Local Party Organiser & Communications Officer (East Cambs)

Job Title: Local Party Organiser and Communications Officer

Working For: Charlotte Cane MP and East Cambridgeshire Liberal Democrats

Location: Remote, with some working in East Cambridgeshire required

Salary: £27,000 pa (pro rata if taken as a part time role)

Closing Date: 15/11/24

Send CVs and cover letters to: stephen.lambert@libdems.org.uk

Do you want to make the world around you a better place to live? Do you want to see your values making a real difference in people’s lives? Do you want to work alongside the Member of Parliament for the Liberal Democrats’ most marginal seat, gained from a Cabinet minister at the General Election in 2024, and a team of enthusiastic and experienced campaigners? If you answered Yes to any of these questions, this role may be the perfect opportunity for you!

In addition to our new MP Charlotte Cane, we currently hold thirteen seats out of 28 on the District Council, and three of the eight County Council seats in East Cambridgeshire. We are looking for a strong self-starter to continue our successes into the May 2025 County Council elections and onwards, including re-electing Charlotte at the next General Election.

The Organiser will play a critical role in the campaign strategy team, and will help to promote the Liberal Democrats locally, build capacity, develop messaging, set out campaigning priorities, and plan winning campaigns. The Organiser will also be expected to manage the operational side of the campaign, coordinating with key local volunteers, the office of Charlotte Cane MP; the regional, county, and local party; the neighbouring South Cambridgeshire local party; and local council groups. Priorities will be set by the local executive and campaign strategy team in consultation with regional campaign management staff.

This role also potentially includes 2 days a week working as communications officer for Charlotte Cane MP. This is an exciting opportunity to help a newly elected MP build their presence in the constituency and to more effectively communicate with their constituents. 

We are willing to split this full time job into 2 part time jobs in the right circumstances. Please mention this in your application if it’s something you’d like to discuss. 

A full description for each part of this role can be found below.

For 3 days/week as the organiser for East Cambridgeshire Liberal Democrats you’ll support the work of the Liberal Democrats in East Cambridgeshire district so that:

• the local party’s membership and volunteer base grows and thrives;
• the local party’s fundraising capacity increases to support local campaigning including by the Member of Parliament;
• the local party’s capacity to fight elections is strengthened and campaigning activity, internal and external communications are coordinated;
• an increased number of Liberal Democrats are elected to Cambridgeshire County Council in 2025 and to East Cambridgeshire District Council in 2027;
• we increase our majority at the next Parliamentary election.

Key Roles and Responsibilities:

1)   To assist the local party’s Campaign Committee in strategic planning and campaign organisation.

2)   To organise volunteers and local party workers to deliver the campaign plan by:

a)      recruiting, training, managing and mobilising volunteers, and~

b)     leading volunteer teams on campaigning activities (doorstep, online, telephone and delivery).

3)   To ensure the delivery of a programme of doorstep and telephone voter contact.

4)   To oversee and contribute to the production of literature in line with the local party literature plan, both local and constituency wide.

5)   To build and develop digital campaigning capacity alongside key volunteers.

6)   To organise volunteers to enter data in the online database, taking into consideration confidentiality and data retention rules. The organiser may also be required to enter data in the absence of such volunteers.

7)   To line manage any supporting staff and interns.

8)   To liaise as necessary with staff and officers of the regional party (East of England), neighbouring local parties, and the local and surrounding council groups.

9)   To assist the fundraising group to a limited extent, as allowed by other duties.

10)  To undertake such training as is recommended to develop and update required skills.

11)  To undertake such other duties as the line manager may require furthering effective communication, campaigning and organisation in the area.

In addition the Campaigns Organiser will comply with general duties, including:

• Adhere to all health and safety and fire regulations and cooperate with the local party to maintain good standards of health and safety;
• Uphold ethical and professional standards and not behave in a manner that is likely to bring the party into disrepute;
• Promote and sustain a responsible attitude towards equal opportunities and diversity within the party; and
• Demonstrate a commitment to ongoing learning and development and participate in training relevant to the role.

Person specification

Essential

1)    Ability to communicate effectively with and maintain the confidence of a wide variety of stakeholders.   

2)    Track record of recruiting, mobilising and managing volunteers effectively. 

3)    A can-do attitude and resilience in pressured, sensitive or difficult situations.       

4)    Understanding and experience of election campaigns and management.

5)    Ability to motivate and manage a team of people and work effectively as a team member.

6)    Ability to work unsupervised and prioritise effectively from a wide variety of tasks.

7)    Ability to meet deadlines.                  

8)    Good written and oral communication skills.

9)    Ability to delegate effectively.

10) Sympathetic to Liberal Democrat aims and/or values

Desirable

1)      Knowledge of the local area, its politics and local communities.

2)      Ability to produce effective political literature.

3)      Good digital skills and willingness to learn new software, apps and media: social media, ability to update web sites, ability to use a variety of specialised software e.g. desktop publishing, video subtitling.

4)      Ability to spot issues with campaigning potential.

5)      Ability to work with the local media and generate positive coverage for the party and its representatives.

6)      Possession of full driving licence and access to a vehicle.

For 2 days/week as a Communications Officer for Charlotte Cane MP, you'll:

1. Establish, monitor & update Charlotte’s social media & online presence in the constituency
2. Produce online graphics & video content
3. Manage & monitor social media enquiries
4. Ensure all enquiries are dealt with in a timely manner
5. Monitor media coverage, liaise with media, prepare press releases as required (on non-party-political matters)

Person specification:

1. Excellent standard of written and spoken English
2. Highly organised approach
3. Love talking to people
4. Creative eye for good photos and graphics
5. Comfortable using social media
6. Self-starter who understands the importance of working collaboratively
7. Sympathy with the aims & values of the Liberal Democrats

For both parts of this role, there will be a requirement to work outside normal working hours and travel for work occasionally. It may be possible for an exceptionally organised candidate to avoid some of this - the interview panel will discuss this with you.

Upon appointment you will be required to apply for security clearance, undertaken by the Security Vetting and Pass Office. See Members’ Staff Security Clearance page for further info. MPs generally pay staff in accordance with IPSA guidelines.