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THE ROYAL NATIONAL LIFEBOAT INSTITUTION
41,242 - 48,520 per year
Poole, Dorset, England
Full-time
26th January 2026

Internal Communications Lead - Temporary (up to 12 months)

Internal Communications Lead - Temporary (up to 12 months)

About us

The Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) is the charity that saves lives at sea. Powered by the courage, selfless commitment and dedication of our people, and funded by the generosity of the public the RNLI is a volunteer-led organisation cherished throughout the UK and Ireland and depended upon by those who need us most. But in a changing world we must evolve and adapt to ensure that we continue to fulfil our vital lifesaving purpose and remain sustainable into the future. To do that our lifeboat crews, beach lifeguards and fundraisers need a talented and professional team behind them to help deliver our lifesaving service together, ensuring we save even more lives in 2040 and beyond.

Some of the benefits

  • Salary: £41,242 - £48,520 (dependent on experience)
  • Flexible working
  • 26 days’ annual leave plus Bank Holidays
  • Competitive pension scheme
  • Life assurance
  • Health and dental cash plan

Your role

Are you a creative thinker who is passionate about internal communications and supporting the RNLI’s lifesaving work? Do you have experience in developing and delivering strategic communication plans across multiple channels within large organisations powered by a combination of volunteers and staff?

We are seeking an experienced Internal Communications Lead to support the lifesaving charity as we begin an ambitious 5-Year Plan to ensure the RNLI is future-fit to continue saving lives in 2040 and beyond.

You will develop and deliver internal communications plans to engage with and support volunteers and staff while ensuring alignment with the RNLI's 5-Year Plan.

Working with senior leaders and other key stakeholders you will ensure that communications are clear, engaging, inclusive and impactful. Experience of communicating across a large, busy and complex organisation is essential for this role, while understanding about volunteer-led charities would be an advantage. You will be confident supporting change initiatives across different project areas and managing a busy workload. You will provide creative solutions to maximise the impact and reach of communications to RNLI volunteers and staff throughout the UK and Ireland.

You will play a key role in joining up activity across projects and teams, helping our people understand what is happening across the RNLI and how it will support them to save lives at sea. Building strong relationships is an important part of this role, so you will enjoy working with, coaching, advising and influencing people at all levels from volunteer lifeboat crew and fundraisers to senior leaders. There may also be line management opportunities, so experience in this area would be useful, though not essential.

As the charity enters its third century of lifesaving, this is an exciting time to join a creative, passionate and supportive team of communications professionals, to deliver the RNLI’s lifesaving mission.

About you

You will be organised, adaptable and able to hit the ground running in a complex environment. Well supported by the team, you will also be self-motivated and confident, with the ability to work autonomously and manage multiple priorities. You will partner effectively with a range of stakeholders to deliver clear, impactful internal communications.

This job would be suitable for someone who

  • Is experienced working in internal communications, preferably in a volunteer-led organisation
  • Has excellent people and stakeholder management skills, partnering with leaders to shape engaging internal communications and act as a trusted advisor
  • Is experienced supporting change initiatives and working across different project environments
  • Has line management experience or aspires to be a manager
  • Is a creative thinker, applying your own ideas and bringing them to life
  • Has excellent writing and content creation skills, including simplifying complex information and producing visual content using Adobe or Canva

If you’re passionate about effective communication to support our people and the RNLI's lifesaving mission, apply today.

Safeguarding

The RNLI is committed to safeguarding; protecting a person’s health, wellbeing, and human rights, enabling them to live free from harm, abuse, and neglect. We expect all employees and volunteers to share this commitment and have a zero-tolerance approach. The suitability of all prospective employees and volunteers will be assessed during the recruitment process in line with this commitment. This will include relevant criminal record checks being carried out dependent on the eligibility of the role. (England & Wales; DBS check, Scotland; Disclosure Scotland PVG, Northern Ireland; Access NI, Republic of Ireland; Garda Vetting; International, International Child Protection Certificate process).

Diversity at the RNLI

Our staff and volunteers have been saving lives at sea without prejudice for 200 years. We respect and value diversity of background, skills and perspectives within our teams, and consider it essential to help us deliver a world-class lifesaving service. We are an inclusive organisation and welcome applications from everyone. In addition to having the skills needed for the role, we also look for applicants who share our commitment to living our RNLI values (trustworthy, courageous, selfless, and dependable), and helping us work towards Our Vision: To save Every One.