Senior Communications & PR Officer (Fixed Term), Bath Spa University

Rachel Miller; Newton St. Loe; On-site; GBP 33,000 - 38,000; Full time

Job summary

A higher education institution in England is looking for a Senior Communications and PR Officer to enhance reputation and engage stakeholders. This role involves managing media relations, developing strategic communications projects, and creating compelling content. Candidates should have excellent communication skills and experience in press office management. The position offers a competitive salary range of £33,951 – £37,694 annually and various employee benefits, including a generous pension scheme and enhanced paid leave.

Benefits

Generous pension scheme

Enhanced paid leave

Family friendly policies

Employee Assistance Programme

Transport schemes

Wide range of discounts

Responsibilities

• Develop and deliver effective communications that enhance our reputation.
• Manage media relations and create compelling content.
• Support internal and external communications campaigns.
• Lead strategic communications projects.

Skills

Internal and external communications experience

Press Office Management

Excellent writing and communication skills

Technically and digitally competent

Stakeholder management

Management of team member experience

Brand Management experience

Social Media and Content creation experience

Job description

Senior Communications & PR Officer (Fixed Term), Bath Spa University
Location: Bath, Somerset – Newton Park
Closing date: 16 January 2026
£33,951 – £37,694 / year

We are seeking a proactive and creative Senior Communications and PR Officer to develop and deliver effective communications that enhance our reputation and engage key stakeholders across the UK. The successful candidate will manage media relations, create compelling content, and support internal and external communications campaigns that align with our organisational goals. (This is a fixed term role, covering maternity leave)

About the Role

Within the role, you will lead and deliver strategic communications projects that enhance and protect the University’s profile, reputation, and brand. The role involves developing and delivering impactful communications plans across PR, media relations, internal communications, digital and social media channels, managing press office activity and media enquiries, and supporting crisis communications.

You will create and oversee engaging content and campaigns, work with external PR agencies, and collaborate closely with academic and professional services to identify positive stories and support departmental communication needs.

About You

• Internal and external communications experience
• Press Office Management
• Excellent writing and communication skills
• Technically and digitally competent
• Stakeholder management
• Management of team member experience
• Brand Management experience
• Social Media and Content creation experience

For further information on the essential and desirable skills we’re looking for, please refer to the attached Job Description.

Additional Information

Salary: Grade 6, starting from £33,951 rising to £37,694 per annum

The salary range shows the potential maximum pay progression in addition to any annual inflationary increase to your pay. Please note that our default position is to appoint into the lower end of the range, unless there are exceptional circumstances.

This is a fixed term role, covering maternity leave.

The nature of the role means that some evening and weekend working may be required. The arrangement of working hours will be agreed in advance with the post’s line manager.

Staff Benefits

We offer a wide range of great benefits at BSU, including

• Generous pension scheme (Local Government Pension Scheme/Teacher’s Pension Scheme). This is a defined benefit pension scheme which pays members a secure income for life, post-retirement
• Enhanced paid leave – 41 – 46 days depending on the role (Full Time) – more details here: https://apphub.bathspa.ac.uk/StaffBenefits
• Family friendly policies including hybrid working, flexible work environment, on-site nursery, and a sector-leading enhanced maternity scheme
• Employee Assistance Programme which offers access to on-demand GP appointments, wellbeing support and advice, and access to counselling
• Transport schemes including Electric Vehicle Scheme and Cycle to Work
• Wide range of discounts and financial benefits, accessed through and easy-to-use app

For further details about all our staff benefits, have a look at our rewards page: https://www.bathspa.ac.uk/work-at-bath-spa/rewards-and-benefits/

We reserve the right to close this vacancy early if we receive sufficient applications for the role. Therefore, if you are interested, please submit your application as early as possible.

About Bath Spa University

Bath Spa University is where creative minds meet. Offering a wide range of courses across the arts, sciences, education, social science and business to over 7,500 students, the University employs outstanding creative professionals which support its aim to be a leading educational institution in creativity, culture and enterprise.

Our main Newton park campus is based in stunning countryside just a few minutes from a World Heritage City. We are also proud to offer courses to students at our other campuses around Bath, and in London at our Canary Wharf and Hackney sites.

An impressive 84% of our staff said they would recommend the University to a friend as a good place to work.

We are a community of colleagues, striving for excellence to ensure students thrive. Our values are:

• Respect
• Inclusivity
• Collaboration
• Sustainability

We are committed to maintaining a safe and secure environment for our students, staff, and community. We foster inclusivity, celebrating and respecting differences. We welcome diversity and encourage applications from all backgrounds and genders. We consider our recruitment practices to be comprehensive and unbiased; ensuring fairness, transparency, and equal opportunity for all.

More info

Senior communications & pr officer.pdf