Media and Communications Officer, IPPR North

Are you driven by a commitment to end inequalities? Do you want to play a role in towards building fairer, greener, and more prosperous regions in the UK?  Can you harness the power of words to change hearts and minds? If so, we have a role that will give you the chance to shape political debate and policy and help secure lasting change. 

IPPR North is part of an independent charity which – through rigorous research, analysis and public dialogue – works to make today’s bold ideas tomorrow’s common sense. We are recruiting a Media and Communications Officer to play a leading role in communicating that mission and our work – to the public, decision makers and opinion formers – and helping to shape the public and political debate for social, democratic, environmental, and economic progress. 

Working alongside the IPPR North director and team, as well as cross IPPR communications colleagues, the postholder is responsible for taking forward IPPR North’s communications strategy. Spanning traditional and new media, you will plan, coordinate, and deliver media and digital communications outputs, identify opportunities to proactively shape policy debates, and help to secure impact and influence across a wide range of audiences. 

As part of the wider IPPR-family, you will also have the opportunity to utilise your skills right across the UK – working closely with counterparts in the IPPR communications team, contributing to UK-wide communications planning, and helping to deliver UK-wide outputs. 

This post is primarily based at IPPR North’s office in Manchester but with some remote working and occasional travel (agreed in advance) to our London offices for cross-organisational work and the North, Midlands or other regions to work with partners. 

If you have the ability to think creatively and work flexibly as part of a small team, we would like to hear from you. To be successful you will have some experience of working in a communications or media environment; knowledge of the regional media; and a keen interest in politics and public policy in the North and England’s regions in particular. You will combine excellent written and verbal communication skills with strong political judgement and an eye for a good story – knowing when and how to engage with journalists and pitch stories. You will be able to interpret and communicate complex information, using this to frame compelling stories and craft clear and impactful communications products across a variety of mediums. Just as importantly, the successful candidate will be passionate about our work and helping to secure a fairer and greener north of England. 

We welcome applications from all sections of the community, especially from those with lived experience of disadvantage, and from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic candidates who are currently under-represented at IPPR. Appointment will be made on merit.

Before applying, please click here to read the information pack that includes the job description and person specification. Or email recruitment@ippr.org quoting the job title 'Media and Communications Officer, IPPR North'.

To apply for this post we would like you to submit a personal statement of no more than 1000 words demonstrating your suitability for the role and clearly addressing each of the points in the person specification. We would also like you to submit a CV. Both should be combined into one PDF document and returned to applications@ippr.org, quoting the job title 'Media and Communications Officer, IPPR North'. Please also complete IPPR’s equal opportunities monitoring form which you can access by clicking here.

The closing date for receipt of completed applications is midnight on Wednesday 28th August 2025.

Interviews, which will include a written task, are expected to take place W/C 8th September 2025.