JOB DESCRIPTION

POST TITLE: Senior Communications Officer

GRADE:Technical (£34,949 – £39,891)

RESPONSIBLE TO: Web and Digital Communications Manager, Communications Group

JOB SUMMARY:

The Senior Communications Officer is responsible for creating and delivering a strategy for print, digital and visual content that effectively supports Universities UK (UUK) to meet its campaigning, political and policy objectives. This includes ensuring that content across all communications channels and outputs is high-quality, accessible and impactful.

The post holderwill be a point of contact forcolleagues in the policy group, campaigns and political affairs,to identify target audiences and shape content and outputs most appropriate for their needs.

They will also need to be able to commission products with external researchers, writers and designers to deliver publications, film and graphical content, ensuring this is delivered to deadline and budget.

The post holder will oversee the UUK brand, manage UUK’s fortnightly e-newsletter, the UUKBulletin. The Senior Communications Officer will line manage and oversee the work of the Communications Officer.

Main responsibilities

The duties of the post will include the following:

Content strategy and planning –30%

  1. Working with the policy, campaigns and political affairs teams to shape the design and development of content and associated outputs to meet objectives. This includesplaying a key role in project and programme teams to ensure that content and outputs are designed to achieve influence, have a clearly identified target audience and a plan to reach them, and facilitating the fortnightly policy-comms grid meetings.
  2. Creating, developing and delivering a strategy for UUK’s print, digital, and visual content that effectively supports UUK to meet its campaigning, political and policy objectives.

Content quality and innovation – 30%

  1. Enhancing the accessibility, impact and quality of UUK’s digital, visual, and print outputs including editing content for UUK publications and web site to ensure that it is accurate, engaging and in house style. This includes overseeing proof-reading/editing delegated to the Communications Officer.
  2. Ensuring content is of ‘industry best practice’ standard and that UUK takes an innovative approach, drawing on new opportunities and developments to enhance the impact of content.
  3. Acting as UUK’s brand advocate and guardian to ensure that all content produced meets our brand standards and quality. This includes advising UUK colleagues on house style, providing writing and editing training where required.
  4. Working with the Web and Digital Communications Manager to enhance UUK’s web contentand provide assistance to colleagues who edit the UUK websites.

Project and people management –35%

  1. Line managing the Communications Officer post including regular one to ones, performance reviews and objective setting.
  2. Effectively project managing the delivery of print and digital content work streams within agreed timescale and budget. This includes overseeing the production of UUK publications and other printed materialsensuring outputs are evaluated and lessons learned for future projects. This includes managing relationships with existing and potentially new suppliers including tendering, procurement and contract processes so that UUK gets the best value for money from suppliers.
  3. Managing the production and overseeing the content of the Universities UK Bulletin (email newsletter) – identifying appropriate content, writing and editing content as required, producing in the e-news template, managing distribution lists and sending out to members.
  4. Deputising for the Web and Digital Communications Manager when necessary.
  5. Coordinating the design and delivery of communications strategies for standalone projects requiring communications support.

Other – 5%

  1. Leading on and/or contributing to Communications Group cross-team projects, initiatives and related tasks as required, appropriate and subject to workloads.

PERSON SPECIFICATION

POST TITLE: Senior Communications Officer

GRADE:Technical (£34,949 – £39,891)

RESPONSIBLE TO: Web and Digital Communications Manager, Communications Group

Essential/Desirable / QUALIFICATIONS AND TRAINING / ASSESSED
A. WORK BACKGROUND AND EXPERIENCE
Essential
Essential
Essential
Essential
Desirable / Proven experience and track record of success in a similar role including delivering print and/or digital content to the final product.
Educated to degree level with a very high standard of written English, including good copywriting and editing skills and experience of training/sharing knowledge with others.
Experience of producing plans and developing content to support proactive campaigning activities.
Knowledge of a range of software and packages to support the role including: YouTube, Photoshop, InDesign, content management systems (SharePoint) and online registration/newsletter tools.
Sound technical knowledge of web publishing and content-creation, and experience of training web editors. / Interview
Application form/Test
Application form
Application form
Application form

B. SKILLS AND APTITUDES REQUIRED

Essential
Essential
Essential
Essential
Essential
Desirable / Excellent oral communication, with ability to interact and, when appropriate, negotiate with a range of internal and external stakeholders
Effective interpersonal skills with the ability to get on well with others at all levels across all groups in the office whilst ensuring a high level of customer service.
Proven project management skills and ability to manage multiple work streams whilst ensuring your own work is delivered on schedule.
Ability to manage third party suppliers, ensuring the provision of an effective service and value for money.
Experience of using initiative and creativity to solve problems within set procedures.
Experience of line managing, or task managing, a team member to produce high quality outputs / Test
Interview
Application form
Interview
Application form
Application form
C. SPECIALIST KNOWLEDGE REQUIRED
Desirable /
Interest / knowledge of the HE Sector / Interview
D. PERSONAL QUALITIES
Essential
Essential / Experience and ability to work within teams supporting others and contributing to team decisions.
Ability to work under pressure in a calm and efficient manner. / Application form
Interview

This job description will be reviewed and amended in the light of changing professional demands. A job description is not a rigid or inflexible document but acts to provide guidelines to the duties expected while in post.

1