Audience Development and Communications Manager (Freelance - Maternity Cover)

Key Tasks and Responsibilities

Strategy and Planning

- Use the Communications and Audience Development Strategies to guide all campaigns, ensuring they broaden access, deepen participation and extend reach.

- Monitor, evaluate and report on progress against strategic objectives, providing regular updates to the Director and board of trustees.

- Support income generation through targeted marketing for retail, café, venue hire and fundraising campaigns.

- Manage communications budgets and support the Director in planning future resource needs.

Exhibition Marketing

- Lead the planning and delivery of marketing campaigns for the museum’s exhibition and events programme, ensuring strong audience engagement and attendance.

- Develop compelling content and campaigns across digital, print and press for each exhibition.

- Work closely with curatorial and learning team members to shape audience-focused narratives and key messages.

- Manage relationships with designers, freelancers and PR to deliver high-quality campaigns.

- Evaluate campaign performance and report outcomes to the Director and Board, using insights to inform future activity.

Brand Management

- Safeguard the museum’s brand identity, ensuring consistent tone, style and presentation across all channels using new visual identity and tone of voice guidelines.

- Oversee all external communications including print, digital, social media and on-site signage.

Media and Press

- Work closely with external PR team, acting as the museum’s primary press contact, building strong relationships with journalists, media outlets and influencers.

- Collaborate with the PR team on writing press releases, and coordinate interviews, visits and photoshoots as needed.

Digital and Content

- Lead on the development and day-to-day management of the museum’s website, email marketing, social channels and digital campaigns.

- Create, commission and curate engaging digital content to support exhibitions, events, commercial activity and fundraising.

Marketing and Audience Engagement

- Plan and deliver campaigns to promote exhibitions and learning events.

- Produce and oversee high-quality copy, design and production for all marketing and promotional materials, in print and online.

- Ensure effective distribution of materials through targeted channels, both locally and nationally.

- Monitor, evaluate and report on the impact of communications activity, using data and insights to inform future strategy.

Commercial

- Work closely with Commercial Manager to promote retail in person and online, product promotions etc to maximise earned income to the museum.

- Support Commercial Manager to gather customer data in order to then inform future campaigns.

General

- Work closely with Front of House and wider staff to ensure consistent delivery of key messages to visitors.

- Build knowledge of the museum’s permanent collection and use this to inform content and storytelling.

- Represent the museum at external events, forums and networks.

- Ensure compliance with GDPR and other relevant regulations across all communications activity.

- Stay informed of sector best practice and emerging trends in marketing, communications and audience engagement.

Fee: c £1,800 - £2,000 per month
Contract: December 2025 – June 2026 with likelihood of renewal for a further 6 months.
Hours: Part time/flexible. We expect this role to average 4 days/week, 28 hours.
Please outline your day rate and proposed work schedule in your application.
Based: Hybrid. We can accommodate remote working but would ask you to have at least 1 contact day at the museum per week.

For the full Job Description and Personal Specification please go to: https://www.ditchlingmuseumartcraft.org.uk/support-us/jobs/