Oxford Real Farming Conference (ORFC) Communications Coordinator

Oxford Real Farming Conference (ORFC) Communications Coordinator

Part time (0.6 FTE, 7.5 hrs/day, 22.5 hrs/wk), remote, UK-based
Fixed-term contract to 31st January 2028, with the possibility of extension pending funding
Candidates must have the right to work in the UK.

Ideal start date: w/c Monday, 2nd March 2026

About the Real Farming Trust

The Real Farming Trust (RFT) runs a number of programmes which bring people of all food and farming backgrounds and experiences together to build the case for agroecology. One of these programmes is the Oxford Real Farming Conference. We are a small charity and value honesty, empathy, care and compassion in our interactions with each other in the organisation and with the partners we work with.

About the Oxford Real Farming Conference

The Oxford Real Farming Conference (ORFC) is a much loved and highly valued movement-led conference and a space for networking, knowledge sharing and direction setting for all those involved in agroecology and food justice in the UK and beyond. The annual conference has grown from a gathering of 50 delegates in 2010 to a two-day meeting of 2,000 in 2026, plus a further 2,000 online. The programme is the result of a Call for Proposals, which are selected by a team of partners and experts in the food and farming world.

In addition to the annual conference in January, ORFC has grown to include in-the-field events. Held in partnership with a farm, ORFC in the Field brings together 60-70 participants for two days of in-depth, hands-on workshops, plus a day of farm visits. ORFC in the Field is held in different parts of the UK three times a year.

About the role

We are looking for an outstanding communications coordinator, with a strong interest in food systems transformation and agroecology, to join the core Oxford Real Farming Conference (ORFC) team. Your role will be to coordinate and lead communications for the in-person and online conference as well as ORFC in the Field events.

ORFC is a cornerstone of the food and farming calendar. This role is ideal for someone passionate about agroecology and food systems change, with a demonstrable track record in previous communications roles. You will need to be able to make complex messages accessible and have excellent writing, analytical and interpersonal skills. You’ll also need to have a strong understanding of intersectionality and how the food and farming movement intersects with social, racial, environmental and economic justice issues. If you’re an experienced advocate, an engaging storyteller, and an organised, motivated self-starter, we’d love to hear from you.

You will work closely with the Real Farming Trust (RFT) Communications Manager and the ORFC Conference Manager. You will develop and deliver a communications strategy for ORFC events that effectively engages our community.

The scope of this role includes (but is not limited to):

• Leading on developing and delivering a communications strategy for ORFC events
• Monitoring ORFC’s audience and peers and maintaining ORFC’s unique identity within the larger agroecological movement
• Researching ways of reaching a wider audience of farmers, land workers and growers and increasing knowledge of and engagement with ORFC among this group
• Reaching out to new audiences that understand the potential for agroecology as a social movement and a solution to our current ecological crises
• Managing and updating the ORFC website
• Designing and creating promotional materials and assets in Canva
• Building the ORFC newsletter in Mailchimp
• Managing ORFC social media accounts, creating and scheduling content, maintaining engagement, and crafting collaborations
• Liaising with ORFC partner organisations
• Recruiting comms volunteers for ORFC events

Key Responsibilities

Strategic Communication

• Lead on and deliver the ORFC communications strategy, with support from the RFT Communications Manager
• Identify, set up and manage media partnerships for ORFC

Website Management

• Manage and update the ORFC site in WordPress as necessary
• Refine and enhance user journey and optimise landing pages
• Gather materials for blogs and features and publish these at regular intervals
• Monitor and evaluate web analytics and SEO and liaise with the web developer when needed

Digital Campaigns

• Collect content for and create, schedule and deliver regular campaigns in Mailchimp
• Undertake Mailchimp audience analysis to optimise campaigns

Social Media

• Develop a social media strategy, plan and calendar, scheduling organic and paid content and campaigns, including creating graphics and working with freelancers to create video content
• Run ORFC social media channels, engaging with other accounts within the movement and linking the conference to larger current events and global issues where appropriate
• Lead on coordinating social media team at ORFC
• Monitor, evaluate and report on social media analytics

Reporting

• Produce an ORFC Communications Report after the annual conference
• Produce an ORFC Communications Summary after each ORFC in the Field event

General

• Work with additional third parties/freelancers/interns/volunteers as the need arises
• Format, proofread and edit event programmes and planning documents
• Keep documents, spreadsheets, and creative assets up-to-date and filed for ease of reference and collaboration with the remote team
• Maintaining GDPR compliance across all areas of work

This role requires the following skills

Essential

• Significant demonstrated experience of working in communications, either in a not-for-profit or corporate environment
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to distil complex issues into simple and impactful messages
• Ability to tailor messaging to different and diverse audiences
• Comfortable and confident with social media, website management and CMS
• Skilled relationship builder who enjoys building, maintaining and sustaining contacts
• Extremely well-organised and self-motivated
• Ability to work remotely both independently and as part of a team, and to understand and fulfil role with minimal supervision
• Proven understanding and experience of the project management involved in producing comms materials, from initial planning to meeting delivery deadlines
• Demonstrated experience of creating high-quality digital content and running effective social media campaigns
• Knowledge or experience of food and farming particularly in agroecological practices/localised community-based food systems
• Ability to work seamlessly with freelancers and creatives

Desirable

• Knowledge of Adobe Premiere Suite or similar software
• Knowledge of ticketing platform (we use Ticket Tailor)
• Demonstrated experience of supporting large-scale events communications
• Demonstrated experience of media relations and managing press

You will thrive in this role if:

• You are creative, people-focussed and enjoy building connections and networks and developing audiences
• You are organised, deadline-driven and enjoy seeing a campaign come to life
• You have excellent written and verbal communication skills
• You are confident working with communications tools including Google Suite, Wordpress, Mailchimp, Canva, Social Media and Content Management Systems
• You have experience with large events and understand how to tailor your comms aims to the varied stages of the production
• You are happy remote working and enjoy working and collaborating with a small team
• You remain calm under stress and time-pressure
• You can prioritise tasks to meet deadlines under pressure
• You are interested in developing messaging that fosters inclusive, radical gatherings
• You are passionate about the food and farming movement.

What else you need to know:

• We do not have an office. You will need to provide your own workspace and laptop; however, an equipment subsidy is available to support with home working expenses (upon successful completion of the probationary period).
• We all work remotely from home and meet twice a year in-person for a few days each time. All staff are expected to attend.
• We all work flexibly, but you will be expected to do the majority of your work weekdays between 8am and 6pm. Some evening and weekend work may be required to join Twinning events.
• This role is a fixed-term contract through to the end of January 2028.

The benefits you will get:

• Salary range: £32,513 - £34,790
• 20 days annual leave, plus Bank Holidays, pro rata increasing by 2 days for every year of completed service up to a maximum of 25 days (33 including bank holidays)
• Flexible working to suit your other commitments during the week
• Employer matched pension of 4%

Equity and Anti-Oppression

We are committed to becoming a more inclusive workplace with a diverse staff body. We believe this is essential to our effectiveness as an organisation and our ability to fulfil our mission of “good food for everyone, forever”. We need to address both inequity and oppression within our work if we are to meet our aim. There will be tensions that this work creates and difficult questions that we need to address both internally and externally.

We know that people with certain backgrounds and characteristics are underrepresented in our team and in the alternative food and farming movement, and we want to address this. We are committed to working proactively to dismantle these systems of oppression and ensure equal opportunities for everyone, regardless of their background.

We have started to do this work internally, but we know there is much more to do. Every member of RFT staff is involved and part of this work.

Equality and Diversity Monitoring Form

The Real Farming Trust is committed to promoting equality and diversity in line with the Equality Act 2010, providing an inclusive and co-operative environment in which all individuals feel respected. Filling in this equality and diversity monitoring form is voluntary. The information you provide will be kept confidential and will only be used for monitoring purposes. Please don't enter any information that would identify you. This form is kept separately from your application and will not be seen by interviewers.

Please note that due to the volume of applications we usually receive, we regret that we are unable to offer feedback to individual applicants.

Thank you for your interest in the Real Farming Trust.