Communications Assistant

Location: Hybrid / London. We combine home working and office-based working to suit individual and organisational needs.

Salary: £28,000–£31,000 (FTE), pro-rata based on 22.5 hours a week.

Contract: One-year fixed-term contract, part-time (22.5 hours a week) — renewable pending funding.

Hours: 22.5 hours (3 days a week)

Responsible to: Communications Officer

Key relationships: Director of Development and Programmes, Fundraising Officer, Capacity Building team, Events Coordinator and Team Assistant, Legal team, External lawyers, partners and beneficiaries.

Closing date: 29 August 2025

Role Summary

This is a fantastic opportunity for an early-career communicator looking to build hands-on experience across social media, digital content creation, and nonprofit communications.

As Communications Assistant, you will support the Communications Officer and the Development team across all their communications and administrative needs, so that the organisation can deliver on its 2025–2029 Strategy objectives.

Your main job responsibilities will be centred on organising and managing the administrative tasks that support our communications work, supporting the creation of social media assets, writing social copy, managing our social media posting, providing statistics for weekly, monthly and quarterly reporting, updating our website with press releases, blog posts and new legal resources, and attending events.

You will be an enthusiastic team player as a lot of your tasks will involve and require input from other team members — from scheduling meetings to coordinating the production of case studies and writing and scheduling social media content.

Main Responsibilities

Managing Social Media

• Create, schedule and publish social media content to various platforms such as X, Instagram, Bluesky, Facebook and LinkedIn
• Version content for different formats and dimensions (e.g. Stories, Reels, carousels, etc.)
• Create and/or support the creation of visual posts, infographics and video content
• Draft clear, engaging and legally informed copy (with support from the Communications Officer)
• Monitor and grow engagement with our online audiences
• Engage with the work of other freedom of expression organisations to cement our position as an expert voice in the sector
• Help maintain a regular stream of evergreen and topical content

Managing and Maintaining Website

• Regularly update our website, add blog posts and ensure all pages are fully up to date, including relevant tags
• Work closely with the teams so that our website content reflects our legal work
• Support the Communications Officer with the dissemination of all project communication materials

Communications Materials

• Coordinate and assist with the production of newsletters, blog posts, videos and podcasts
• Assist with the development, design and publication of our publications (i.e. Annual Report, Journalists Impact Survey, etc.)
• Assist the team with presentations, proofreading, editing videos and making sure external materials are in keeping with our brand guidelines
• Support our image bank
• Support with the production of brand templates

Person Specification

• Excellent writing, editing and proofreading skills, suited to preparing professional external and internal reports, articles and social media copy
• Competent design skills, with knowledge of Canva / Adobe Express
• Ability to version digital assets for multiple platforms
• Competent IT user including Microsoft Office Packages, internet and email
• Positive and can-do attitude, creative, flexible and enthusiastic, with a commitment to excellence and professionalism
• Excellent written and oral communication skills, excellent written and spoken English and the ability to communicate clearly with non-native English speakers
• Highly organised, with attention to detail and ability to meet deadlines
• Ability to thrive in a fast-paced environment
• Integrity, professional discretion and ability to handle confidential matters
• A strong commitment to equal opportunities and diversity in the workplace
• Passion and commitment to the mission and vision of Media Defence
• Right to work in the UK

Desirable

• Knowledge of additional languages
• Knowledge of WordPress CMS
• Knowledge of Adobe programmes, particularly InDesign, Photoshop and After Effects
• Experience of and an interest in international human rights, law or journalism
• Equality and diversity are fundamental to our mission. We are committed to the recruitment and retention of individuals from diverse backgrounds and who reflect the diverse communities in which we operate.

If you are interested in applying for this role, please email your CV and covering letter in PDF format, referencing ‘Communications Assistant’ to [email protected]

Closing Date: 29 August 2025.

Interviews will take place w/c 8 September 2025.

If you have any questions relating to the role or the process, or would like any adjustments made to accommodate your needs, please contact us at [email protected]