CLOSED: Communications and Policy Manager, National Community Land Trust Network

Why join us

Would you like to work in a dynamic organisation that is behind a growing movement of people building genuinely and permanently affordable homes and is part of a cutting edge collaboration to scale up community-led housing?

Community Land Trusts (CLTs) are a vital force for social good. They are local organisations set up and run by local people to develop and manage homes as well as other assets important to that community, like community enterprises, food growing or workspaces. The CLT’s main task is to make sure the homes are genuinely affordable, based on what people actually earn in their area, not just for now but for every future occupier.

CLTs are part of a wider community-led housing movement that has gained momentum over recent years, particularly following the commitment from Government to invest £60 million a year in the sector. The sector is now on the cusp of significant expansion and there is real potential to move it from a niche emerging market into the mainstream. To achieve that, the National CLT Network, as well as delivering a plan for strategic growth, has entered into a strategic collaboration with UK Cohousing and CDS Cooperatives to work on advocacy, policy and awareness-raising projects.

About the National CLT Network

The National CLT Network was established in 2010. As the national Charity for CLTs in England and Wales, it represents and supports 225 CLTs nationwide and is a membership body. The National CLT Network provides funding, resources, training and advice for CLTs and works with Government, local authorities, lenders and funders to establish the best conditions for CLTs to grow and flourish. In the short time that the organisation has been around it has achieved a significant amount and it is known as one of the most effective lobbying organisations in Westminster.

Comprising a small, dedicated and ambitious team, the National CLT Network is now poised to begin a period of growth. We have an ambitious strategy to scale up the CLT sector and to develop the National CLT Network into a strong, viable and resilient social business. We have recently secured funding from two major trusts to help achieve that goal.

About the role

This role will work at a strategic and senior management level, helping to deliver the National CLT Network’s and partners’ strategic aims around policy and communications. The challenges and opportunities are manifold, including:

Working with the Director on a range of cutting edge, high profile, advocacy campaigns, such as Right to Buy and the £60 million Community Housing Fund, and developing and delivering new advocacy campaigns;
Developing and delivering a communications strategy for the organisation and for the UK Cohousing Network;
Building the media presence of community-led housing by running proactive and reactive press campaigns and through capacity building members to increase press coverage of their work;
Developing and delivering communications tools for the National CLT Network and the UK Cohousing Network, such as printed materials, the website and a social media programme;
Leading on the development of shared advocacy campaign and communications initiatives, as part of the collaboration to scale up community-led housing.

About you

This is an exciting and career-enhancing role. It could be the right opportunity for a range of potential candidates. Your motivations might be many and varied – from wanting to develop your career in communications and policy, to having a passion for housing or communities, or because you want more responsibility and strategic management opportunities. Whatever your motivations the National CLT Network would like to hear from you. Particularly if you: enjoy a variety of tasks and challenges, are creative, enterprising, flexible and ambitious and are able to work with both the big picture and deliver on the detail. You will also feel strongly about the importance of social justice and the difference that CLTs and community-led housing can make.