Stories Manager – job description

• Department: Communications and Marketing
• Job title: Stories Manager
• Grade: F
• Responsible to: Head of Group Communications and Marketing

Download the Stories Manager job description (169kB pdf)

Purpose of job

Developing and delivering an integrated, diverse stories strategy and framework to support Family Fund’s overall strategic priorities in line with charity sector best practice. Promotion of compelling, powerful stories with purpose, across channels, to showcase Family Fund’s work and impact, give a public platform to families raising disabled or seriously ill children, drive our fundraising ambitions, and raise overall brand awareness.

Duties and responsibilities

• Develop and deliver the stories strategy for the organisation, liaising with organisational teams including research, fundraising, grant services and the wider communications and marketing teams.
• Research, gather and sensitively write/ collate stories content for placement across channels, in a variety of different formats including written, video, animation and photography.
• Ensure high quality Family Fund photography and videography related to all family stories and lead and direct shoots, working with external photographers. Manage our database of family imagery, making sure Family Fund adheres to legal periods of consent.
• Work closely with the Media Manager to secure impactful national, regional and local media coverage using storytelling voices.
• Ensure diversity of voices across all storytelling, in line with Family Fund’s Equality, Diversity and Inclusivity Strategy.
• Maintain robust story gathering systems and processes to identify and support families who have actively opted to share their stories.
• Implement robust consent, safeguarding and risk assessment procedures to facilitate families in sharing their stories.
• Promote family voice internally – working with internal communications lead to regularly share new stories in wide-ranging formats.
• Support Family Fund’s fundraising strategy with compelling stories content, to drive and support fundraising campaigns and initiatives.
• Ensure GDPR regulations, safeguarding and best practice are adhered to at all times, creating and maintaining policies and processes that reflect the regulations and are empathetic and supportive to a family’s needs.
• Lead video production related to family stories. Direct and plan shoots, source film locations, set shoot schedules, film or supervise filming on the day, and plan final distribution.
• Ensure a thorough editing/post-production process, working with the Communications and Marketing Manager, and wider team, to deliver final video/animation to standard.
• Manage external agencies, photographers and videographers producing video or animated content featuring the families we support.
• Develop and advise on original content from family stories using text, photography, illustration, video and animation. Ensure all content is accessible, mobile-first and adapted for different platforms, using analytics and data to inform content development, to ensure impact and engagement with target audiences.
• Keep informed of trends in content and storytelling, in the voluntary sector and beyond, to inform and develop new approaches to content creation and ways to share family voice.
• To stay informed of broader social, political, and economic developments related to Family Fund’s mission, particularly in the areas of disability and hardship, to identify emerging stories, trends, and issues. This will ensure our storytelling effectively supports the organisation’s public affairs and policy strategy, contributing to increased visibility and impact.
• Manage a database of stories and track their use across Family Fund to ensure we maximise their potential across our channels and events.

General

• Manage budgets related to Family Fund’s stories strategy and implementation, online and offline.
• Support the overall communications and marketing strategy.
• Support the planning of fundraising objectives and strategy development.
• Carry out other appropriate duties as required.

Person specification

Experience

• Dealing with a wide range of external and internal stakeholders, including people from a wide range of backgrounds
• Communications and marketing experience
• Experience of creating written and video content for different audiences
• Experience of interviewing people, including those where sensitivity is required
• Budget and line management experience

Desirable:

• Experience within a third sector environment

Skills, knowledge, and abilities

• Strong digital communications skills
• Creative skills, particularly in creating copy for a variety of digital channels
• Experience of using content management systems (CMS)
• Excellent written and oral communication skills
• Ability to engage and build relationships with a wide range of stakeholders
• Ability to think creatively and develop original concepts/thoughts
• Ability to work as part of a team, in a hybrid working model
• Proven use of initiative
• Ability to deal with confidential information
• Excellent organisational and time management skills – planning and managing diverse workload with the ability to meet deadlines
• Understanding of best practice with relation to consent processes and data protection

Desirable:

• Experience of image and film editing software, such as Photoshop, Illustrator and Premier Pro

Education / training

• Degree or equivalent in communications and marketing related subject
• Able to demonstrate relevant training to develop skills outlined above

Desirable:

• Membership of a professional body, e.g. Institute of Fundraising

Personal attributes

• Clear and open communicator; Confident in directing groups of people
• Flexible, adaptable and resilient to work demands and change
• Open and participative working style
• Motivated self-starter
• Willingness to travel and work outside of normal office hours when required
• Commitment to Family Fund’s values
• Commitment to equity, diversity, inclusion and fairness for all
• Commitment to safeguarding