Job Description

Do you remember a character from a childhood book as fondly as an old friend?

If you do, you’ll know the magic of being able to slip into another world as and when you need to, or how books can make your world a bigger, brighter place.

For bookworms especially, it’s hard to believe that anyone could see reading as anything other than empowering, or even just a pleasure. For the third of children from disadvantaged areas who leave primary school without being able to read well, often it’s nothing but a chore.

That’s why we like to turn up on the doorstep, with backpacks of books, two little stools, and a pair of volunteers who know that words take you places.

Who we are:

Doorstep Library Network (DLN) supports children that are at significant risk of educational underachievement as a direct result of living in areas of high deprivation, in families that are often at the margins of society due to economic, educational, and social issues. DLN’s vision is for all children to be thriving in homes where the love of reading is embraced.

DLN operates a weekly home-based educational service, this is how we differ from other literacy programmes. By offering support directly into the homes of some of London’s most disadvantaged and hardest to reach families, we ensure that neither time restrictions, financial hardships, nor low confidence prevent access to our service. Educational learning occurs within a context of sharing and enjoyment, allowing children with negative educational experiences or low confidence to discover the joy of books in a private, familiar, and low-pressure setting. 

We have ambitions to expand our reach to new areas. Over the next 12-18 months we are hoping to put in place plans to allow us to scale up our work and significantly increase the number of children we benefit. This is a fantastic opportunity for an experienced marketing professional to develop and implement a marketing strategy, and be part of the next phase in our organizational development.

Who we’re looking for:

We’re looking for a people person, who is truly passionate about the work that we do on the ground, to help us mobilise people to get involved in their local Doorstep Library project, through volunteering, fundraising or individual giving.

You’ll need to be an Independent, creative thinker, enthusiastic about positively communicating the work we do. You will also need experience of developing, implementing and evaluating effective marketing strategies which have created shifts in the awareness, engagement or income generating capacity of a charity.

Job Purpose:

• Raise name awareness and build brand recognition of Doorstep Library, with a focus on attracting more volunteers and donors;
• Development and implementation of recruitment campaigns for volunteer teams.

Responsible to: Director;

Responsible for: Development and implementation of the Organisation’s marketing and communications strategy, with a focus on attracting more volunteers and donors, and raising brand awareness. Management of the Marketing Assistant.

Salary - £35-38,000 pro rata (on a 35-hour week)

Hours – 28 per week

Benefits – 6% pension contribution, 25 days per annum annual leave, flexible working arrangements (including working from home part of the week).

Suitable applicants may be interviewed as CV's are received, so please do not wait for the deadline to apply.