About the John Smith Trust:

The John Smith Trust supports the development of sustainable, fair and inclusive societies in Eastern Europe, the South Caucasus and Central Asia (the EESCCA regions). We do this by inspiring and nurturing a collaborative community of leaders and change-makers who want to make a positive contribution to society.

We run regular fellowship programmes for exceptional individuals aged 25-35 from 12 countries across the EERSCCA regions who are working in the field of climate and sustainability, governance and justice, or equality, diversity and inclusion. Our 6-month hybrid programmes consist of online discussions and workshops followed by a residential programme in the UK. They are built around three pillars – unique insight into UK institutions, personalised professional meetings and leadership skills development – which together offer both a broad picture and an individual focus.

Once participants have completed their hybrid programme, they become members of our supportive and collaborative community of leaders and change-makers. We support our Fellows’ network further by running online and in-person events, which enable Fellows to continue connecting, sharing and collaborating with each other and with counterparts in the UK.

About the role

The John Smith Trust is looking for a skilled and creative Communications and Events Officer with a flair for social media engagement and passion for supporting the smooth-running of events. We are looking for someone who enjoys working as part of a small, committed team, with strong communication, organisational and interpersonal skills. You will create vibrant messaging about our activities, value and impact and continue to elevate our communications within our target region and the UK. You will maintain and develop JST’s presence across all our communication channels (our website, social media and online networking platform) and explore new ways to engage our community of fellows and supporters at different stages of the programme cycle. You will work closely with our Programme Managers to support the delivery of online and in person events, using your excellent written communications, tech-savviness and organisational skills.

We have an opportunity for a Strategic Planning Manager to join the Strategic Planning team on a full-time fixed term contract for 12 months. This is a dynamic role where you will co-ordinate the key components of the strategy management system.

It’s an exciting time to join the Fund as we implement our 2030 strategy ‘It Starts with Community’. Our ambitious 3-year Corporate Plan sets stretching goals to guide the organisation’s delivery of the strategy. The Strategic Planning team plays a key role in driving the Fund to achieve our overarching strategic ambitions. Through our strategy, we aim to build resilient communities that are more inclusive and environmentally sustainable. We’re committed to focusing our efforts where the need is greatest, particularly with people, places and communities who experience poverty, disadvantage, and discrimination. We’re eager to make a significant impact in the years ahead.

You will be part of a small, dispersed team working flexibly to meet the needs of our key stakeholders. The team oversees the Fund’s corporate planning, business planning and project/programme management processes to ensure we achieve our strategic ambitions.

You will bring expertise in strategic planning to facilitate the annual business planning process within senior leadership teams across the Fund, supporting directorates to deliver our strategic aspirations. We are looking for someone with a keen eye for detail who can also see the bigger picture. Through a continuous improvement approach you will regularly review our ways of working and be empowered to identify and implement innovative solutions. With your strategic thinking and analytical skills you will contribute to reports to senior leaders to provide assurance, raise issues and support effective decision making.

You will work collaboratively with our wider network of colleagues from across the organisation to deliver our key corporate processes, including the Finance team to ensure alignment between planning and budgeting.

You’ll play a key role in reporting against our strategic transformation and delivery programme, helping the Fund to assess whether we are on track to achieve our goals. You will have a strong background in project delivery, helping to develop and strengthen our internal project management capabilities by rolling out project management tools and templates, and providing coaching and guidance to project leads.

With strong organisational skills you will manage your workload and priorities throughout the year, ensuring that team priorities are met and aligning your efforts with the overall goals of the team. Your strong communication skills and passion will help raise the profile of the team and our work with colleagues across the Fund. There will be some travel expectations, with quarterly face-to-face team meetings within one of our offices.