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Communications Officer

An exciting opportunity has arisen to join the DECIPHer Resarch Centre located within the School of Social Sciences, Cardiff Univeristy. The role holder will play a pivotal role in supporting the development and advising on the strategy for communications, engagement and publicity work across all of DECIPHer’s research projects and for DECIPHer as a research centre. The role holder will be required to deliver high quality, creative and effective communications and manage events across the breadth of work taking place within DECIPHer.

This role is eligible to be offered on a blended working basis, meaning that as well as spending time working on campus you can also choose to spend some time working from another location, e.g. your home. The University is committed to offering this flexibility, wherever the role and business need allows, supporting work-life balance.

As the biggest university in Wales – and a major employer, with more than 7,000 staff – we are an ambitious and innovative university located in a beautiful and thriving capital city. We can offer you the chance to work in a vibrant organisation, with great benefits and opportunities for progression.

Salary: £29,762 rising via annual increment to £34,314 per annum, pro rata for hours worked)

This post is available from 1st May 2023 to 31st January 2024 at 80% time (28 hours per week)

For further information please contact: Zoe Macdonald ([email protected])

Date advert posted: Wednesday, 3 May 2023

Closing Date: Wednesday, 31 May 2023

Please be aware that Cardiff University reserves the right to close this vacancy early should sufficient applications be received.

Cardiff University is committed to supporting and promoting equality and diversity and to creating an inclusive working environment. We believe this can be achieved through attracting, developing, and retaining a diverse range of staff from many different backgrounds who have the ambition to create a University which seeks to fulfil our social, cultural and economic obligation to Cardiff, Wales, and the world. In supporting our employees to achieve a balance between their work and their personal lives, we will also consider proposals for flexible working or job share arrangements.

The role holder will play a pivotal role in supporting the development and advising on the strategy for communications, engagement and publicity work across all of DECIPHer’s research projects and for DECIPHer as a research centre. The role holder will be required to deliver high quality, creative and effective communications and manage events across the breadth of work taking place within DECIPHer.

Key Duties

• Support the creation of a new communications strategy and make recommendations to the DECIPHer Executive Team to improve communications activity.
• Provide professional advice, guidance and training on communications activity to DECIPHer researchers, using judgement and creativity to suggest the most appropriate course of action, and ensuring complex and conceptual issues are understood.
• Work closely with colleagues, stakeholders and funders to develop narratives to communicate the institute’s research activity effectively to key audiences.
• Explore customer needs, including colleagues, partners, and users, and adapt the service accordingly to ensure a quality service is delivered.
• Establish working relationships with key contacts, developing appropriate communication links within the School of Social Sciences, The College of Arts Humanities and Social Sciences, SPARK, and external programme partners Health & Care Research Wales and Public Health Wales.
• Produce and edit high quality written copy for a wide range of audiences and purposes, to include the DECIPHer website, e-newsletters and regular printed publications, ensuring compliance with Welsh language standards and Cardiff University’s branding requirements.
• Coordinate with the University’s central communications team to issue press releases relating to high-profile events and key research outputs.
• Take a proactive approach to public relations, forecasting upcoming media events and announcements and spotting and preparing newsworthy activity within DECIPHer; repurpose and repackage news items for a wide range of different audiences.
• Lead the management and development of DECIPHer’s online presence, including the DECIPHer website, blog, Linkedin and Twitter.
• Line manage DECIPHer’s Events Administrative Assistant, to support the organisation and promotion of events such as research seminars, conferences and public events.
• Manage and advise on effective internal communications within DECIPHer, helping to embed communications activities within DECIPHer by attending relevant meetings, and arranging meetings with academics.
• Support the communication of research impact activity by working with colleagues on communicating their research successes or special projects, identifying priorities based on topical and newsworthy stories.
• Liaise with external designers and print companies on the production of printed material, ensuring it is consistent with DECIPHer branding and visual identity.
• Assist with the production of the bilingual, annual report as required by DECIPHer’s primary funder, Health and Care Research Wales, to highlight key outputs and activity.
• Work as part of the DECIPHer PS team, ensuring that colleagues are kept informed of your work and deputising for colleagues, as required.

General Duties

• Undergo personal and professional development that is appropriate to and which will enhance performance.
• Ensure that an understanding of the importance of confidentiality is applied when undertaking all duties.
• Abide by University policies on Health and Safety, Equality and Diversity and data protection.
• Perform other duties occasionally which are not included above, but which will be consistent with the role.

Essential Criteria

Qualifications and Education

• Relevant degree/NVQ 4 or equivalent Professional membership/experience.

Knowledge, Skills and Experience

• Substantial experience of working within a communications role
• Substantial experience of working with digital content creation and website management to create an effective online presence.
• Able to demonstrate professional knowledge within communications to give advice and guidance to colleagues.
• Able to take complex information and translate it into digestible content without losing the substance of the piece.
• Highly developed ICT skills, including a working knowledge of websites, social media, e-newsletter platforms, Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, Excel, Publisher and Canva.

Customer Service, Communication and Team Working

• Ability to build effective working relationships with a wide range of colleagues and stakeholders.
• Experience of line management, training and supervising others.

Planning, Analysis and Problem Solving

• Ability to use initiative and creativity; identifying and proposing practical solutions to communications challenges.
• Excellent administration and organisational skills, with the proven ability to generate and manage your own workload, prioritising tasks as appropriate, and working both independently and as part of a team.

Desirable Criteria

• Fluency in Welsh, written and oral.

29,762

34,314

Management & Executive

Grade 5