Role OVO-View

Team: OVO Foundation

Salary banding:  £42,500 - £52,500

Experience: Mid-level

Working pattern:Full-Time

Reporting to: Hannah Howard, Head of OVO Foundation

Sponsorship: Unfortunately we are unable to offer sponsorship for this role.

This role in 3 words: Inspiring. Creative. Collaboration.

Top 3 qualities for this role: Organised. Proactive. Passionate.

 

In the words of the team, you should leave your current role for this one because….

“This exciting and totally unique role directly shapes OVO Foundation’s partnerships and inspires others, including OVO’s customers, to support our vision of a greener, brighter future for the next generation.”

 

Where you’ll work:

At OVO, we understand that a one size fits all approach doesn’t work for everyone. That’s why we created the OVO Way of Flexibility.

All our roles are hub based (Bristol, Glasgow or London), providing a dedicated space for collaboration, connection and teamwork. You’ll also have the flexibility to work from home.

 

Everyone belongs at OVO

At OVO, we are on a mission to solve one of humanity's biggest challenges, the climate crisis. And we know it takes all of us to change the world. That's why we need diverse people from all abilities, gender identities, ethnicities, ages, sexual orientations, life experiences and backgrounds to join us.

 

Teamworking for the planet

Everything we do here spins around Plan Zero. So, naturally, the team you’ll be joining plays a gigantic role in making that happen. Here’s how:

We are OVO’s award-winning charity, supported by OVO and our customers. From reducing schools’ energy bills to planting Tiny Forests; we are a small and mighty team thanks to our brilliant partnerships. In 2023, we helped over 20,000 children and young people to access nature, climate action and education.

 

This role in a nutshell:

The Senior Projects and Communications Manager is responsible for driving the delivery of OVO Foundation’s charitable projects. You’ll be confident in using your project management and communications expertise to influence our grantmaking strategy and inspire audiences.  It’s our tenth birthday this year so this role will support our celebrations while ensuring our continued impact in schools and communities.

 

Your key outcomes will be:

Ensure the success of OVO Foundation’s programmes

• Use your thorough understanding of effective project management to have oversight of a portfolio of projects with our charity partners throughout the grant lifecycle; including leading due diligence processes, budget tracking, and using monitoring and evaluation frameworks to ensure programme quality and articulate impact.
• Build and maintain effective working relationships with our partners to develop theories of change, delivery plans, and reporting frameworks. 
• Proactively identify and connect with potential new partners to ensure the OVO Foundation stays up to date with activity in the youth nature and climate education and action space.
• Use knowledge of key activities relevant to our work to help shape the OVO Foundation’s strategy and suggest future grantmaking/ collaborations.
• Identify and drive opportunities to improve data collection and reporting processes, including reporting project progress to our Board.

Build OVO Foundation’s external and internal profile

• Lead our external and internal communications to develop engagement with OVO customers, OVO People and our charity partners, and use data to track our performance.
• Create and deliver a content collection plan to ensure a continuous stream of new content (including images, films and case studies from our projects).
• Collaborate with teams in OVO to support the delivery of OVO Foundation’s communications and engagement strategy, and manage content databases.
• Identify and address key communication opportunities for OVO Foundation, including within the OVO customer journey.
• Lead on creative briefs and draft content for our communications, including externally (emails to customers, social media, blogs, website updates, press releases, awards submissions) and internally (intranet, newsletter, OVO-wide meetings).
• Ensure engaging and up to date information about OVO Foundation is built into the journey for new and existing OVO People, such as at our OVO Kick Offs (induction events).
• Be responsible for and engage a network of voluntary ‘Friends of the Foundation’; a network of OVO People who help us to champion the Foundation, encourage other OVO People to volunteer on our projects and lots more!

Continuously drive progress towards OVO Foundation’s vision

• Identify and attend network events relevant to OVO Foundation to share findings from our work and gain knowledge of developments in the funding and charity sectors.
• Champion the OVO Foundation internally - at Kick Offs, internal team and OVO-wide meetings etc.
• Proactively build networks with other funders to help raise the Foundation’s profile and find opportunities to expand our work.

Contribute to the governance and management of OVO Foundation

• Help to review policies, processes and governance frameworks.
• Support the Head of OVO Foundation in preparing Board packs ahead of quarterly Board meetings and participate in the meetings.

Within your first 3 months month you’ll:

• Be comfortable telling everyone and anyone about OVO Foundation and our partnerships, and have explored new opportunities to do so.
• Be known as a passionate, knowledgeable and approachable member of the team, having built excellent relationships internally and externally.
• Be familiar with all of the projects we support, including our partners’ key challenges and achievements.
• Have an essential role in our 10th birthday celebrations - using it as an engagement moment to reflect on our impact to date and exciting future plans.
• Have used your creativity to produce communications that excite and delight OVO People and our customers, such as our customer email.
• Have successfully organised volunteering events to celebrate Plan Zero week.

 

You’ll be a successful Senior Projects + Communications Manager in the OVO Foundation at OVO if you…

• Passionate about doing the right thing for people and the planet, and excited by future opportunities for OVO Foundation to achieve its vision.
• Skilled in inspiring others. Central to this role will be your ability to communicate the impact of our work - on paper and in person - and engage key audiences to support us.
• Curious. We’re continuously looking for how we can improve, whether it’s in our grantmaking practice, how we support our charity partners or the ways we engage OVO people and customers. You may not have all of the answers (nobody does) but if you love learning, you’re in the right place.
• A self starter. Whether it’s drafting a new press release or planning a volunteering event - there will be a lot of variety in this role; you’ll keep on top of the Foundation’s needs with the ability to multitask, understand priorities and work to set timelines
• Able to make effective decisions and recommendations, especially using data and insight
• Confident in taking ownership of projects with a track record of being a successful project manager (from conceptualisation to execution)
• Familiar with the funding landscape and how grantmaking organisations, and particularly corporate foundations, operate (though direct experience not essential).

 

Let’s talk about what’s in it for you

We’ll pay you between £42,500 - £52,500, depending on your specific skills and experience. If your expectations are a little different, have a chat with us!

We keep our pay ranges broad on purpose to give us, and you, flexibility to match your experience to our zero carbon mission.

You’ll be eligible for an on-target bonus of 15%. We have one OVO bonus plan that focuses on the collective performance of our people to deliver our Plan Zero goal. 

We also offer plenty of green benefits and progressive policies to help you feel like you belong at OVO…and there’s flex pay.  It’s an extra 9% of your salary on top of your core pay to use as you like. You can take it as cash, add to your pension, or choose to spend it on a huge range of flex benefits. Here’s a taster of what’s on offer: 

For starters, you’ll get 34 days of holiday (including bank holidays). For your healthWith benefits like a healthcare cash plan or private medical insurance depending on your career level, critical illness cover, life assurance, health assessments, and moreFor your wellbeingWith gym membership, gadget, travel and cyber insurance, workplace ISA, will writing services, DNA testing, dental insurance, and more For your lifestyle With extra holiday buying, discount dining, culture cards, tech loans, and supporting your favourite charities with give-as-you-earn donationsFor your home  Get up to £300 off any OVO Energy plan (when you pay by Direct Debit), plus personal carbon offsetting and great discounts on smart thermostats and EV chargersFor your commute Nab a great deal on ultra-low emission car leasing, plus our cycle to work scheme and public transport season ticket loans Want to hear about our full range of flexible benefits and progressive people policies? Our People Team can tell you everything you need to know.

 

For your Belonging

To find better ways to support our people, we need to listen to each other’s experiences and find ways to build a truly inclusive and diverse workplace. As part of this, we have 8 Belonging Networks at OVO. Led by our people, for our people - so when you join OVO, you can play a part - big or small - with any of the Networks. It's up to you.

 

Oh, and one last thing...

We’d be thrilled if you tick off all our boxes yet we also believe it’s just as important we tick off all of yours. And if you think you have most of what we’re looking for but not every single thing, go ahead and hit apply. We’d still love to hear from you! If you have any additional requirements, there’s a space to let us know on the application form; we want to make the process as easy and comfortable for you as possible..