New opportunity – Events and Communications Intern

The Social Market Foundation (SMF) is a non-partisan think tank. We believe that fair markets, complemented by open public services, increase prosperity and help people to live well. We conduct research and run events looking at a wide range of economic and social policy areas, focusing on economic prosperity, public services and consumer markets.

We are currently recruiting for an Events and Communications Intern to start as soon as possible. This is a full-time, paid position lasting 6 months.

The Events and Communications Intern will be an integral member of the SMF’s events and impact team, contributing to the development and smooth running SMF events and our communications function.

The role holder will support with the SMF events which include panel discussions, speeches and expert roundtables, which take place online, in-person and hybrid. They will also contribute to the planning for our events at the Liberal Democrat, Labour and Conservative Party Conferences in the autumn. Our current events projects span topics including productivity and business growth, energy efficiency and net zero, public health policymaking, education and skills, and rehabilitation in the justice system.

The role holder will also provide communications support, including supporting with the management of the SMF’s social media accounts (Twitter and LinkedIn), posting content and evaluating impact. They would support with the promotion of the SMF’s reports. For the right candidate, there may be opportunities to write original content such as blogs for publication on the SMF’s website.

Duties of the Events and Communication Intern will include:

Events:

(60-70%)

• Supporting with the operational management of the SMF’s events – these include; report launches, panel debates, seminars, dinners and expert roundtables.
• Researching event topics and identifying appropriate speakers and attendees.
• Inviting speakers and attendees and managing contact databases.
• Producing speaker briefings and marketing materials for events.
• Listing SMF events on our website
• Representing the SMF at all events – setting up event materials, AV and catering, greeting attendees and speakers.
• Assisting with the filming and live-streaming of events (training also provided).
• Researching latest trends and tools in events management and marketing to help improve the smooth running of events.
• Managing venue, catering and AV bookings.
• Assisting with the planning for SMF events at this year’s Liberal Democrat, Labour and Conservative conferences.

Communications / Social Media:

(30-40%)

• Supporting the SMF’s social media presence, including day-to-day handling of Twitter and LinkedIn.
• Digesting complex research in order to producing compelling and accurate social media posts to support report launches and event promotion.
• Live-tweeting SMF events
• Researching and evaluating the latest tools and techniques and providing ongoing evaluation of SMF’s social media and external communications.
• Providing support and holiday cover to the SMF’s press and impact function, including supporting with press release production and distribution, proofing, typesetting and uploading reports and blogs to SMF website, distributing reports, and helping to place op-eds.

Person specification:

The ideal candidate will have:

• Experience of using social media accounts (ideally Twitter and LinkedIn) and creating new content – in a workplace or voluntary role. (desirable)
• Experience of organising or supporting on events in a workplace or voluntary role. (desirable)
• Strong proofreading skills and excellent attention to detail.
• Excellent IT skills and able to confidently use PowerPoint, Word and Excel, plus ability pick up new programmes quickly.
• A keen interest in events management and communications.
• Experience with Adobe Creative Suite and website management would be ideal but otherwise training can be provided.
• Strong written communication skills and well-developed interpersonal skills.
• Excellent organisational skills and the ability to juggle a range of different assignments at the same time, to react quickly and prioritise a busy workload and work independently.
• Be reliable, diligent and highly organised – both as part of a team and when working individually.
• Share enthusiasm for the mission and goals of the Social Market Foundation and have an interest in public policy and politics.

Details:

Six month paid internship

Salary: London Living Wage – currently at £11.95 per hour.

Standard SMF working hours are 9.30am-6pm, Monday to Friday. We actively encourage flexible working and working patterns which are different to these hours. The appointee will be able to design their working week – in discussion with colleagues – to accommodate family commitments and other obligations.

The SMF is based at Westminster and the post-holder will be expected to work in our office there at least two days a week, plus any additional days required by the team, for example to attend in-person SMF events. Other working time can be spent at home or in our office. The successful candidate will be expected to attend and assist at the autumn political party conferences, taking place in Bournemouth, Manchester and Liverpool this year, for which some weekend and evening work will be required. Time in lieu will be offered for additional working hours over the party conferences.

The successful candidate will be required to show proof of the right to work in the UK and provide two referees, including their most recent employer where applicable.

Application process:

Applications should be sent to opportunities@smf.co.uk with the header SMF Event and Communications Intern.

The deadline for applications is 9am on Wednesday 24th May. Shortlisted candidates will be invited to an initial interview at the SMF office in Westminster. Please note, depending on the level of applications received, we may interview candidates before the application deadline.

Applicants should attach two pdf or word documents:

1. A CV (please read the notes on this carefully below)
2.  A one-page covering letter summarising how you fit the person specification and why you are interested in this position.
3. Applicants are also asked to download, complete and return an equality and diversity monitoring form. This is voluntary and not a condition of applying. A copy of the form can be found here.

Important notes on your CV and Covering Letter:

1. Applications will be sifted on a name-blind basis. Please do not include your first or last name on your CV or covering letter. So we can identify you please include your name in the email you send with your application.
2. CVs should omit institutions. Please do not include the names of schools or universities attended. Do include courses studied and qualifications obtained.
3. Where possible, please remove references that might identify your background, sex or other characteristics. For instance, change references to “University women’s football team” to “university football team.”
4. The SMF is an equal opportunities employer and all our jobs are open to anyone, regardless of sex, sexual orientation, race, age, disability, gender reassignment, religion or belief, marriage and civil partnership, or pregnancy and maternity.
5. We particularly encourage applications from people whose backgrounds are poorly represented in Westminster-based institutions and employers.

Please note we will only be able to give feedback to candidates invited to interview.