External Affairs Manager

NACCOM

Hours
35 hours per week

About the Organisation

NACCOM (No Accommodation Network) is a registered charity, and we provide a service to our 135 members who are frontline organisations based across the UK working together to end destitution amongst people seeking asylum, refugees, and migrants with No Recourse to Public Funds (NRPF). The NACCOM membership network is made up of ‘full’ members who provide accommodation to people seeking asylum who have been refused, and ‘associate’ members who are organisations that are in support of the aims of NACCOM.

NACCOM brings members together to network, collaborate, and share good practice, and also provides resources, support,t and training to enable members to increase their capacity and empower as many people as possible out of destitution. NACCOM also campaigns for a fair, just, and humane asylum and immigration system that doesn’t leave people destitute. 

About the role

Join our charity at a pivotal moment. As our External Affairs Manager, you’ll sit at the heart of a high-performing, fully remote team, ensuring that migrant homelessness and destitution is high on the agenda. You will lead and mentor a talented External Affairs team, amplifying NACCOM’s voice as the UK’s expert voice on how the asylum and immigration system drives homelessness and destitution.

With our 20th-anniversary milestone and a bold new organisational strategy on the horizon, you’ll seize fresh opportunities to deepen our influence. Working hand-in-hand with frontline members, people with lived experience, and high-profile partners, you will deliver sharp, evidence-led campaigns and projects that put migrant homelessness at the top of policy and media agendas. A strong aptitude for communications and campaigns, and an understanding of how that works alongside policy and research to underpin the external affairs function, is vital. 

This role is for a dynamic, collaborative advocate who is passionate about social justice. If you’re ready to turn insight into impact — shaping narratives, forging alliances, and driving systemic change—we’d love to welcome you to NACCOM.

Responsibilities

External Affairs Manager:

• Ensuring the strategic planning, management, and alignment of communications, policy, research, campaigns, and advocacy as part of the External Affairs function at NACCOM.
• Ensuring NACCOM’s external affairs functions feed from and into our network development work and our Community Ambassador / Research programme
• Growing and safeguarding NACCOM’s brand identity, integrity, and strategic positioning across all our external channels, networks, and audiences.
• Line-managing and supporting the Policy and Research Co-ordinator, Community Research Facilitator, and part-time Communications Co-ordinator (currently covered by a freelancer) as well as managing any external consultants NACCOM works with across the External Affairs function.
• Along with the Director, acting as spokesperson for NACCOM. 
• Overseeing the spend against budget for External Affairs-related work.
• Representing NACCOM at key, high-level meetings and coalitions, including with journalists, decision-makers, and partners.
• Actively supporting a culture of collaboration, support, and mutual respect at NACCOM and across the membership network. 

Duties and Responsibilities: 

• Working with the Director, lead on the strategic planning, management, and alignment of policy, research, communications, campaigns, and advocacy work as part of the External Affairs function at NACCOM.
• Ensure NACCOM’s policy, research, communications, and advocacy work fits within our theory of change and supports the delivery of our theory of change.
• Ensure that NACCOM’s external affairs functions feed from and into our network development work and our Community Research programme.
• Ensure that NACCOM members have an opportunity to contribute to our policy, research, and advocacy work and feel connected to the External Affairs function.
• Working with the Director, lead on management of key external affairs strategic relationships, including with journalists, decision-makers, and partner organisations. 
• Work effectively and in partnership with key NACCOM stakeholders on joint campaigns, coalitions, and projects.
• Develop and oversee an organisational communications strategy for NACCOM, including ensuring a strong, consistent, and creative digital and social media presence. 
• Oversee the development of a strong brand identity and integrity at NACCOM.
• Maintain good understanding and awareness of the political, policy, legislative, and media landscape for asylum, immigration, and homelessness issues.
• Steer NACCOM’s website refresh project, working with relevant staff members to direct the delivery of the project.
• Develop opportunities for collaboration with key partners and coalitions. 
• Contribute to operational delivery within the External Affairs function as needed.
• Responsible for the production of NACCOM’s annual Impact Report, managing the team and the designer’s work on this annual project. 
• Contribute to NACCOM operating in a way that is demonstrable to our values and that is transparent, inclusive, anti-racist, and promotes wellbeing.
• Ensure adherence to all relevant NACCOM policies and procedures, with a particular focus on our equality and diversity, and safeguarding procedures related to any part of the external affairs function. This is particularly relevant for our communications work and our work with the Community Research volunteers.
• Attend trustee meetings as required.

Skills, Competencies & Experience

Essential:

• A commitment to and understanding of NACCOM’s beneficiaries and mission.
• Demonstrable experience in at least two areas of the External Affairs function, namely Communications, Policy, Research, Advocacy, and Campaigns. 
• A strong understanding of how good communication underpins an organisation’s work.
• Proven experience in strategy development to support charity objectives. 
• Proven experience of building and maintaining strong working relationships with a diverse range of stakeholders.
• Experience of supporting and working alongside people with lived experience to participate meaningfully and equitably in an aspect of an External Affairs function 
• Excellent interpersonal, presentation (oral and written) skills, and attention to detail
• Self-motivated and able to work alone using own initiative.
• Experience in line management or supporting other staff/team members.
• Proven ability to be flexible and meet tight deadlines.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills. 
• Good IT skills, including all Microsoft Office applications and use of social media channels. 
• A commitment to transparency and openness. 

Desirable:

• Insight into the needs and experiences of refugees, migrants, and people seeking asylum.
• Good awareness of the asylum, immigration, and homelessness policy landscape.
• Experience and understanding of cultural diversity and the ability to work with people from a range of different cultures.
• Experience of working with people remotely, including managing a remote team, using a range of communications platforms.
• Experience working with a charity board of trustees.

Compensation & Benefits

• 25 days per annum, plus Bank Holidays, plus additional concessionary days off between Christmas and New Year
• Pension Contribution 6%
• Additional Benefits: Wellbeing time, wellbeing practice, and the Calm App

Working locations

• Home-Based
• Occasional travel in the UK 

How to apply

• To apply, please complete NACCOM’s Job Application Form and Equality and Diversity Form.
• Send both forms to [email protected] before the specified closing date of Tuesday, 8th July 2025, at 23.59.
• Please note we do not ask for CVs at the application stage, but you will be asked to supply your CV if you are invited for an interview. This is in order for us to anonymise applications for shortlisting to create a fairer process
• We’ll be really happy to talk to anyone who has questions about the role before you apply. You can email: [email protected] to ask questions over email or arrange a call/Zoom.

Interviews

• Wednesday 23rd and Thursday 24 July 2025: Stage one interviews held online as a Zoom call. 
• Wednesday 30th July 2025: Stage two interviews with the team, ideally in person but possibly online.

Policies

Please see NACCOM’s Data Privacy Policy for information about how we store and use your information when you apply for a job with us.

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