take ownership of Mercy Ships UK’s dayto-day digital marketing activity, ensuring high-quality, consistent, and data-driven delivery across website, email, social media, and search channels.
The role will play a key part in preparing for the organisation’s new website by leading a structured audit of existing content and supporting the transition to a more effective, user-focused digital experience.
This position directly contributes to supporter engagement, volunteer recruitment, and fundraising growth. The post-holder will ensure that digital content and communications reflect Mercy Ships’ Christian ethos and resonate with a predominantly faith-based supporter audience.
Digital Channel Management
● Own and manage the day-to-day delivery of digital marketing channels, including website, email marketing, social media, and SEO.
• Maintain and update website content (WordPress or equivalent CMS), ensuring accuracy, accessibility, and consistency.
• Ensure all digital activity aligns with brand, tone of voice, and organisational priorities.
Website & Content Development
● Lead a structured audit of all existing website content, identifying gaps, duplication, and opportunities to improve user journeys ahead of the 2027 website launch.
● Optimise website content and structure to improve user experience, engagement, and conversion.
● Support the Senior Digital Marketing Manager in preparing content for migration to the new website.
Campaign Delivery & Collaboration
● Support and deliver digital campaigns in collaboration with fundraising and communications teams, ensuring clear objectives, KPIs, and measurable outcomes.
Align digital activity with organisational campaigns, appeals, and supporter engagement initiatives.
Work cross-functionally to ensure messaging is consistent, compelling, and audience-focused.
Performance & Insight
● Use data and insight (e.g. Google Analytics, CRM systems, email performance metrics) to monitor performance and inform decision-making.
● Track, analyse, and report on digital performance, identifying opportunities for optimisation and improvement.
● Apply insight to continuously improve digital journeys, engagement, and conversion rates.
Brand & Audience Engagement
• Ensure all digital communications reflect Mercy Ships’ Christian ethos, values, and mission.
● Create and manage content that resonates with a faith-based supporter audience while remaining inclusive and respectful.
● Contribute to building a strong and consistent online presence that supports organisational growth.
General Responsibilities
● Maintain a supporter-focused approach across all digital communications and campaigns.
● Actively support and promote Mercy Ships’ mission, values, and policies.
Engage proactively and collaboratively with MSUK and international teams.
● Undertake other duties as required, in line with the scope and spirit of the role.
Person Specification
| AttributeEducation/qualification | Essential | Desirable |
| • Degree in marketing,communications, or a relatedfield, or equivalent professionalexperience. | • Professional qualification indigital marketing (e.g. CIM,Google certifications) | |
| Provenexperience | • Proven experience managing multipledigital marketing channels (website, email,social media, SEO).• Experience maintaining and updatingwebsites, ideally using WordPress or asimilar CMS.• Experience using data and analytics (e.g.Google Analytics, email metrics, CRMsystems) to inform decisions and improveperformance.• Experience supporting or delivering digitalcampaigns with measurable outcomes. | • Experience conducting websitecontent audits or workingon website redevelopment/migration projects.• Experience in a charity, non-profit, or purpose-drivenorganisation.• Experience working withfundraising or supporterengagement campaigns. |
| Skills andabilities | • Strong understanding of digital marketing • Good administrative skills andbest practices, including content, sEO, and knowledge of Microsoft packages.user journeys. • Experience with marketing• Ability to interpret data and translate automation platforms and CRM insights into practical improvements. systems.• Excellent written communication skills, with • Understanding of conversionthe ability to create engaging, audience- optimisation and user experiencefocused content. (UX) principles.• Strong organisational skil, with the • Experience in the charity orability to manage multiple priorities and non-profit sector.deadlines.• Ability to work independently whilecollaborating effectively with cross-functional teams.• High attention to detail and commitment toquality. | |
Person Specification
| AttributePersonalqualities | Essential | Desirable |
| Proactive and solutions-focused,with a strong sense of ownership andaccountability.Collaborative and relationship-focused,able to build trust with internalstakeholders.• Adaptable and resilient, comfortableworking in a changing and evolvingenvironment. Values-driven, with a genuine commitmentto the mission and ethos of Mercy Ships. | Interest in or understanding ofthe Christian charity sector andsupporter motivations. | |
| Occupationalrequirement | Due to the nature of this role, there is aGenuine Occupational Requirement for thepost-holder to be a practising Christian, inaccordance with the Equality Act 2010.• The role involves creating andcommunicating content that reflects MercyShips' Christian ethos and engaging witha predominantly faith-based supporteraudience. The post-holder will therefore berequired to demonstrate an active Christianfaith and a commitment to Mercy Ships'vision and values. | |
How to apply
to join us in transforming lives:
Please send a CV and cover letter detailing your relevant experience and why you want to work for Mercy Ships to:
careers@mercyships.org.uk
Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis, and the vacancy will remain open until the position is filled. Salary : £34,000-£35,000 per annum (DOE)
Don’t delay applying as we screen applications on receipt and reserve the right to close early.
Equal opportunities
Mercy Ships UK is an equal opportunities employer. We welcome applications from all individuals and value diversity in our workforce.
DBS check
Candidates will be asked to declare any ‘unspent convictions.’ Further information can be found here.
Eligible roles may require a Disclosure Barring Service (DBS) check.
Hope.Healing.Transforming Lives.
Registered Charity No: 1053055. Registered Charity in Scotland No. SC039743. Company No: 3147724 (England and Wales)