Senior External Communications Officer

ADECCO; West Midlands Combined Authority; Hybrid; GBP 35,000 - 50,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading university is seeking a Senior External Communications Officer to shape and share its narrative. The role involves crafting compelling stories, managing media relations, and enhancing digital engagement. Ideal candidates will have substantial experience in PR or Journalism and excellent communication skills.

Benefits

Professional Growth Opportunities

Convenient Location

Hybrid Working

Richly Varied Work

Qualifications

• Considerable experience in PR/Communications and/or Journalism.
• Ability to craft engaging text for various audiences and platforms.
• Proactive, enthusiastic approach with excellent interpersonal skills.

Responsibilities

• Write engaging press releases on a range of stories.
• Handle media inquiries and facilitate interviews.
• Develop and maintain contacts in the media.
• Collaborate on digital content including social media.
• Produce weekly news round-ups for senior management.
• Assist with high-profile events for media engagement.

Skills

PR/Communications

Journalism

Interpersonal Skills

Content Creation

Job description

Senior External Communications Officer

Location: Wolverhampton City Centre
Contract Type: Interim post (6 months)
Start Date: ASAP
End Date: December 2025
Working Pattern: Full Time (On campus a minimum of 40% of the week)

Are you passionate about communications and looking to make a significant impact? Interested in subject areas such as health, cybercrime, AI, robots and satellites? Might you even be a former journalist? With a dynamic new leadership team steering a successful growth strategy, this is your chance to be part of exciting transformational change at our client's university.

About the Role:

As the Senior External Communications Officer, you will play a pivotal role in shaping and sharing the university's narrative. Collaborating closely with colleagues in the Digital Content and Communications Team, you'll be instrumental in crafting compelling stories that highlight achievements and corporate developments that engage the media and the wider public.

Key Responsibilities:

• Press releases Write engaging press releases on a rich range of stories including groundbreaking research that impacts the world


• Media Relations Handle media inquiries, facilitate interviews and advise interviewees


• Contacts Develop and maintain a broad range of contacts in the media


• Digital Engagement: Collaborate with colleagues creating digital content, including social media, videos and podcasts, to enhance our online presence.


• Monitoring & Reporting: Produce weekly news round-ups for senior management using the media monitoring service.


• Campaigns: Help colleagues develop engaging content for key campaigns throughout the academic year, including student recruitment, graduations, and welcome events.


• Event Support: Assist with high-profile events, ensuring media engagement and maximum visibility.

Ideal Candidate:

The perfect candidate will have:

• Considerable experience in PR/Communications and/or Journalism


• The ability to craft engaging text for various audiences and platforms.


• A proactive, enthusiastic approach with excellent interpersonal skills.

Why Join Us?

• Richly Varied Work: With a wide range of subject matter, no two days are ever the same as you work to raise the profile of this hidden gem of a university


• Convenient Location: Our office is just a 7-minute walk from Wolverhampton train, tram and bus station, making your commute hassle-free.


• Hybrid Working On campus a minimum of 40%


• Professional Growth: Engage in professional development opportunities and work alongside a talented team of marketing and communications professionals.

If you're ready to take on this exciting challenge and contribute to a remarkable turnaround in the education sector, we want to hear from you!