Reporting to the Managing Editor of IA, the Communications Manager will establish communications goals, advise on and manage academic conference attendance and event planning for the journal. You will help the journal to network – both externally and across teams at Chatham House – and identify opportunities to reach a wide range of scholars in international relations.

You will also advise the journal’s academic co-editors-in-chief on how communications activities might support the strategic priorities of the journal.

With strong audience-engagement skills and knowledge of specialist communications for academic journals, you will grow audiences through digital and other channels. Your role will include promoting the content published in IA, ensuring coordinated communications planning with the journal’s editorial team, OUP, Chatham House colleagues, and other stakeholders.

You will show a strong understanding of both the academic discipline of international relations and the foreign policy sector and its needs.

Key Responsibilities

• Work closely with the Managing Editor of International Affairs (IA) to establish key communication goals for each volume of the journal aligned to the journal’s development goals and identify areas to expand reach and impact.

• Devise and implement a data-driven communication strategy for IA, from conceptualization to briefing, content creation and execution through multi-channel campaigns and informed by journal performance metrics.

• Plan communications and marketing activities in line with the IA budget, including the programme of conference attendance for the journal, and ensure the most effective use of budgets based on agreed priorities.

• Identify and, where possible, create opportunities for cross-promotion of journal and wider Chatham House activities, collaborating as appropriate with other teams across the institute.

• Work with the managing editor and academic co-editors to ensure IA is reaching new scholars in international relations, including identifying opportunities for the journal to generate submissions from authors in under-represented subject areas and geographies.

• Lead reporting and impact evaluation for IA, working with the SEO and analytics manager to analyse audiences and reach, and find and build on opportunities for further progress.

• Work with the managing editor to ensure that IA has an appropriate approach to GEO, particularly in abstract structure, and stay up to date with the ways AI is changing content discoverability.

• Promote IA through multi-channel campaigns to communicate priority research and activities, increase engagement levels and brand visibility, and encourage article submissions from a wide range of authors.

• Manage the IA social media channels, ensuring that all accounts remain active and maintaining and growing an active and relevant follower base.

• Curate creative content to support communications and outreach campaigns for IA, including blogs, newsletters, social media assets, video promotions, posters, postcards, leaflets and merchandise.

• Work with the IA content editor on drafting article teasers, aligning abstracts with final article versions, editing author biographies in line with house style, and other editorial tasks where appropriate.

• Lead the work of the IA editorial team on academic conference and event planning and attendance, including advising on event strategy, and ownership of the logistics.

• Represent IA and Chatham House at major academic conferences.

• Manage marketing expenses ensuring that all expenditure is within budget and arranging correct and prompt payment of invoices.

• Support IA’s multi-stakeholder engagement with its publisher and editorial board, including preparing reports on the journal’s communications strategy and activities.

• Build collaborative relationships with IA’s academic co-editors, working closely on conference planning and communications strategy.

• Liaise regularly with IA’s publisher to agree the most effective deployment of communications campaigns in line with the journal’s strategy.

• Build positive relationships with colleagues across Chatham House to create a joined-up approach to promoting IA.

• Influence and support the EDI strategy and goals of IA and the wider institute.

Requirements

Essential

• Demonstrable experience of data-driven communications planning and delivering multi-channel campaigns that have increased audiences and engagement.

• A deep understanding of major digital communications platforms and channels appropriate to the needs of IA.

• Knowledge of data tools such as Google Analytics, and experience turning data and analytics into actionable insights.

• Experience with Sprout, Canva, CMS, database, MS Office, InDesign and/or other publishing tools.

• Excellent organizational and time management skills and keen attention to detail.

• Ability to react quickly and efficiently to fluid and moving priorities, managing multiple projects and deadlines simultaneously.

• Ability to summarize and translate complex topics and ideas for a range of academic, policy, practitioner and non-specialist audiences.

• Excellent writing and interpersonal skills.

• A strong interest in international affairs, geopolitics and foreign policy, with an understanding of how to reach academic and policy/practitioner audiences working in these areas.

Desirable

• Previous communications or marketing experience in an academic, social sciences setting

• Awareness of trends in academic publishing

• Understanding of the impact of AI on communications and content discovery.

We are an equal opportunity employer, we value diversity and do not discriminate on the basis of protected characteristics. We encourage applications from all backgrounds. If there is anything we can do to improve your experience or support you in applying for this role, please do not hesitate to get in touch at HR@chathamhouse.org.