Communications Officer

Are you interested in working for a philanthropic organisation and bringing our mission to life? Stichting Limelight Foundation (Limelight) is looking for an experienced Communications Officer who can turn our impact into compelling stories, connect with diverse audiences, and use communications to build lasting partnerships with funders. 

• Location: Hybrid – We work at least two days per week from our office in central Amsterdam and the rest of the week remotely, depending on individual and organisational needs.
• Contract: One year with the intention to extend with mutual agreement.
• Hours: 24 - 32 hours
• Salary range: €46.350 - 54.075 based on full time employment
• Responsible to: Partnerships Manager

About Limelight

Based in Amsterdam, Limelight is Europe’s leading journalism fund, focused on strengthening the continent’s information infrastructure. We do this by backing the reporting itself, the protections around it, and the organisations that hold tech platforms to account. With the support of a community of donors, we have made over 120 donations totalling €28 million since our founding in 2021. We currently have 59 active grantee partnerships. Our support helps give over 500 million Europeans access to independent news.

About the Role

We have ambitious plans to scale up support for journalism in Europe and the information infrastructure more broadly by growing our community of donors. This is a mid-level position at the heart of our fundraising strategy: external communications are key in explaining the need for and impact of our work to funders who are new to this work.

Working closely with the Director, the Partnerships Manager (to be recruited) and the rest of Limelight’s small but growing team, the Communications Officer will help tell our story more powerfully and engage the donors who will make the next chapter of our work possible.

Main Responsibilities

• Gather grantee stories and translate technical or sector-specific outcomes into accessible, persuasive narratives.
• Develop donor-facing communication materials (impact reports, pitch materials, etc.) that clearly articulate our mission.
• Manage and strategically grow Limelight’s online presence including our website, social media channels and sector specific publications including by writing, editing and proof-reading external content.
• Ensure the Limelight brand is consistently applied in all internal and external communication materials.
• Monitor the media funding and philanthropy landscape across Europe to spot opportunities and inform messaging.
• Contribute to the organisation’s overall communications strategy, including developing relevant online/social media guidelines where necessary.
• Oversee the complete production of Limelight’s annual report from concept to dissemination, by working with the rest of the team, grantee partners, board members, external designers, contributors and editors. Identify and steer external consultants. Organise dissemination plans and outreach.
• Track and report on the effectiveness of communications activity against fundraising goals.
• Manage all incoming enquiries.
• Perform other duties commensurate with the post.

About You

Essential

• 3-5 years’ work experience in communications, or a related field.
• An excellent understanding of strategic communication, messaging, audiences and communication channels.
• Excellent written communication skills in English, with the ability to write persuasively for different audiences without the use of generative AI.
• Comfortable working with data and impact evidence and able to translate complex ideas and work into simple, impactful and engaging messaging tailored to different audiences
• Experience in creating, editing and distributing content for a variety of communication outputs, including social media posts, website articles, impact stories, annual reports, quarterly updates, etc.
• Experience using web-editing (we use Webflow), graphic design (we use Canva & Photoshop) and publishing software.
• Highly organised, with the ability to manage a varied workload and competing priorities.
• Excellent attention to detail.
• Proactive, can-do and flexible attitude.
• A good understanding of our work and strong commitment to our mission.
• High level of personal integrity.
• Right to work in the Netherlands. Unfortunately, Limelight cannot sponsor work permits or visas.

Desirable

• Experience working in the not-for-profit or philanthropic sector.
• Working knowledge of other (European) languages.

What We Offer

• A competitive salary depending on background and experience up to €54.075 per year based on full-time employment.
• A one-year contract, with possibility of extension.
• Generous pension scheme.
• 27 leave days based on full-time employment and an 8% holiday allowance.
• More than the mandatory Dutch public holidays. You may request to substitute any of the national public holidays for any religious or cultural holiday(s) of your choice.
• Paid lunch break.
• A compensation scheme for the costs of your commute within the Netherlands.
• Excellent opportunities for personal development.
• We combine home working with at least two days per week of office-based working from our office in central Amsterdam, depending on individual and organisational needs. Flexible working arrangements are also available.

How to Apply

If you are enthusiastic about this role and recognise yourself in the person specification, you can apply by sending us:

• your CV
• a one-page motivation letter
• links to three writing samples/outputs relevant to this role (stating your role in their production)

Please email your application to enquiries@limelight.foundation including “Application Communications Officer” in the subject line. We will not consider incomplete applications.

Closing date: 28 September 2026

• First interviews will be held online on 15 and 16 October 2026.
• Second round will be held on 27 October 2026 in person in Amsterdam.
  • The second round will consist of an in-person interview and a written assignment (total time will be less than two hours). We will pay a small compensation for time spent on this second round.

If you have any questions, please contact us at enquiries@limelight.foundation.

Equality and diversity are fundamental to our mission. We are committed to the recruitment and retention of individuals from diverse backgrounds and who reflect the communities in which we operate.

We think it should go without saying that a person will read your application. Limelight does not use artificial intelligence for any phase or part of the recruitment process.