Communications Officer - Campus Services - 57342 - Grade 5

University of Birmingham; Birmingham; On-site; GBP 29,000 - 32,000; Full time

Job description

Position Details

Campus Services

Location: University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham UK

Full time starting salary is normally in the range £29,647 to £31,460, with potential progression once in post to £35,388

Grade: 5

Full Time, Permanent

Closing date: 8th May 2025

Our offer to you

People are at the heart of what we are and do.

The University of Birmingham is proud to have been a part of the City of Birmingham and the wider region for over 100 years, andweare equally proud to be recognised as a leading global university.We want to attract talented people from across the city and beyond, support them to succeed, and celebrate their success.

We are committed to helping the people who work here todevelopthrough our sector-leading Birmingham Professional programmewhichprovides allprofessionalservices staff with development opportunities and the encouragement to reach their full potential.With almost 5,000professionalservices jobs in a wide-range of functionsin Edgbaston andin our campus inDubai, there are plenty of opportunities foryou to be able to develop yourcareer at the University.

We believe there is no such thing as a typical member of staff and that diversity is a source of strength that underpins the exchange of ideas, innovation, and debate.We warmly welcome people from all backgrounds and are committed to fostering an inclusive environment where diversity is at the heart of who and what we are,and how we work.

Supporting our people to achieve a healthy work/life balance is important both to our employees andtothe success of the University and, depending on the role, we offer avarietyof flexible working arrangements. We therefore welcome discussions on all forms of flexible working.In addition, you will receive a generous package of benefits including 40 dayspaid holidaya year, one paid day a year for volunteering, occupational sick pay, and a pension scheme. We also have three high quality subsidised day nurseries.

The University is situated in leafy Edgbaston and there are excellent transport links to our beautiful campus, including main bus routes and a train station on site.On campus we have a state-of-the-art sports centre with pool, shops,places to eat and drink,our own art gallery, museum and botanical gardens.

Find out more about thebenefits of working for the Universityof Birmingham

Background

Campus Services (CS) employs over 900 staff with a turnover exceeding £57m in the last financial year. CS plays a key role in the quality of the student, staff, and visitor experience, providing services across diverse areas such as the University’s sporting facilities, food and beverage, cleaning, community safety and security, conferencing, hotel operations, day nurseries, portering, post, branded and own-brand retail outlets, visitor services and attractions (e.g., Winterbourne House and Gardens), student housing, transport, waste disposal and recycling. CS is a highly commercial organisation operating within the University context and has an ambitious strategic agenda, in terms of growing our service profile across both our Birmingham and Dubai campuses.

The Campus Services Marketing and Communications Team forms part of Campus Services division at University of Birmingham.

Role Summary

We are looking for a Communications Officer to join our team, responsible for crafting creative, clear and concise external communications for a wide array of audiences. Alongside skills in creative writing, PR and communications, the post holder will be passionate, enthusiastic and a team player; keen to support all areas of Campus Services, engage with colleagues across the department and keep abreast of developments and projects across the entire portfolio.

Main Duties

Reporting directly to the Marketing and Communications Manager, this post works within a team of marketing, digital and design professionals. The post holder will be responsible for crafting communications across the Campus Services portfolio, to different audiences, and across a range of channels including social media, websites, emails and printed materials. The successful candidate will also have experience in SEO, crafting copy aligned to best practice, and editing/proofing materials.

We’re looking for someone with extensive experience, who has a flair for writing, excellent grammar a love of creative communication and the ability to switch tone of voice to suit the brand and audience. Writing for broad and niche markets, you’ll be able to grasp the needs of our customers and work to communicate with them in the most effective ways. You’ll have an understanding of the media, brand development and public relations. You will be expected to keep on top of current trends and contribute content marketing and communication plans needed to support departmental campaigns.

Please note this is an office-based role, located at our Edgbaston campus in Birmingham.

Responsibilities

• Create engaging and accurate communications aligned to the strategic objectives of individual departments within Campus Services
• Copywriting across a range of channels, including websites (in line with SEO best practice), social media and email marketing
• Craft press releases and award submissions which capture the imagination, and communicate the excellent and groundbreaking work done by Campus Services teams on a wider stage
• Interpret briefs to understand project requirements and action accordingly
• Edit and proof work to ensure high editorial standards are met across all communication outputs
• Collaborate with colleagues in the team to assess project needs and help shape key messaging
• Drive brand consistency across all communications, supporting with the development and implementation of brand guidelines
• Undertake research, to inform communications that add value for customers and builds brand equity
• Deliver a range of campaigns, in partnership with the rest of the team
• With the support from managers, lead certain campaigns throughout the calendar year
• Cultivate relationships with colleagues across Campus Services and wider University to support communications strategies
• Stay up to date with current trends and competitors within the editorial sphere
• See projects through the whole creative lifestyle, from inception to deployment
• Update actions and responsibilities on our project tracker

Required Knowledge, Skills, Qualifications, Experience

• Extensive communications experience in a similar/equivalent role
• A relevant degree in marketing, communications, business, English or similar
• Proficiency in English and exceptional communication skills are essential, including evidence of writing for a range of channels including email, social media and print
• A self-starter with a great attitude, excellent interpersonal skills and the ability to work well under pressure, meeting tight deadlines through excellent organisation and planning. Ability to prioritise and schedule workloads in the face of conflicting demands while maintaining a high degree of accuracy
• Highly creative with experience in identifying target audiences and developing content that engage, inform and motivate
• Experience of content creation using SEO practices for websites. This should include the ability to maximise opportunities for engagement, indexing, ranking, click-throughs and conversion
• Demonstrable experience of PR
• Demonstrable experience of the use of social media measurement tools such as Hootsuite
• A strong eye for detail, formatting and engaging content
• A driven and passionate approach to work
• An understanding of the Higher Education sector is desirable

Dimensions

• No direct responsibility for other staff
• No direct financial responsibility
• Work as part of a wider team with digital marketing, graphic designers and marketing specialists

Planning and Organising

• Organised, creative and unafraid to challenge existing ways of thinking
• Strong organisational skills that support the rest of the team
• The ability to balance work on several projects at a time

Problem Solving and decision making

• The ability to understand what needs to be achieved, and propose creative solutions

Internal and External relationships

• Work as part of the Marketing and Communications Team under the Marketing and Communications Manager
• Assist Campus Services team members with content marketing requirements
• Build a network of relationships / contacts across the University to assist in the delivery of projects

Informal enquiries to Sala Davies, email: [e-mail]

View our staff values and behaviourshere

We believe there is no such thing as a 'typical' member of University of Birmingham staff and that diversity in its many forms is a strength that underpins the exchange of ideas, innovation and debate at the heart of University life. We are committed to proactively addressing the barriers experienced by some groups in our community and are proud to hold Athena SWAN, Race Equality Charter and Disability Confident accreditations. We have an Equality Diversity and Inclusion Centre that focuses on continuously improving the University as a fair and inclusive place to work where everyone has the opportunity to succeed. We are also committed to sustainability, which is a key part of our strategy. You can find out more about our work to create a fairer university for everyoneon our website .