Background:
Reading Force (RF) is a unique, free shared-reading initiative supporting the emotional, social, and mental wellbeing of the UK Forces community including serving personnel, veterans, reservists, those injured, and their families, and bereaved families. We use books and shared-reading resources to strengthen resilience, connection, and literacy during the challenges of military life: uncertainty, separation, relocation, deployment, injury, and transition to civilian life.
We are seeking a new Reading Force Ambassador based in Northern Ireland (NI) to support NI Forces communities including serving and veteran families, veterans, partners, children, and young people. The successful candidate will join a well-established, informal, and pro-active team, with ongoing support provided.
Key role:
To deliver Reading Force across NI, identifying, developing, and maintaining partnerships, leading local outreach and engagement, and providing insights that inform Reading Force priorities.
Core Competencies:
- Understand Reading Force’s mission, activities, values, and strategic goals, with a commitment to achieving its objectives
- Insight into the unique needs of the Armed Forces communities throughout their lifecycle, including serving, reservists, veterans, and their families, in particular the situation of military families in Northern Ireland
- Appreciation of the role of reading for pleasure and literacy in promoting education, wellbeing, and family cohesion—especially within military contexts
- Ability to balance the needs of diverse stakeholders while maintaining a clear focus on beneficiary impact
Skills
- Highly organised with excellent planning and time-management skills; adept at managing multiple priorities and deadlines
- Results-oriented, consistently delivering against defined plans and objectives
- Strong analytical skills with the ability to identify trends and generate actionable insights to inform priorities
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills; confident engaging with beneficiaries at all levels
- Proactive and resilient; able to work independently while aligning with organisational priorities and contributing positively to a coordinated, UK‑wide team.
- Financially literate; able to manage NI‑specific budgets and expenses with strong attention to detail and accountability Proficient in Microsoft Office 365 (including SharePoint, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Teams)
Role-specific requirements:
Relationships and liaison:
External:
- Identify, develop, and maintain relationships with charities, schools, welfare services, associations, veteran organisations, and commercial partners across NI
- Act as the primary liaison for delivery partners and other organisations working with Reading Force to support military families and distribute RF material, including charities, schools, welfare services, associations, and commercial partners within NI
- Build on and create new relationships with welfare services, associations, and charities
- Research and establish contacts regionally; schedule relevant meetings and visits; maintain accurate records and reports via CRM liaising with the Senior Ambassador to avoid duplication
- Represent Reading Force at events (in-person and online), delivering presentations and promoting engagement
- Deliver Reading Force initiatives in line with organisational guidance, safeguarding requirements, and best-practice standards
Internal:
- Work collaboratively with the Senior Ambassador and management team to ensure NI delivery aligns with Reading Force priorities while maintaining autonomy in day‑to‑day relationship‑building and regional implementation.
- Participate actively in regular team meetings; contribute updates, share good practice, and support collaborative learning across regions.
- Provide constructive feedback from on‑the‑ground experience and identify local trends and opportunities, escalating these to support organisational planning, programme improvement, and funding evaluation
- Maintain accurate records and provide timely reports on activities, outcomes, beneficiary engagement, and emerging NI needs, and championing consistent use of internal systems and processes to ensure high‑quality delivery and alignment across the ambassador team
Finance and governance:
- Manage NI‑specific budgets and expenses, working to an agreed budget with oversight from the Senior Ambassador; maintain accurate records of time and expenditure.
- Adhere to Reading Force’s Safeguarding Policy and uphold principles of equality, diversity, and inclusion
- Support funding efforts through opportunity spotting, application input, and impact reporting
Partnerships and liaison:
- Participation in partner events
- Collaborate with the RF Book Club Ambassador to set up community book clubs in NI
- Spot opportunities for, and organise, live events featuring national authors and literary activities for families and individuals
Communications/Marketing
- Provide NI‑based content—photos, stories, quotes, and local updates—for RF communications in line with Social Media plans; submit via agreed processes for central scheduling/publication
- Contribute to weekly social media posts, quarterly newsletter, quarterly articles in three military publications, displaying community generated content
Administration:
- Respond promptly to enquiries and requests for materials
- Use internal systems and processes effectively (including CRM)
- Maintain accurate and timely records of hours and expenses
- Support feedback mechanisms to measure impact and outcomes
Working hours and renumeration:
- Contract Type: Fixed-term contract of three years, May 2026 to April 2029 (subject to funding continuation)
- Hours: 12 hours per week with flexible working
- Salary: £21.00 per hour, paid monthly
- Leave: 36 days annual leave in total (pro rata), including bank holidays
- Probation: Three-month probationary period
- Reporting Line: Senior Ambassador
- Location: Remote (NI-based) with travel throughout NI
- Benefits: Pension scheme, eligibility begins after successful completion of probation period
In brief:
Informed, proactive, collaborative, responsive, and focused
The successful candidate will work autonomously to build RF’s reach and engagement across NI, while aligning with national priorities and contributing to a supportive, coordinated UK‑wide team.
Reading Force charitable objectives:
The following objectives are for the public benefit of all British Armed Forces families and children living in the UK and overseas:
1) To advance education by encouraging families to read together for pleasure and talk about a book by providing advice, assistance, and materials to support shared reading activities; and
2) To promote and protect good health by using reading as a means of mitigating stress and increasing communication and good family relationships following separation due to training, deployment, postings, and mobility.
How to apply
For more information on Reading Force, visit our website www.readingforce.org.uk If you would like to apply, please submit your CV along with a one-page summary of why you would be a good fit for the role and for Reading Force as a whole. Applications should be addressed to our founder & director and emailed to our Office Manager camille@readingforce.org.uk by Monday 16 March 2025. Interviews will be held online on Friday 27 March 2025.
