Job Profile: Marketing & Communications Lead

Name: Emma Brisdion

Employer: The Rivers Trust

a person sitting in a canoe on a river holding a small vial of water. A brooding sky above — Emma Brisdion Water Testing (The Rivers Trust)

Location: Home-based (remote), with some travel

Job Responsibilities

My role is part of the Communications and Advocacy team at The Rivers Trust – a conservation charity working for wild, healthy, and natural rivers across the UK and Ireland. Much of this job involves engaging with external audiences such as the public or Government. We raise awareness of the issues our rivers face, as well as the solutions available and the work being done by our Movement of nearly 70 local Rivers Trusts. This includes planning social media and marketing strategies, creating content and marketing materials, working with influencers and ambassadors, and developing and delivering campaigns that might aim to get people writing to their MP about an issue, taking part in citizen science initiatives such as the Big River Watch, or using things like our Sewage Map and State of Our Rivers Report.

Time is spent mainly Indoors. Most of the time I’m at a desk, however, there are often opportunities to attend or run events, support the media, take part in citizen science projects, or work with local Trusts – which get me out of the house regularly!

4 bottles of water standing on a table with detailed labels, people standing in the background — Water samples of rivers taken to the House of Lords at the State of Our Rivers Report (The Rivers Trust)

Qualifications needed

Several years’ experience in delivering campaigns and external communications, and a degree or equivalent in a relevant science subject or communications are helpful! My background includes a Biology degree and a Science Communication master's, but these are not necessarily needed – relevant experience in a communications role can be just as important.

Skills needed: Strong communication, networking, and organizational skills are essential, as well as a good understanding of digital platforms and audiences. You’ll also likely find yourself creating content to deliver your campaign objectives, so experience as a writer, photographer, and video creator/editor is useful. It helps if you’re a people person too, as collaborating with teammates and other organisations is a big part of the job, and you’ll need to be happy to work flexibly – you never know when something in the news might require you to change your plans or need a rapid response.

Advice to anyone looking at similar roles:

Watch what the other organisations in the sector do! Keep an eye on the channels they choose to focus on, the messaging they use, and what impact they aim to have. You can learn useful insights by following the campaigns run by both big and small environmental charities – from the successes that they have to the things that didn’t resonate with audiences. These can inform your own thought processes when designing your next campaign.

If you have any queries about this role or would like to ask a question of the job holder please contact CJS by email.