Deadline: 23:59, 21st January 2026

The Digital Communications Officer reports to the Digital Communications Manager. The post holder plays a key supporting role in communicating the work of the Trust – including its research, policy priorities, programmes, and alumni stories – to external audiences. This role has been introduced to expand our digital communications capacity and significantly grow our digital presence.

The Digital Communications Officer will work alongside the Digital Communications Manager to create, coordinate and maintain our digital output. They will need to have flexible skills across both web and social, and a strong ability to create eye-catching visuals and produce high-quality video content. This is an exciting opportunity for a creative and proactive individual to create engaging content, ramp up production of cross-platform video content, and introduce new digital innovations as the Trust seeks to explore new avenues to grow its reach.

Main duties

Social Media

• Take a lead on content creation for the Trust’s social media, writing crisp copy and creating engaging visuals suitable for a range of audiences across LinkedIn, X, Bluesky, Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok.

• Co-lead on the production of cross-platform video content, with a particular focus on TikTok and Instagram. Work with the Digital Communications Manager, Senior Programmes Officer: Marketing and Communications, and other colleagues to generate content ideas relevant to the Trust’s key areas of activity. Take an active, hands-on role in the planning, filming, and editing of innovative video content.

• Support with the day-to-day management of various socials platforms, including monitoring user engagement and answering inbox queries.

• Alongside the Digital Communications Manager, liaise with research colleagues to convert research outputs into engaging socials content, and work with colleagues in the programmes team to create impactful socials content promoting their work.

• Monitor social media engagement and activity more broadly, ensuring team members are aware of key developments and identifying examples of best practice in the sector.

• Advise and support all colleagues as necessary with their use of social media.

Website and Digital Communications

• Support with the management of the Sutton Trust website, and associated microsites, and the COSMO website, ensuring they are updated and remain responsive to the needs of our different audiences of students, teachers, policymakers, academics, funders and media.

• Work with external web developers to drive forward improvements to the Trust’s websites, ensuring quality user experience and SEO optimisation.

• Use Google Analytics and other monitoring tools to evaluate website performance and inform improvements. Work with a digital agency to manage the Trust’s Google Ads Grant Account and shape our approach to paid search advertising.

• Support with the maintenance of a proactive and diverse programme of blog content, helping to identify potential pieces from internal and external authors.

• Develop the Trust’s regular email newsletter, including drafting high quality content.

• Support with the formatting of research outputs and the design of other digital assets (such as charts), including those related to the COSMO Study.

Other

• Work with colleagues to maintain communications and content planning grids.

• Track and assess digital engagement in detail and assist with communicating performance to team members.

• Keep abreast of digital developments, assisting the Digital Communications Manager in providing expertise to the wider organisation.

• Proactively suggest improvements to the Trust’s digital communications approach.

• Write copy as required.

• Feed into the wider work of the Research and Communications Team.

• Other duties as necessary from time to time.

Person Specification

We welcome applications from individuals who have:

• Excellent verbal and written communication skills

• A strong understanding of using Canva (as well as Adobe Photoshop, Adobe InDesign and/or Adobe Illustrator) to design engaging and creative graphics for social media.

• Experience of creating cross-platform video content for social media (experience producing vertical video for TikTok and/or Instagram is particularly desirable). Basic videography, photography and editing skills would be advantageous.

• Experience of using various social media platforms and creating high-quality content.

• A good knowledge of and some experience in managing a website, including basic knowledge of HTML and CSS, experience of WordPress and an understanding of Google Analytics.

• An eye for detail, and the ability to work accurately to tight deadlines.

We are also looking for an individual who:

• Is sympathetic to the aims of the Trust and its mission to address educational disadvantage.

• Has first-class interpersonal skills.

• Is willing to take on other duties from time-to-time as needed in a busy team.

• Is eligible to work in the UK (see here for information about right to work)

Terms of Appointment

• Contract: Full-time, Permanent

• Salary: £32,000-£36,000

• Working location: Minimum of 2 office days per week

• Office location: The Sutton Trust, 9th Floor, Millbank Tower, 21-24 Millbank, London, SW1P 4QP. Our home working policy gives staff the option to work from home for up to 60% of the time, with approval from their line manager.

• Hours: The standard working hours are 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday and may also be required to attend events / meetings outside of their normal working hours during weekday evenings and occasionally at weekends

• DBS check may be required
  

Scroll down to find out about our staff benefits!

Please note that your application should be submitted in one go - you can view the questions by clicking on the link if you would like to prepare in advance.

Interviews

Applications should reach us by midnight, 21st January 2026, with first round interviews held over Zoom on Wednesday, 4th February 2026, and second round interviews held at our London offices on Tuesday, 10th February 2026.

Safeguarding statement

The Sutton Trust believes that a child, young person or vulnerable adult should never experience abuse of any kind. We all have a responsibility to promote the welfare of all children and young people and to keep them safe. Therefore all posts undergo a safer recruitment process, including but not limited to, disclosure of criminal records where necessary and eligibility to work in the UK. We have procedures in place to promote safeguarding and a safe culture at the Trust.

Contextual recruitment

The Trust is committed to ensuring equality of opportunity and that all applicants receive equal consideration for employment. We strongly encourage individuals from all backgrounds, including those underrepresented at present at the Trust, to apply for this role. As such we particularly welcome applications from people with disabilities, Black, Asian or Minority Ethnic backgrounds, LGBTQ+ and from different socio-economic and educational backgrounds. We are committed to being an inclusive and welcoming place to work and know that greater diversity will lead to even greater results for the young people we support.

We are committed to providing reasonable adjustments for disabled candidates throughout our recruitment process and during employment.

We also operate contextual recruitment at the Sutton Trust. Our application process gives you the option to include information about your background, such as whether you were eligible for free school meals, whether your parents went to university, or whether you attended a state school. For more examples and information on contextual recruitment, please see our website.