Job Description

Role: Programme Director

Reports to: ERC Chairman

Location: Central London

Hours: Full time (37.5 hours per week)

The Charity

The Economic Research Council, Britain's oldest economics-based think tank, is dedicated to extending the reach of economic education, debate and leadership.

Formally launched in 1943, with its origins reaching back to 1932, the Economic Research Council (ERC) was founded as a response to the economic and principally monetary failures of the 1930s. Our members include leading economists, well-informed CEOs with a keen interest in the economy and passionate amateur economists from all walks of life. As a politically-neutral charity aimed at supporting education in economics (both through public lectures and funding for students), we arrange monthly events and produce a quarterly journal, as well as regular economic updates on our website.

The part the ERC seeks to play in the economic life of the nation is to be an agent for change, supporting economic education and wider accessibility. The activities of the Council are all intended to reflect and develop this role.

Main Responsibilities

The post holder will be responsible for designing, developing and delivering the ERC’s series of monthly events, from identifying and inviting interesting and prominent speakers, through to marketing the event to members and the general public, and administering the event itself.  Working with the Executive Committee, they will also help to identify sponsorship opportunities for larger events, and work closely with the sponsors to ensure key targets are met. During the Covid 19 pandemic, these events have moved online which has enjoyed success but has necessitated different marketing practices, structure and hosting style.

Responsibilities include administering and growing the current membership scheme, working with key members of the Executive Committee to increase subscription income by attracting new members and developing what the Economic Research Council has to offer. 

This includes designing and commissioning occasional Research Papers to raise the profile of the Council and promote its key objective of supporting education in economics.  The post holder can be responsible for editing the Council’s quarterly journal, as well as shaping the direction of all future research, and for engaging with current members and the wider public through the Council’s website and social media accounts.  They will also have full editorial control over the Weekly Digest newsletter, sent out to over 24,000 subscribers, and will need to feel confident commenting on current economic affairs from a politically neutral standpoint.

There is the scope for the post holder to really make this role their own by developing new opportunities for the Economic Research Council.

Key Areas of Responsibility

Events (40%)

• Event planning, marketing and delivery and managing a wide range of events to a high standard
• Working with Executive Committee members to identify new opportunities for events
• Liaising with high profile external speakers to coordinate event details and presentation materials
• Onsite management of event logistics and support staff
• Working to improve hard-copy and digital event marketing and resources (e.g. video, social media content, slide-sharing, poster displays)
• Ensuring that the ERC website is up to date with events information and resources
• Day to day management of our contacts database
• Designing and delivering a marketing strategy, building on our existing contacts database and social networks and identifying new platforms to promote our events
• Identifying opportunities for sponsorship, working with the Executive Committee to secure funding, and working with sponsors to ensure delivery of key targets
• Running the annual Clash of the Titans economic forecasting competition, keeping entrants up to date with results on a monthly basis

Publications (30%)

• Project managing the production of the quarterly journal to a strict deadline
• Commissioning articles from Council members and external sources for the journal, and transcribing events for inclusion
• Editing journal articles to a high standard, including designing graphs and charts where necessary
• Identifying possible Research Papers to raise the profile of the Council and delivering them from the commissioning stage through to marketing and publication

Membership (30%)

• Maintaining and developing the member programme, keeping members regularly updated on ERC events and publications
• Working with the Executive Committee to identify and recruit new members
• Administering all aspects of the membership scheme, ensuring we have correct contacts for members and that details are kept up to date
• Collating and producing the Weekly Digest email to our mailing list
• Commissioning and producing online content for the ERC website
• Developing new ideas for growing the membership base, including new ways of promoting the Economic Research Council

Key Skills and Experience

• Most importantly we are looking for an enthusiastic, self motivated, creative and hard working individual who will bring new ideas and experience to our events, publications and membership programmes
• We are open to applicants from private, public or third sector backgrounds. They will need to be comfortable working in a small, fast moving and very unbureaucratic organisation
• Candidates should be educated to degree level in Economics or a related subject, and should have either working experience of, or proven interest in, economic issues
• Substantial experience of organising events and conferences with excellent administrative, logistical, planning and event management skills including budget management
• Ability to demonstrate an understanding of how to design events to meet the needs of a range of audiences and proven experience in the successful delivery of range of event formats
• Strong English language skills and the ability to edit both journalistic and academic style writing
• Proven ability to manage own workload
• Confidence in dealing with a wide range of people
• A flexible approach and ability to work out of hours when required
• Solid experience of working with contact databases and advanced working knowledge of Microsoft Office (particularly Excel)
• Comfortable working with websites (knowledge of wordpress and HTML is a bonus)
• Ideally, experience of managing or administering a membership scheme