Big Oil Creative Campaigner

About Adfree Cities

Adfree Cities is a network of ‘Adblock’ groups across Britain. We campaign to reduce the harms of corporate advertising by building grassroots power to oppose plans for new billboards and showcase community arts, nature and ad-free space as positive alternatives. We lobby for policy change at a local council and national level and work with a growing network of allies to address the social and environmental impacts of advertising. In particular, we work closely with the ‘Badvertising’ campaign to stop adverts fuelling the climate emergency. In recent years we have supported councils such as Edinburgh, Sheffield and others to prohibit advertising for polluting products on council-controlled sites. We've filed successful complaints to the UK ad regulator leading to greenwash adverts by Shell, Total, HSBC and Toyota being banned. We supported a coalition of groups to instigate Parliament's first debate amongst MPs on banning fossil fuel advertising and sponsorship in July 2025. See our press coverage here.

About the role

We’re seeking a highly-motivated creative campaigner to support our work in reducing the environmental harms caused by advertising. You will become an expert in the tactics used by major oil firms to maintain their social licence to operate, including advertising, PR and lobbying; as well as co-developing creative interventions and strategies to counter these. You’ll keep a watching brief on how big oil firms respond to cultural and political trends regarding climate and net zero, attend coalition meetings in Britain and mainland Europe and join a growing movement to end the greenwashing practices of the world’s worst polluters.

What we do:

• Hold the line: We stop new advertising sites in our cities. We support residents and community groups to oppose planning applications for new digital billboards.
• Positive alternatives: We showcase arts, nature and ad-free space as positive alternatives to corporate advertising.
• Movement building: We produce resources, train new organisers and run events to raise awareness about the impacts of corporate advertising on mental health, wellbeing, environmental damage, climate breakdown, body image and the local economy. We also contribute to international coalitions working in these areas.
• Lobby for change: We engage in a constructive dialogue with the advertising regulator, local councils and MPs to strengthen the regulation and legislation of advertising.

Days per week: 3 days per week.
Start Date: Late February 2026 / March 2026
Salary: £34,000 pro-rata.
Contract: 2 year fixed term contract – with the possibility of extension depending on funding.
Deadline for Applications: Thursday 29th January 2026, 11am
Applications for remote working will be considered from exceptional candidates but we will prefer applicants who are able to work in person from our central Bristol office (three days per week).

We are currently a team of six part-time staff based in Bristol. Read more about us.

We are an official partner to the Badvertising campaign which aims to stop advertising fuelling the climate emergency. This includes ads and sponsorships for cars, airline flights and fossil fuels. Badvertising is a project run by the New Weather Institute with Adfree Cities.

Big Oil Creative Campaigner: Primary Responsibilities

a) Keep a watching brief on the fossil fuel industry

• Develop expertise in the tactics used by major UK oil firms to maintain their social licence to operate, including outdoor advertising campaigns.
• Maintain a ‘watching brief’ on the major political, marketing and policy movements of UK-headquartered oil firms, for example through news articles and social media. (e.g new partnership and sponsorship announcements, business decisions or new advertising campaigns)
• Liaise with other movement actors working to end the advertising and marketing practices of major fossil fuel companies (Big Oil), especially UK-headquartered firms

b) Develop and deliver creative campaign interventions

• Co-create artistic interventions to expose misleading greenwash practices of major oil firms and to build a public mandate for policy change. Examples and inspiration from other groups include Darren Cullen’s Hell Bus, Glimpse’s spoof advertising agency Atmospheric, Brandalism’s ‘subvertising’ campaigns, Badvertising’s Ministry for the Climate Emergency, Fossil Free London’s street protests and Channel 4’s documentary Joe Lycett vs the Oil Giant.
• Develop press plans around these interventions
• Deploy a health message framing around the topic of advertising for high carbon products and create outreach plans to engage health workers and air pollution campaigners around the need for fossil ad bans

c) Liaising with policymakers and delivering workshops

• Deliver workshops about advertising for high carbon products to policymakers, campaigners and residents.
• Travel to different parts of Britain to run events, build local campaigner networks and lobby local councils. This will include co-managing transport and logistics of our Billboard Dystopia art installation – supported by other members of the Adfree Cities team.
• Support Adfree Cities’ policy team in engaging councils wishing to implement a ban on advertising and sponsorship for high carbon products, especially in collaboration with publlic health officers.

Skills and experience required

Essential:

• A critical perspective on corporate power
• Experience of grassroots campaigning
• Ability to build and maintain networks with activists, campaigners and policymakers
• An astute eye for visual arts, photography and videography
• Experience of organising events and workshops
• Excellent research and writing skills
• Commitment to intersectionality, diversity and inclusion
• Commitment to the vision and values of Adfree Cities

Desirable:

• Strong digital campaigning skills including the ability to do your own social media
• Experience of working with policymakers at a local government level to effect policy change
• Demonstrable experience of securing local and national press coverage
• Experience of giving press interviews
• Experience of planning, organising and delivering actions such as street or artistic protest

How to apply

• Send your CV and a covering letter or email describing why you want this role and outlining how your skills and experience match the job description to hello [at] adfreecities.org.uk.
• Please also complete the equal opportunities monitoring form. This is anonymous and will not be linked to your application.
• If you have any queries about the role, please feel free to request a brief phone call via hello [at] adfreecities.org.uk. We will be available after 10 January 2026. (Deadine for applications is 29th January)
• Interviews will be held in person in our Bristol office on Tuesday 10th February or Thursday 12th February 2026.

What we can offer

• Being part of a dynamic Adfree Cities staff team of six people
• Working as part of an exciting grassroots campaign that punches above its weight, with a key footing in the internationally growing movement to end fossil fuel advertising and sponsorship.
• Flexibility to explore new creative routes to challenge fossil advertising and greenwash.
• Working with a wider network of close partner organisations such as the New Weather Institute and Badvertising. Where relevant you will also have the opportunity to connect and learn from like-minded counter-advertising organisations internationally such as Reclame Fossielvrij (Netherlands) and Résistance à l’Agression Publicitaire (France).

Adfree Cities works within an anti-oppression and anti-racist framework. We welcome and encourage applications from minority backgrounds and those which are currently under-represented in the climate justice movement.