Job Description

Role Purpose:

To help unite the Social Movement Organisation (SMO) behind a deep narrative that inspires and mobilises activists by offering well-researched, developed and rigorously tested communication tools, as well as building SMO capacity for Story-based Strategy (SBS), in order to achieve strategic milestones for Animal Freedom.

About the Role:

This fulltime, Lancaster- based role is key to Animal Think Tank’s development of a new Social Movement Organisation in the Animal Freedom movement. This will be a highly   creative role, undertaking narrative and messaging research in new and innovative ways. Working alongside our Narrative Lead and Linguistic Analyst, you will research the messages, stories and narratives of other social justice movements, analysing their use of language, framing, metaphors and values, as well as their visual strategies. You will consult with other social movement organisers and communicators as you develop sample messages and stories to inspire and mobilise different demographics of society, which you will help to test via a variety of methodologies.

Narrative is part of an SMO’s DNA (its core ideologies, strategies and frameworks) and through this role you will be contributing to the conceptualisation of the SMO. You will design systems to embed key messages, stories and narratives into the SMO, especially for the first few local groups we seed. You will help develop a team that creates and delivers narrative and messaging trainings for the SMO, to help build its capacity for Story-based Strategy. As well as working alongside our SBS team, you will also work closely with Social Movement Culture, Social Movement Governance and Brand Strategy. 

Who we’re looking for:

• You are skilled in communicating creatively and persuasively
• You enjoy reading, writing and research, and are also practically minded
• You have knowledge or interest in social justice communication and messaging
• You collaborate well with others and can also take the initiative to lead on your own projects
• You believe in the power of storytelling to help bring about social change
• You can commit to an organisation engaged with nonviolent mass civil disobedience

Ideal, but not essential:

• You have experience managing large, creative projects
• You have some knowledge of market research and/or public testing
• You have experience developing and delivering trainings

Objectives and Key Results:

The role’s broad 12-month objective will initially be to inform the narrative direction and Story-based Strategy capacity of the Social Movement Organisation.

Key Result 1: Determine the most persuasive messages and stories that will mobilise collective action. We want to create a inclusive mass movement that reflects the diversity of society, and to do this we need to determine the stories that resonate across different demographics and psychographics, and inspire others to become involved. You will research what different social segments empathise with, what moves and inspires them, and identify potential leverage points and narrative strategies that connect most deeply with them. To scale and broaden the mass movement, we need a narrative that engages our base, gives the SMO meaning and participants a defined purpose.

Key Result 2: Develop a portfolio of tested slogans, messages, stories and visuals that can be utilised and adapted by the SMO. Alongside the Narrative Lead, you will research and craft sample messages and stories to be publicly tested. This will involve determining the most effective language, frames, metaphors, values and visuals to be used in public - facing communications. Some of the testing methodologies we intend to use are: public surveys, interviews, focus groups, dial testing and AI testing.

Key Result 3: Design the systems that will embed the narrative into the mass movement. For the SMO to effectively and widely disseminate its narrative, we need movement organisers to be trained as persuasive communicators, understanding messaging best practice and how story is the driver of strategic campaigns. You will help build a team that develops and delivers trainings to movement organisers, who can in turn empower their local groups to become more effective and innovative storytellers. You will also help build a press team for national campaigns and recruiting spokespeople.

The following readings will help you succeed in this role:

• Re: Imagining Change by Patrick Reinsborough and Doyle Canning
• Don’t Buy It by Anat Shenker-Osorio
• Don’t Think of an Elephant by George Lakoff
• Citizens by Jon Alexander
• Narrative Politics by Frederick W Mayer
• The Human Animal Earthling Identity by Carrie P Freeman