Communications and Operations Officer

Do you enjoy crafting stories that bridge divides and create powerful connections? Are you an organised, proactive operator who thrives in a dynamic team? Do you want to help shape a growing community of social leaders tackling poverty in the United Kingdom?

UK Acumen Academy is looking for a Communications & Operations Officer to support our programmes and spread the word about our UK Fellows. We are seeking a self-starter with experience designing and delivering impactful communications who s eager to learn, collaborate, and grow.

About UK Acumen Academy

UK Acumen Academy is a charity (Charity number ) that develops and delivers transformative leadership programmes, including the Acumen Fellowship, to equip social entrepreneurs across the United Kingdom with the tools and community needed to strengthen their leadership, scale their impact, and create lasting change.

As the regional partner of Acumen Academy, the world s school for social change, we are building a locally-rooted and globally-connected network of extraordinary leaders and organisations dedicated to solving problems of poverty and building a world based on dignity.

Through our flagship UK Fellows Programme, we have provided catalytic support to 85 Founders, CEOs, and senior leaders, whose innovations have positively impacted over 3 million lives across the United Kingdom.

Role Summary

As Communications & Operations Officer, you will strengthen how Acumen Academy UK communicates and delivers its mission - supporting bold social leaders and amplifying their stories of change.

Your focus will be on communications: creating and sharing campaigns that tell the story of our Fellows, programmes, and partnerships. Alongside this, you will play a key operations support role, ensuring the smooth running of our programmes, events, and participant communications.

Working closely with the UK Director, Senior Programme Manager, and Acumen Academy s global marketing team, you ll help shape how we reach new audiences, engage our growing community, and turn insights into action - while developing your own professional skills and networks.

This role is a full-time role and has a salary of £25,000 to £28,000 per year (depending on experience).

Key Responsibilities

Communications

• Design and deliver digital campaigns, newsletters, and social media that amplify the work and impact of UK Fellows

• Write and edit engaging content for blogs, reports, and events that tell the story of our community and partners

• Collaborate with Acumen Academy s global marketing team to align messaging, share content, and contribute to global storytelling initiatives

• Track and evaluate engagement data to inform strategy and improve communications performance

• Create visual assets (using Canva or Adobe Creative Cloud) that are on-brand, accessible, and inspiring

Operations

• Coordinate event logistics, participant communications, and cohort updates to support smooth programme delivery

• Manage systems such as Airtable, GDrive, and Microsoft Excel for data tracking and reporting

• Support data collection and impact reporting for projects and funders

• Contribute to improving internal processes that strengthen the participant and partner experience

Qualifications and skills

• Experience creating and managing digital communications (email, social media, web, or campaigns)

• Have an eye for detail

• Can use data to learn and refine

• Comfortable with ambiguity and can take initiative

• Can build strong, authentic relationships and enjoy working collaboratively

• Care deeply about social change and are aligned with Acumen s values: humility & audacity, integrity & respect, listening & leadership, generosity & accountability

Nice to have:

• Experience crafting stories that connect diverse audiences to purpose

• Familiarity with Canva, Adobe Creative Cloud, Hubspot, or similar tools

• Experience working in purpose-driven or community-focused organisations

• An understanding of the UK social-impact ecosystem

About Time to Shine: This role is part of the Time to Shine leadership programme established by The Rank Foundation. If successful, you will join a cohort of emerging leaders across the Rank network. Over 12 months, you will take part in structured training and peer learning designed to strengthen your leadership, communication, and organisational skills while contributing to your host organisation s impact.

We encourage applications from people with a wide range of backgrounds and experiences. You do not need to meet every criterion to be considered. As this role is part of the Rank Foundation s Time to Shine programme, we particularly welcome applications from people who may be underemployed or unemployed, while still warmly encouraging anyone who feels they could thrive in the role to apply.

Employee benefits at UK Acumen Academy

We care about our people and giving them the things they need to succeed, and we are passionate about UK Acumen Academy being a great place to work. Wherever possible we aim to give each person responsibility to choose when and where they work, and to find the right balance between team-based and home working. We have shared office space in Somerset House, and for those working at home we ll provide you with a laptop and an allowance to get yourself set up. Our pro-rata benefits include:

• Flexible working (with 2 days in the office)

• 33 fully flexible holiday days (including the 8 UK bank holidays)

• £600 annual budget for learning and development

• Access to all Acumen Academy s online courses free of charge

• Monthly in-person team days

• Monthly working-from-home allowance

• Enhanced maternity and paternity leave

• 3% employer pension contribution

How to apply:

• Stage 1: Complete your online application (tell us what you can do)

• Stage 2: Invited to an video interview with the UK Senior Programme Manager

• Stage 3: Invited to complete a short case-study exercise (show us what you can do)

• Stage 4: Invited to a video/in-person interview with the UK Acumen Academy team

Diversity: UK Acumen Academy knows that we are strongest when our team has a variety of experience, expertise, and insights to draw from. For us, diversity isn t merely a strategy: it s an essential part of our organisational success. We are committed to ensuring that UK Acumen Academy is representative of our society at large, and is an inclusive environment for all, regardless of race, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, faith, and socioeconomic background.