Web Manager

Who Are We?

The Sussex Ornithological Society (SOS) works to promote the study, recording, and conservation of wild birds throughout Sussex. We are seeking a proactive and capable Volunteer Web Manager to oversee the maintenance, accuracy, and usability of the Society’s website, www.sos.org.uk. The site is built on WordPress and serves as the Society’s primary public-facing platform, providing regularly updated information on bird sightings, conservation news, events, volunteering opportunities, membership, grants, and the work of SOS committees. 

The Role:

This role is ideal for someone with experience in WordPress or similar content management systems, who enjoys improving digital content, collaborating with volunteers, and ensuring that online information remains accurate, accessible, and engaging. The Web Manager ensures that the SOS website remains reliable, up to date, and easy to navigate. They will monitor site performance, identify issues such as broken links or outdated content, and work with SOS volunteers to refresh or amend information. The role also involves liaising with SOS’s external website service provider when technical support or development work is required.

Key Responsibilities:

• Encouraging key SOS stakeholders to provide regular fresh content for the website.
• Website Maintenance & Quality Control Identify and resolve issues such as broken links, formatting errors, outdated pages, or missing information.
• Maintain a clear overview of the site’s structure, ensuring consistency across pages and sections.
• Liaise with SOS’s external website service provider for technical fixes, updates, or enhancements.
• Content Management & Coordination
• Review content across the site to identify areas that require updating, rewriting, or removal.
• Proactively approach SOS volunteers, committee members, and content owners to request fresh material or clarifications.
• Support teams responsible for specific areas of the site, including: recent sightings, SOS news, volunteering opportunities, events listings, policies and governance information, committee pages and contact details, SOS Grants and Young Birders Scheme
• Assist the Membership team with occasional updates to MemberPress, the WordPress bolt on used for managing subscriptions and membership sign ups.
• Collaboration & Committee Work
• Serve as a member of the Membership and Publicity Committee, attending approximately five two hour meetings per year, usually via video conference.
• Participate in the Communications Committee, contributing to discussions on digital engagement, messaging, and public outreach.
• Work closely with the Newsletter Editor, Social Media Team, and other volunteers to ensure consistency of tone, accuracy of information, and alignment across SOS communication channels.

What skills do I need?

Essential:

• Experience using WordPress or a comparable content management system.
• Confidence in reviewing, editing, and improving website content. (Please note that in order to deliver this, there is NOT a need for the individual to have expertise in birds, there are plenty of helpful volunteers within SOS who can fact check any proposed copy.)
• A proactive approach to identifying content opportunities, issues and suggesting improvements.
• Strong communication skills and the ability to work collaboratively with volunteers across different teams.
• Ability to train volunteers, some with limited technical confidence to confidently upload their own content onto the website.
• Good organisational skills and attention to detail.

Desirable:

• Familiarity with website analytics, SEO basics, or accessibility standards
• Experience working with external web service providers.
• Interest in birds, wildlife, or conservation—helpful but not essential.