Executive Head of Communications, Marketing and Campaigns

Job Summary

We are working with an external recruitment agency to recruit for this vacancy. Interested candidates should visit the link above for further information and details on how to apply.

War Child UK is at a pivotal moment. As more children than ever are growing up affected by conflict, the need for their work has never been greater, and neither has the importance of connecting with the world and their key audiences in bold, relevant and meaningful ways.

As we begin a new five‑year strategy, introduce a refreshed brand and strengthen our ambition to reach more children impacted by war, we are seeking an outstanding Executive Head of Communications, Marketing and Campaigns to help lead this next chapter.

This is a rare opportunity to shape how War Child UK shows up in the world, bringing together their vital purpose, distinctive voice and creativity in ways that truly resonate. You’ll join a team driven by ideas, collaboration and action, united by a deep commitment to the children, communities and partners they serve.

From stand‑out cultural moments to ambitious advocacy campaigns and urgent emergency communications responding to some of the world’s most severe crises affecting children, you’ll lead a team producing powerful communications that cut through, connect with audiences and inspire action.

Your Role

Reporting to the Director of Fundraising and Engagement, this is a pivotal new role at a defining moment for the organisation, as War Child UK launches a new strategy and refreshed brand.

You will lead a team of experts across marketing, communications, digital, press, content and advocacy, shaping how War Child UK engages supporters, partners and decision-makers. You will oversee the delivery of high impact campaigns and communications on the worst crises affecting children and across a portfolio of bold music, art, gaming and corporate partnerships and events.

You will develop an audience-led communications, brand and marketing strategy that drives engagement, income and influence, ensuring campaigns and advocacy are fully integrated and mutually reinforcing.

This role combines creativity with strategic judgement, providing senior leadership on external positioning and reputational risk and crisis communications advisory - and shaping how War Child UK shows up in the world, while enabling a motivated, ambitious team to perform at its best.

Your Responsibilities

• Define and lead the delivery of an audience-first, integrated communications and marketing strategy aligned to War Child UK’s organisational priorities, with full accountability for strategic direction, positioning and delivery.
• Own War Child UK’s brand, narrative and external positioning, ensuring consistency and clarity in how our message lands across all touchpoints.
• Provide strategic oversight of the full communications and marketing mix within the team, including marketing, digital, web, content, social media and press, ensuring these areas are integrated, audience-led and delivering against organisational priorities.
• Oversee the delivery of priority marketing campaigns, external moments and high-profile partnerships, ensuring work delivers maximum impact with effective use of internal and external resources, including agencies, partners and creative collaborators, where needed.
• Oversee the advocacy function by setting and supporting with strategic direction, as well as ensuring the successful integration of communications and advocacy – ensuring the big picture is aligned.
• Act as a senior and strategic advisor to War Child UK’s Leadership Group, making recommendations on strategy, positioning and reputation.
• Lead and develop a high-performing communications, marketing and campaigns team setting clear direction and prioritisation, driving performance, enabling accountability and ensuring strong team culture and wellbeing. Set and manage priorities across the function, making decisions on trade-offs, resource allocation and focus areas to balance competing organisational demands in a fast-paced environment.
• Line manage one advocacy and campaigns role and two communications and marketing roles, providing guidance, oversight and approval of key work and management support, coaching and development.
• Maintain a strong understanding of the external environment - including media, cultural, political and humanitarian landscapes - to identify opportunities and risks, inform strategic decision-making and ensure War Child UK remains relevant, responsive and impactful in a fast-moving context.
• Stay abreast of and embed where relevant the latest communications best practice, trends and techniques to ensure a digital first, future fit marketing and communications approach. Lead this with boldness and creativity to help solidify War Child’s place externally and make us stand out.
• Build and maintain strong, trusted relationships across War Child UK, working in close partnership with fundraising teams, advocacy and senior stakeholders to maximise organisational impact and opportunity.
• Work closely with key colleagues in the War Child Alliance Foundation and fellow global Alliance members, strengthening collaboration, alignment and shared opportunities to maximise global impact
• Lead reputational risk management and crisis communications, taking ownership of high-risk or high-profile issues and ensuring appropriate decision-making and response
• Responsible for creating a culture committed to the safeguarding of children, and adults and compliant to War Child’s Safeguarding and PSEAH (Protection from Sexual Exploitation, Abuse & Harassment) policies
• We are committed to building an inclusive and equitable workplace. All staff are expected to actively contribute to this by embedding principles of diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging into their day-to-day work, decision-making, and interactions with colleagues, partners, and supporters. In this role you will ensure that this applies to a communications strategy rooted in representation, inclusion and diversity.

These duties provide a framework for the role and should not be regarded as a definitive list. Other reasonable duties may be required consistent with the grade of the role.

You Are

• Strategic communications leaderwith a proven track record of delivering integrated, audience‑first communications and marketing strategies that drive engagement, income and influence in complex, fast‑moving environments.
• Expert in narrative, brand and advocacy, with strong experience shaping external positioning, leading high‑impact campaigns, and using communications to advance political advocacy and public change.
• Insight‑led and externally focused, skilled in using audience insight, data and cultural, media and political trends to inform strategy, prioritisation and decision‑making.
• Credible senior adviser and collaborator, with strong influencing skills, experience advising leadership on external positioning and reputational risk, and the ability to build effective relationships across teams and with external partners.
• Motivational leader and executor, able to build and manage high‑performing teams, deliver high‑quality content and campaigns, balance creativity with discipline, protect workload and wellbeing and uphold best practice in EDI, safeguarding and ethics.

About Us

At War Child we are driven by a single goal – ensuring a safe future for every child affected by war.

Using our 30 years of experience and proven methodologies, we aim to reach children as quickly as possible when conflict breaks out and stay long after the cameras have gone to support them through their recovery. We work with local communities and governments to help protect and educate children, and support them to heal and learn, for a safer, brighter future.

We understand children’s needs, respect and stand up for their rights, and put them at the centre of everything we do – because one child caught up in conflict is one child too many.

Every day, our local teams are in communities and in refugee camps creating safe spaces for children to play, learn and access psychological support, and we specialise in responding rapidly to emergency crisis situations to deliver immediate and critical care impartially to help to those who need us most, when they need us most.

Because no child should be part of war. Ever.

Our Values

• Bold:We use our passion and creativity to deliver high quality evidence-based work designed to maximise our beneficial impact for children in conflict.
• Accountable to children:Children can rely on us to respond to their voices and to treat them with respect and dignity.
• Anti-racism:Anti-racism is not merely a belief. It includes actions that we mainstream throughout our work to change and challenge policies and behaviours that perpetuate racism.
• Transparent:We expect to be held to account by our supporters and participants and we respond with openness and honesty.
• Supportive of each other:We support each other to achieve ambitious goals and be the best we can be. We are honest and open, sharing our successes & confronting our challenges.

Our Benefits

• Flexible working- we recognise the considerable benefits that flexible working can bring and are happy to discuss any possible flexible working options with our employees from hiring. For most roles, the following types of flexibility are usually possible: flexible hours, occasional working from home and compressed hours.
• Annual leave– 28 days per year (full-time) rising to 33 days with service, plus bank holidays
• Pension- all eligible employees automatically enrolled into a Group Personal Pension Plan with a 5% employer contribution, with minimum employee contribution on a salary sacrifice basis. This increases to 6% after one year's service.
• Family leave– we offer enhanced Maternity, Partner/Co-Parent/Paternity Leave, Adoption & Shared Parental Leave
• Health & wellbeing- employees may take advantage of a healthcare cash plan and a range of wellbeing initiatives and training. In addition, all employees have access to free, confidential one-to-one wellbeing consultations with trained counsellors.
• Learning & development- dedicated to the investment in learning and continuing professional development for all our employees
• Workplace Nursery Benefit– employees make tax and NI savings on nursery costs for children up to the age of 5
• Flexible public holidays- up to two standard UK public holidays can be exchanged for those that have cultural or religious significance.
• Voluntary contributions can be made through payroll allowing employees to claim back on a range of cancer treatments.Cancer Cover:
• GP 24/7 Helpline:A GP helpline is be available to all UK employees providing access to a qualified GP, 24/7 via a telephone or webcam consultation, and offers diagnosis, advice and reassurance on a range of medical matters, as well as authorisation of private electronic prescriptions.
• Welcome Bag for new starters:A War Child Tote bag, War Child T-shirt and some other practical things to welcome new colleagues to War Child.
• Discounts on War Child Merchandise: 25% discount on full price War Child merchandise, available to all employees, sold through Everpress.
• Range of flexible benefits such a Cycle to Work scheme and season ticket loans.

Flexible Working

We positively support flexible working arrangements. These currently include: office working, homeworking, part-time hours, compressed hours, flexi-time, flexi-place (hybrid working) and job shares. We would be happy to discuss individual flexible working requests during the interview process.

Safeguarding

Our work with children and at-risk adults to ensure their safety is our top priority. We are committed to safeguarding children and vulnerable adults in all aspects of our work. We maintain a zero-tolerance policy for any behavior or practices that put children and/or vulnerable adults at risk of abuse or harm.

Successful applicants will be required to comply with and sign our Safeguarding Policy, Code of Conduct, and PSEAH Policy. You can find the Safeguarding and Integrity policies here:https://warchild.sharepoint.com/sites/Integrity

Diversity and Inclusion

We value diversity and inclusion and are committed to ensuring that all our people and job applicants are treated fairly, irrespective of where, what or whom they were born, or of other characteristics. We want to offer a safe and inclusive workplace where all our people, especially those who are currently marginalised or underrepresented, can be themselves at work. You can read our Diversity and Inclusion policy on our website, and if you have any questions about our commitment to diversity and inclusion do get in touch: https://www.warchild.org.uk/our-work/policies-and-reports/diversity-and-inclusion

Pre-employment Checks

Employment with War Child will be subject to the following checks prior to your start date:

• a satisfactory police record check to include a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check and/or an International/National Criminal Record Check
• a clear vetting and Due Diligence check
• receipt of two professional satisfactory references