• Careers Site Advertising End DateAdvertising End Date:
    06 Jul 2026
  • Internal Advertising End DateInternal Advertising End Date:
    06 Jul 2026
  • All LocationsAll Locations:
    Fully Remote
  • All DepartmentsAll Departments:
    Communications
  • Vacancy TypeVacancy Type:
    Permanent
  • Advertising SalarySalary Details:
    £19,160-£21,424
  • Directorate:
    Essential Services
  • About The Role

  • Head of Communications (Job Share)

    2–3 days per week (flexible, subject to agreement)

    Please note that the salary has been calculated on a pro-rata basis, reflecting the role's two-day-per-week working pattern.

    Join us - transform lives, change minds

    We are a leading social justice charity supporting people to recover from addiction and leave behind crime - helping them move on in life with family, friends, jobs, homes, and a sense of belonging. Working in over 80 prison and community settings across England and Wales, we support more than 40,000 people each year to achieve lasting, transformational change.

    Alongside frontline local delivery, we are driving change nationally - challenging stigma, influencing policy, and creating a society that believes in second chances and long-term recovery.

    The opportunity

    We are looking for an exceptional communications leader to join us in a job share Head of Communications role, working alongside an experienced colleague to shape and deliver a high-impact, organisation-wide communications strategy.

    This is a unique opportunity to lead high-profile national campaigns, strengthen our voice across the media and digital landscape, and ensure our people - over 900 staff across the country, many with lived experience - remain connected, engaged, and inspired by our mission.

    What you’ll lead

    You will play a central role in amplifying our impact and growing our influence, including:

    • National campaigns and public engagement — including our flagship Taking Action on Addiction campaign and Addiction Awareness Week, supported by our Royal Patron, HRH Princess of Wales, reaching millions each year
    • Media and profile-building — securing high-quality coverage, managing relationships with press, ambassadors, and influencers, including Lily Allen, Alasdair Campbell and many others
    • Audience growth and supporter engagement — expanding our network of donors, partners, and advocates
    • Digital and content strategy — driving a multi-platform approach that positions us as a thought leader in our field and also helps us reach the people who most need our support
    • Internal communications and culture — ensuring our 900+ staff feel informed, connected, and part of a shared purpose
    • Team leadership — jointly leading a skilled communications team and working closely with senior leaders, including our Chair, Tony Adams OBE, the CEO and Executive Team and Trustees.

    Why this role matters

    This role sits at the heart of how we influence change - shaping how we tell our story, how we reach people who need support, and how we mobilise public and political will.

    You’ll help ensure our communications are not only compelling, but impactful - supporting service delivery, influencing systems, and ultimately helping more people rebuild their lives.

    Who we’re looking for

    We want a dynamic, values-driven communications professional who can operate both strategically and ‘hands-on’. You will:

    • Bring a strong track record across PR, campaigns, digital, and internal communications
    • Be confident leading complex, multi-channel communications activity
    • Experience navigating complex organisational environments with diverse operational and service functions.
    • Have experience translating organisational mission into clear, engaging messaging for diverse audiences
    • Be a collaborative leader, comfortable working in a job share arrangement and across senior teams
    • Combine creativity with delivery—able to move from strategy to execution at pace
    • Bring a strategic and pragmatic approach to marketing, with strong attention to brand consistency and discipline.
    • Be passionate about social justice and motivated by real-world impact

    What we offer

    • A high-profile, purpose-driven leadership role
    • Flexibility through a supportive job share model
    • The opportunity to shape national conversations and influence change
    • A collaborative and ambitious organisation committed to growth and innovation
    • A generous benefits package

    If you’re ready to use your communications expertise to drive real social change, we’d love to hear from you.

  • About Us

  • We are The Forward Trust, the social enterprise with charitable status that empowers people to break the often interlinked cycles of crime and addiction to move forward with their lives. For more than 25 years we have been working with people to build positive and productive lives, whatever their past. We believe that anyone is capable of lasting change. Our services have supported thousands of people to make positive changes and build productive lives with a job, family, friends and a sense of community.

    We are committed to our cause and the work we carry out as a charity. Equally the wellbeing and the employees who work for us are also important. Joining us an employee, we will offer you the following benefits - 
    • Flexible working
    • Training and development opportunities
      • BHSF Cashback Scheme (optional)
      • Season Ticket Loan Scheme 
      • Cycle to work scheme
      • Crisis Loan Scheme
      • Electric Car Scheme
      • 3 x Wellbeing Days (pro rata'd for part time employees)
      • Access to Blue Light Card
      • 25 days (rising to 30 with length of service) Annual Leave plus Bank Holidays 
      • Contributory Pension Scheme – Employer matched contributions of up to 6% in the first two years’ service and up to 9% thereafter 
      • Death in Service Payment (2x annual salary) 
      • Critical Illness Insurance (subject to qualifying criteria)
      Please note that we may close this vacancy early if we receive a high volume of suitable applications.
       
      Diversity at Forward Trust
      The Forward Trust commits to providing opportunities to everyone. We want to ensure we have a diverse team with a range of lived and professional experiences. This includes those with ‘Lived Experience’ of addiction, offending, or homelessness. Some of our roles may require a minimum period of sustained recovery (normally around  years). This is assessed on a case-by-case basis, and exceptions may be considered depending on the role and individual circumstances.

      When we recruit, we welcome applications from everyone. This is inclusive of age, gender, ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion and/or belief, marriage and civil partnerships, pregnancy and maternity and socio-economic background. Where operationally possible, we will consider flexible working requests and make reasonable adjustments for all roles.

      To find out more about Forward’s commitment to being an inclusive employer and our current EDI strategy click here.  

      We want our recruitment process to be accessible to everyone. If you require any reasonable adjustments at any stage, please let us know.
       
      Employee Screening and Eligibility to Work
      Dependent on role you may be required to undertake a Disclosure and Barring Service Check, details of which will be shared with you at interview.

      If successful in your application, you will be required to provide eligibility to work evidence in line with the ‘Eligibility to Work in the UK’ requirements.
      Our Commitment to Safeguarding
      We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people, and adults at risk. Forward Trust follow safer recruitment practices and support a culture of openness and accountability.

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