Stories Lead

Sense has a fantastic opportunity for someone to join our Brand and Content team as our Stories Lead. This is a permeant, hybrid, full-time position working 37.5 hours per week, based between home and our offices in Kings Cross, London.

The Brand and Content Team nurture and develop the Sense brand, putting it at the heart of everything we do and ensuring it is consistently represented throughout every touchpoint. We are also responsible for creating engaging and stand out content for departments across the organisation, whilst also creating content to meet our own strategic goals.

The successful candidate will be responsibile for maintaining and growing Sense s storyteller portfolio, made up of disabled people and their families, volunteers, supporters and staff. It will play a leading role in ensuring that the most compelling stories feature across the charity s media, campaigns, fundraising and wider comms initiatives, to increase engagement with our brand and help make our bold plans a reality. You will overseeing the stories database, leads on identifying and interviewing storytellers, gathers content to support Sense s content strategy, writes up storyteller experiences and translates into external facing content, and establishes a pipeline of new stories according to organisational priorities. As well as encouraging best practice, identifying opportunities, and advising on stories use across the engagement department.

Key Responsibilities

• Manage Sense s stories database and play a leading role in ensuring the most compelling stories feature across our media, campaigns, fundraising and wider comms initiatives.
• Oversee the management of storyteller relationships at Sense, making sure that their needs are met and that they understand the role of the charity, how their story can support it and the impact of doing so - ensuring they have a positive experience throughout.
• Lead on conducting sensitive interviews with contributors, writing up their stories and updating the stories database.
• When required, translate storyteller experiences into meaningful and engaging written content across core formats, including blogs, social media posts and emails.
• Capture additional content from storytellers that aligns with Sense s content strategy, for example photography or short video pieces to camera.
• Collaborate with teams and build strong working relationships with colleagues in the Engagement department and across Sense to agree priorities, develop briefs and deliver story leads to deadline.
• Co-ordinate story development across the engagement department. and be the first point of contact for storytellers when multi-media assets are being collected.
• Work with operational colleagues to identify and manage story leads developing the skills and knowledge of this group to help facilitate this process.

Key skills and experience

• Educated to degree level or equivalent qualification in media or communications related subjects.
• Strong understanding of what makes a good story to drive external engagement.
• Understanding of the core role of storytelling within the charity sector and how storytelling content enhances brand engagement.
• Understanding of ethical approach to gathering stories, informed consent, and data protection.
• Evidence of own continuing professional development.
• Experience working in a marketing, communications, media or content team.
• Demonstrable experience of sourcing, gathering and writing story content for both internal use and external communications.
• Experience conducting interviews with storytellers.
• Experience working with real-life stories in communications.
• Ability to gather, adapt and edit stories to engage and motivate different audiences.
• Strong writing skills for digital channels.
• Strong proofreading skills and a great eye for detail.
• Interviewing skills and the ability to get to the heart of a story.

Experience of working in a fast-moving

For a full job description and person specification, please see the link below

About Sense

At Sense we believe that every disabled person should have the opportunity to connect with others and be included in the world. We use our knowledge and expertise to deliver personalised, creative and flexible support at every stage of life.

Sense is proud to be a Disability Confident Employer. Working at Sense can be incredibly rewarding; we offer the opportunity to work in a large, diverse and successful charity where people can develop their skills, knowledge and careers in a supportive and flexible environment. In addition, we have excellent training and development, the opportunity for you to join our Group Personal Pension scheme and a generous annual leave entitlement.

To apply

Please use the link below to complete your application. Managers will use your application to shortlist candidates for interview; in relation to the Personal Specification. Therefore, it is very important you complete this section thoroughly. We would recommend that you read the job description and person specification before applying.

Please note to avoid disappointment, we advise you to submit your application as soon as possible as we reserve the right to close posts at any time.

No agency submissions please: any submissions without prior authorisation from the Sense Recruitment Team will be treated as our own and as such no fee will be payable.

Sense is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of vulnerable children and adults and expects all employees to share this commitment. Therefore, all offers of employment, where appropriate, are subject to a DBS check; level dependent on the nature of the role.

For this role we particularly welcome applications from candidates from underrepresented ethnic minority backgrounds and candidates with disabilities. Sense is committed to equality of opportunity, and to promoting and celebrating the diversity of staff, volunteers and the people we work with. Everyone's contribution is valued and we ensure they're given the opportunity to realise their potential. We welcome applications from talented people from all sections of the community who share our values and belief that no one, no matter how complex their disabilities, should be isolated, left out, or unable to fulfil their potential.