Please note this is a hybrid role based on the successful candidate working at least two days a week in our London office. Remote contracts would not be considered for this role.

Comic Relief reserves the right to close the role early if a large number of applications are received.

PURPOSE OF JOB

As Senior Stories Researcher, you will lead on in-depth research and build meaningful relationships with our funded partners to inspire and equip Comic Relief with powerful stories that emotionally connect external audiences and drive donations through the art of authentic storytelling. You'll work alongside a small, dedicated team of storytellers both responding to briefs and initiating research on your own instinct. You will be researching, ideating and developing stories that resonate with our audiences, meet campaign objectives, building a rich bank of stories that will underpin Comic Relief’s case for support and impact story. With a focus on developing authentic & diverse narratives and packages of story content, your role will will work closely with the funding team and collaborate on how we can effectively translate funding into tangible storytelling to inspire audiences into action. That understanding will underpin your collaboration with colleagues who will turn stories into compelling, externally presented content, including short form digital reels and social content to full appeal films for campaigns like Red Nose Day, Sport Relief as well as long form written materials.

Key Responsibilities: Play an active role as part of our Stories Team, contributing to the development and delivery of a rolling 18-month stories plan that underpins organisational business goals and ambitions, specifically by:

• Business partnering with key stakeholders to understand organisational story-telling needs and requirements and working with colleagues across the Stories team to develop own and contribute to others’ workplans to meet those needs.

• Working in collaboration with the Funding Team to understand our funding streams, build meaningful relationships with our Funded Partners, and keep ahead of our future funding plans to inform and directly manage a comprehensive rolling 18-month roadmap and backlog for our organisational storytelling requirements.

• Researching, developing and packaging stories around agreed thematic areas, identifying how to tell the most compelling story about the communities impacted in that space to meet agreed objectives for multiple platforms. From PR to broadcast, social media and podcasts, you’ll develop story content packages that drive donations and inspire action from our audiences.

• Jointly relationship managing a portfolio of Funded Partners for the purposes of communications and story-telling, leading on research conversations and recces with those partners, both in the UK and internationally, to build an understanding of their storytelling capacity and capabilities and how we could best work with them to gather, package and produce impactful stories with the people they are supporting.

• Carry out trauma informed insightful interviews with storytellers, usually with lived experience. Encouraging active engagement in the development of their narratives, you will be finding and casting storytellers who are comfortable to share their stories.

• Managing the consent process for storytelling and preparing raw and packaged story content from transcription of source material to creatively preparing full content packages, including associated imagery and handheld multi-media content to build out a rich bank of stories, allowing our colleagues to self-serve.

• Facilitating cross-organisational working, carefully managing a range of stakeholders to ensure we are accurately depicting our impact in the stories we tell internally and externally.

• Responding to briefs for specific story requirements from internal and external stakeholders, working in partnership with colleagues to interrogate the brief, identify the best story options, and where necessary gathering new or additional story content.

• Proactively sharing and inspiring colleagues with the stories gathered – convening lunch and learns, regular updates and story workshops directly contributing to more people across the organisation be motivated by the impact of our work.

• Continuously evolving our story telling approach, working with colleagues within and outside of the Stories team, to test, learn, develop and respond to audience insight and refine approaches to ensure Comic Relief is getting the greatest value from its investment into storytelling

• During key times in our campaign calendar, line manage or supervise temporary staff, shaping workplans and coaching and developing colleagues as required.

People management

• Proactively undertake business planning, prioritise activities and set clear and realistic objectives based on capacity, expertise and aspirations.

• Provide balanced, constructive feedback, undertake effective performance management to embed accountability and proactively support the professional development and growth of staff.

• Maintain regular two way communication and dialogue with staff, ensuring information is cascaded and escalated as needed.

• Model an enabling, inclusive and empowering leadership style that builds a values-based culture throughout the charity

Person Specification

Essential Critieria :

• Excellent research and casting skills - Conducting thorough research across various platforms to gather narratives, facts, and insight to inform ethical lived experience storytelling.

• Content Development - Generating and developing new ideas. Turning research into authentic narratives that contribute to the ethical, strategic and impactful storytelling at the heart of Comic Relief.

• Contributor/Storyteller Management - Identifying, researching, and securing suitable storytellers with a strong understanding of all aspects of consent, safeguarding and ethical best practice.

• Communication - Confident when meeting people; listening, emoting and adapting, being clear about what you are looking for and why. But also, the ability to convey your research findings clearly and effectively through written briefs, day-to-day research notes and verbally to encourage cross org collaboration.

• Writing skills - Excellent writing skills with great attention to detail and the ability to tailor content for multiple outlets such as print, digital and broadcast.

• Line management experience.

• Experience of working with both UK and international based organisations.

• Knowledge of Production Processes - Familiarity with production workflow and the specific needs of different roles within a production team.

• Learning and curiosity - enjoy looking for what a story needs, take an interest in content and different subjects, don’t be afraid to ask questions.

• Creative thinker, seeking opportunities to try new methods and approaches where appropriate.

Desirable Criteria

• Trauma informed interview practice.

• Experience working cross organisationally

• Internal and external stakeholder management

Don’t meet every single requirement? Studies have shown that women and people of colour are less likely to apply to jobs unless they meet every single qualification. At Comic Relief we are dedicated to building a diverse, inclusive, and authentic workplace, so if you’re excited about this role but your past experience doesn’t align perfectly with every qualification in the job description, we encourage you to apply anyways. You may be just the right candidate for this or other roles.

Why work at Comic Relief

There are lots of good reasons to join us at Comic Relief. You can read more about our employee benefits, such as our commitment to flexible and hybrid working. We ask staff to come to the office twice a week, normally on agreed team days, so that we can do all those things that are difficult to do online. Our office is based in Whitechapel, London, There are lots of opportunities to develop your skills and experience at Comic Relief, including opportunities to become a Mental Health First Aider or to participate in our Employee Network Groups that focus on making Comic Relief a more inclusive place to work

Disability Confident employer

As part of the Disability Confident scheme, we take positive action by providing first-round interviews to candidates who have a registered disability, provided they meet the minimum criteria for the role, as demonstrated on their CV or application scores. We ask that candidates that wish to be considered for this scheme email Recruitment@comicrelief.com to discuss further. Please do not email CV's/cover letters.