Communications & Design Manager

Are you passionate about great design, clever multi-format communications and community-building for meaningful publications?

Join Translator, a new magazine of translated journalism and reportage from around the world, for the open minded and the language curious.

Our objective is to build a community that, together, can help us all read the world differently - from a much broader set of languages and perspectives than the current Anglophone media provides.

As our Communications & Design Manager, you’ll help us with our online presence, marketing and graphic design, as a key member of the team.

Translator’s first magazine issue came out in June 2025. Issue #2 will launch this month. In 2026, we want to grow our reach, and expand our formats. Can you help?

Application deadline: 9am Thursday 20th November

Interview dates: W/C 24th November

About the job

Time input: part-time, 4 days a week with potential to become 5

Length of engagement: Initial 3-month trial period, with the intention of a long-term collaboration

Location: London

Working arrangement: In-person collaboration, some remote possible

Remuneration: £2,300 per month

Type of employment: Contractor (freelance on an invoice basis)

Start date: As soon as possible

Eligibility: Applicants must have the legal right to work in the UK

What you’ll be doing

Comms strategy & planning

Thinking of the bigger picture to craft and deliver an overarching Comms strategy. Develop ongoing and seasonal content campaigns; identify emerging trends or opportunities to inform campaigns; maintain and update shared comms/content calendar for upcoming months (content themes, events, press campaigns); plan and review partnerships or collaborations (publishers, stockists, cultural organisations); review analytics across all channels and adjust strategy; evaluate competitors’ or peers’ communications strategies.

Digital (Site/Substack/Instagram/LinkedIn)

Work across our online and social media presence to ensure coherence, consistency and innovative design. This might look like–Design, produce and schedule social media posts in conjunction with the editorial team; monitor social accounts and manage community engagement; coordinate user-generated content or reposts/collab posts from contributors and partners; maintain style guide/templates, alongside a content library (images, video clips, graphics) for reuse; format the newsletter each week; update and maintain website.

Video

Working with the team, and with others, to develop new formats for our content (simple video, audio) and to embed elements of this in existing formats. This might look like–Develop multi-channel content strategy (ideas for formats, resource); track analytics for video content; plan and script video interviews and other formats; coordinate with editors and contributors to schedule and manage recorded interviews; edit videos for social media (short Reels) and longer form content on YouTube or newsletter embedding.

Events

Brainstorming and planning with the wider team for events such as quarterly launches, occasional community events and webinars. This might look like– ensuring alignment with publication schedule; outreach potential venues and speakers; liaise with external providers (catering, AV, etc); draft invitations, emails and social promotion; on-the-day coordination, manage ROS, coordinate speakers/guests ; post wrap-up content (event photos, quotes, etc); follow up with guests, press and partners post-launch.

Press / Partner outreach

Developing, building and sustaining relationships with press and partners. This might look like–Research and identify potential media contacts or cultural partners; write and update statement, bios, press kit and brand assets folder; draft press releases, media alerts or tailored pitches; coordinate press invitations for events and launch campaigns; track press coverage and maintain a press archive.

Distribution*

Work with other team members on expanding the physical distribution of the magazine. This might look like–Monthly check-in with distributor, discussing latest updates and potential opportunities for new stockists, events and partnerships; liaise with stockists to provide updates and organise events; identify and reach out to new stockists or international partners.

* Ideally, we see the responsibility of Distribution shifting to the Editorial team in the near future once this team expands.

About you…

We’re looking for someone who is:

Excited about building the social media and digital presence for a new publication. You’re a self-starter with a design or digital marketing background and 3-4 years’ experience. You’re someone with an eye for detail, and a passion for producing high quality social media and web presence with design flair.

Entrepreneurial. You look for opportunities for Translator to maximise the reach of its content, both digitally and in the analogue world.

Community-oriented. You understand that building a sustainable, successful organisation means building a community that trusts the organisation, and where the organisation finds ways of constantly engaging, exciting and providing for its audience.

Confident in your technological skills. You have the relevant skills to manage a website and social media accounts with ease, including social media scheduling software, Adobe etc., and to think how these work together, including managing redesigns of our website.

Confident across formats. We increasingly want to incorporate (simple) audio and video elements into our online and digital offerings. We don’t expect one person to do everything, but an ability to work across formats, including with others where necessary, would be an advantage.

Interested in the world of publishing, political and social affairs, culture, and technology. You’re someone with wide interests, who is curious about the world around them, and happy to share that curiosity with others.

Passionate about amplifying voices from outside the Anglosphere. Translator loves language, so we hope you do too. You read and write English fluently. If you are able to speak and read in another language, or two, or three, that would be an advantage.

Happy to work in a dynamic start-up environment. Everyone’s contribution matters. You’re a self-starter with a can-do attitude to getting stuff done excited to both share their ideas and learn from others, openly and respectfully.

About Translator ...

Translator is a start-up magazine that wants to help change the way we read the world by making the best non-English language reportage writing available to an English language audience.

We work with publications, translators, illustrators around the world to achieve that end.

What we can offer you

• Creative input in the journey of a start-up publication, helping to shape and grow its online identity

• Opportunity to gain a deeper understanding of the world around you

• Work with interesting partners in magazine design

• A meaningful job in a meaningful publication.