Director of Communications and External Affairs

What Youll Do 

You will: 

• Lead Catch22s communications and external affairs strategy strengthening our influence and reputation across the sector. 

• Champion the voices and lived experiences of the people we support ensuring they shape organisational priorities and public debate. 

• Build trusted relationships with commissioners funders policymakers partners regulators and influencers. 

• Strengthen the Catch22 brand growing recognition credibility and trust nationally. 

• Lead communications through periods of change challenge and opportunity with confidence judgement and integrity. 

• Use insight evidence and storytelling to influence public policy and contribute to meaningful system reform. 

• Support the organisations growth ambitions by ensuring that communications activity directly supports strategy delivery and impact. 

• Inspire and develop high-performing inclusive teams while fostering a strong One Catch22 culture. 

Click here to view the Job Pack

Qualifications :

Experience within the charity/third sector is not required; applicants who can demonstrate transferable skills from other industries are welcomed.    We are particularly interested in the following:

SKILLS & QUALIFICATIONS

• Educated to degree level with a relevant management qualification or equivalent
• Strong financial and commercial understanding including assessment of value risk and long-term sustainability
• A track record of successful political influencing work including building cross-party support through relationship-building advocacy and media work
• Exemplary influencing skills at all levels of an organisation with the ability to maintain and extend stakeholder and customer relationships and to analyse and provide advice on complex issues
• Outstanding written and verbal communication skills able to translate complex issue into clear compelling narratives

EXPERIENCE & KNOWLEDGE

• Significant senior-level experience leading communications policy campaigning and/or external affairs functions
• Proven experience of political and system-level influencing including working with government commissioners media and partners.
• Successful experience of leading motivating and developing people at all levels
• Strategic thinking around marketplaces audiences organisations and stakeholders
• Demonstrable experience of setting organisational direction navigating ambiguity and advancing organisational culture and performance.

Additional Information :

Salary & Benefits

• up to 84000 per annum depending on skills and experience
• 33 days annual leave (plus 8 public holidays)
• Approved workplace pension scheme with a matching employer contribution of 4%
• 3 x salary life insurance
• Employee Assistance Programme & GP helpline

Location

You will be based in our London office at Pear Tree Street. The role will also involve regular travel across our services and office locations.

Working Pattern

This is a full-time (37 hours per week) role all flexible working arrangements will be considered.

Application

We will stop accepting applications at 5pm on Monday 26 October 2026 so please ensure that you have reviewed all information and completed your application by this time. Please note that if we receive an overwhelming number of applications we reserve the right to bring the application deadline forward. We therefore encourage you to submit your application as early as possible to avoid missing out.

This role requires a DBS check.

See the benefits of working for Catch22 here.

Unless otherwise stated interviews will be arranged as suitable candidates are identified so early application is strongly advised.

We aim to review applications as quickly as possible. However due to the volume of interest we receive we may not be able to contact all applicants individually. If you have not heard from us within two weeks of the closing date please assume that your application has not been successful this time.

At Catch22 we value equality diversity and inclusion. We are wholeheartedly committed to the principle of equality of opportunity both as an employer and as a provider of services. Diversity and Inclusion is part of what we do every day working to deliver our vision to build a strong society where everyone has good people around them a purpose and a good place to live.

Catch22 is committed to rigorous safeguarding and safer recruitment practices; ensuring that every individual within the organisation has been safely and appropriately checked.

Please note we will conduct an online search as part of our due dilligence checks for successful candidate(s). This will involve a search of all publicly available information online and in social media. 

Catch22s Commitment to Ban the Box

Catch22 is proud to have Banned the Box. This means that we do not ask for candidates to disclose criminal convictions at the application stage. Instead we invite disclosures at interview stage and encourage them at the offer stage. Please see our statement of commitment on hiring people with convictions for more information.

Remote Work :

No

Employment Type :

Full-time