Communications Officer, UCL, Office of the Vice-Provost (Research, Innovation and Global Engagement)

Deadline: 6 December, 2022
Location: London
Term: Full-time, permanent, Hybrid (20% – 80% on site)
Salary: £38,308- £46,155
Other: i.e. immigration

UCL is one of the world’s leading universities. Based in the heart of London, it is a modern, outward-looking institution with more than 12,000 academics, research staff and research students. At its establishment in 1826, UCL was radical and responsive to the needs of society, and this ethos – that excellence should go hand-in-hand with enriching society – continues today. UCL’s excellence extends across all the breadth of disciplines; from one of Europe’s largest and most productive hubs for biomedical science interating with several leading London hospitals, to world-renowned centres for the built environment (UCL Bartlett) and fine art (UCL Slade School).

We are a truly international community, with almost half of our students and nearly a third of staff coming from outside the UK. More than half of our student community are engaged in graduate studies with almost 6,000 pursuing research degrees.

We are proud to be a research-intensive university, and at the most recent (2021) Research Excellence Framework (REF) UCL was rated the top university on the UK on the basis of research power.

The Office of the Vice-Provost (Research, Innovation and Global Engagement) – VP RIGE –  brings together a range of functions, services and resources for the UCL community and external partners. We are dedicated to supporting people, crossing boundaries and enabling responsible impact – for the greater good, locally, nationally and internationally.

Main purpose of the job

This is a diverse and exciting role for someone who is keen to grow their career in research communications and support the delivery of the UCL Research Strategy through effective communications.

The Communications Officer supports a range of initiatives in VP RIGE, including but not limited to:

• UCL Grand Challenges (GC), which supports and enables cross-disciplinary collaborations that explore joined-up solutions in six areas related to matters of pressing societal concern
• UCL Public Policy (PP), which connects researchers with policy professionals, to inform policy with evidence and foster governmental capacity for evidence-based policymaking.
• UCL Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which aims to respond to the challenges set out in the UN Sustainable Development Goals and maximize our impact on the targets within the Goals.

The role will include developing new and existing communications channels, helping to better understand our audiences and shape our messages, and generating content for and managing our websites and social and multimedia channels.

The post holder will work primarily with:

• The Head of Research Communications & Events, and the VP RIGE communications team
• The GC, PP and SDGs teams
• Other VP RIGE colleagues, including Research Evaluation, Research Facilitation and Coordination and administrative staff
• Communications colleagues in the Vice-Provost External Engagement (VPEE), communications leads across UCL’s faculties, in departmental and centres
• Relevant external stakeholders, including suppliers, freelancers, and other external organisations.

Duties and responsibilities

• Work with the Head of Research Communications & Events to deliver a programme of strategic communications activity in support of VP RIGE objectives
• For the three main initiatives (GC, PP and SDGs), lead on content development for a range of channels, including news items, social media and newsletters, update and maintain the website, develop and promote podcasts and videos, and lead on the communications aspects of delivering and promoting internal and external events
• Play an active role in supporting the VP RIGE communications team, including across Global Engagement and Innovation and Enterprise
• Work with colleagues across UCL to increase the reach and visibility of our communications
• Provide advice, support and guidance to teams within VP RIGE on their communications needs
• Where agreed, lead project-specific communications activity
• Play an active role in UCL-wide communications networks, including the Communities of Practice, and maintain close working relationship with communications teams across the university

 General

• Promote a culture of innovation, respect and collaboration in line with UCL’s values
• Actively follow and promote UCL policies, including equal opportunities and race equality policies
• Maintain an awareness of and observe fire and health and safety regulations
• Carry out any other duties commensurate with the grade and purpose of the post, as requested by the Head of Research Communications & Events
• Follow and actively promote the UCL Ways of Working.
• UCL is currently trialling hybrid working and the successful applicant may work remotely for up to 60% of the week if they wish

Our commitment to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion

As London’s Global University, we know diversity fosters creativity and innovation, and we want our community to represent the diversity of the world’s talent. We are committed to equality of opportunity, to being fair and inclusive, and to being a place where we all belong. We therefore particularly encourage applications from candidates who are likely to be underrepresented in UCL’s workforce. These include people from Black, Asian and ethnic minority backgrounds; disabled people; LGBTQI+ people; and for our Grade 9 and 10 roles, women.

For a full job description, person specification, and to apply, visit the UCL website.