LMS 2397 - Communications, Events and Engagement Manager

View Vacancy -- LMS 2397 - Communications, Events and Engagement Manager
Open Date
15/04/2024, 15:00
Close Date
17/05/2024, 23:55
Research Institute 1  
MRC Laboratory of Medical Sciences
As this job does not fulfil the UK Government minimum salary criterion for obtaining sponsored migrant worker status we will be unable to apply for sponsorship for anyone not eligible to work in the UK.  At interview, all shortlisted candidates are required to bring with them identification documents and original documents that prove they hold or can obtain the right to work in the UK.  You can check your eligibility here: https://www.gov.uk/check-uk-visa/y
Research Institute / Unit Information 1  

The LMS is a world-class research laboratory  where scientists and clinicians collaborate to advance the understanding of biology and its application to medicine. Funded by the MRC  as part of UK Research and Innovation , the LMS has a collaborative working culture and new state-of-the-art building based in the heart of West London in the Hammersmith Hospital Campus (W12).

The LMS aims to deliver transdisciplinary team science, in synergistic interaction with Imperial College and the wider national research environment.

UK Research and Innovation is a new entity that brings together nine partners to create an independent organisation with a strong voice for research and innovation, more information can be found at www.ukri.org
Band 1  
MRC - 3
Location 1  
London
Salary 1  
£20,943 - £22,825 (plus London allowances £2,347 & £883) pro rata
Contract Type 1  
Fixed Term
Job Type 1  
Science
Full Time / Part Time 1  
Part Time
Hours per week 1  
21.6 hours per week (3 days)
Contract Length 1  
24 months
Job Description 1  

About the MRC Laboratory of Medical Sciences (LMS)

The LMS is a unique world-leading research institute based in West London, UK, funded directly by the Medical Research Council, but hosted by Imperial College London, a university that consistently ranks amongst the top 5 in the UK and the top 20 worldwide. Located on the Hammersmith Hospital campus, it is uniquely placed to foster collaboration between medical researchers and fundamental discovery scientists

LMS research tackles major health challenges through tackling fundamental questions about how genes and environmental factors interact in health and disease.

About the Grants Engagement and Communications (GECo) Facility

GECo is the Communications and Engagement arm of the LMS and plays a strategic role in both internal and external communications. It supports scientific writing and publishing, bringing the research of the LMS to life for wider audiences and ensuring that complex science can be simply but engagingly disseminated to news outlets, across social media platforms and on its website. It also works with scientists and communities outside the LMS engaging communities in some of the issues, debates and discoveries around scientific research, as well as providing on-site and off-site high profile engagement activities including festivals, pop-up shops, schools outreach and other events which help to foster dialogue between researchers across the sciences and the arts and promote women in science. In close association with the Institute Director GECo devise and deliver a range of special projects, these have included Suffrage Science, and the Gene Home, a pop-up science shop, in Westfield, London.

Person Specification 1  

Role purpose:

The post-holder will work closely with the Head of GECo, supervising in-house staff and freelancers in the management of projects, as required.

Main duties:

• Project management: provide project management across institute-wide internal projects including guidance/ templates, audience targeting, format development, speaker recruitment, promotion, event management and evaluation.
• Communications: Establishing goals and objectives for external and internal communications campaigns. Developing creative concepts, content and copy for science communications and public engagement with science campaigns both online and live.
• Strategic Management: Supporting the Head of GECo to organise, co-ordinate and manage media planners, the GECo planning grid and staff, including liaison with Imperial and UKRI colleagues.
• Impact Analysis: Evaluating the effectiveness of communications campaigns using evaluation metrics and analytics to assess and improve engagement.
• Event and Engagement management: develop event materials, content, communications and event delivery for external and internal engagement events.
• Science outreach: Provide creative and logistical input for public engagement and educational community outreach projects organised by the GECo Facility.

Key responsibilities:

• Planning and resource management of staff and activities to deliver regular GECo outputs (newsletters, events, science-communication activities, engagement activities)
• Project development, delivery, management, and marketing for public engagement projects
• Internal communications and engagement, development of staff engagement activities.
• Science-writing, outreach and engagement

Working relationships:

Reports to the Head of Grants, Engagement and Communications facility. Supports the Institute Director, Senior Management and Group Heads in engagement projects and capacity building. Chiefly responsible for the Institute’s digital engagement projects and events.

Corporate/Local responsibilities & requirements:

The job holder must at all times carry out their responsibilities with due regard to the MRC’s:

• Code of Conduct
• Equality and Diversity policy
• Health and Safety policy
• Data Protection and Security policy

Job descriptions should be reviewed on a regular basis and at the annual appraisal.  Any changes should be made and agreed between the post holder and their manager.

The above lists are not exhaustive and the job holder is required to undertake such duties as may reasonably be requested within the scope of the post.  All employees are required to act professionally, co-operatively and flexibly in line with the requirements of the post and the MRC. 

Education / Qualifications / Training required :

Essential:

• Experience of project, people and event management
• Excellent time-management and co-ordination – ability to organise other’s and allocate planning resources effectively
• Use of digital tools to manage projects and people
• Experience of science communications, stakeholder, staff and audience engagement
• Experience of building audiences and managing websites and social media accounts
• Experience of public engagement with research/science
• Experience of working with academics and researchers
• Degree in science-related subject or equivalent

Desirable :

• Qualification or training or experience in project management
• Experience in use of design tools such as Adobe Creative Suite
• Experience in social media 

Previous work experience required (will be assessed from application form and at interview) :

Essential: 

• Science communications experience
• Project Management experience
• Experience of managing teams
• Project Management and Coordination experience

 Desirable: 

• Experience of internal communications
• Experience of brand development
• Experience of stakeholder management

Knowledge and experience :  

Essential: 

• Project and people management experience
• Good working knowledge of science
• Ability to translate complex science (I.e. from published articles) into accessible content
• Ability to cleverly communicate complex science in an engaging way that hooks public attention

 Desirable: 

• Interest in public engagement for non-specialist audiences

IT skills

Essential:

• Proficiency in all aspects of MS Office software
• Skilled in social media management and content creation
• Competence in Adobe Photoshop and InDesign
• Proficient in a range of software packages to prepare and produce documents, reports, grant applications, forms etc., formatting and proofreading

 Desirable:

• Competence in software
• Proficiency across a range of other packages including other Adobe Creative Suite software

Personal skills/behaviours/qualities

Essential: 

• Ability to work independently
• Ability to work as part of a team
• Ability to manage people and projects
• Ability to prioritise workload and meet agreed deadlines
• Ability to manage multiple short and long-term projects
• Ability to work under pressure to short deadlines
• Detail conscious and very well organised
• Ability to build effective relationships quickly and inspire trust
• Ability to work collaboratively and engage with stakeholders and management

Communication skills

Essential:

• Excellent communication skills, both written and oral
• Ability to communicate complex information effectively

 Desirable:

• Experience of building relationships with key stakeholders

 Project management skills

Essential: 

• Proven project management experience
• Use of digital tools for project management
• Experience of managing teams and projects

 Desirable:

•  Experience of using a range of project management software

Event management

Desirable:

• Experience in organising science-based events and outreach projects

The MRC is a great place to work and progress your career, be it in scientific research or the support functions.The MRC is a unique working environment where our researchers are rewarded by world class innovation and collaboration opportunities that the MRC name brings. The MRC is an excellent place to develop yourself further and a range of training & development opportunities will be available to you, including professional registration with the Science Council.
Choosing to come to work at the MRC (part of UKRI) means that you will have access to a whole host of benefits from a defined benefit pension scheme and excellent holiday entitlement to access to employee shopping/travel discounts and salary sacrifice cycle to work scheme, as well as the chance to put the MRC and UKRI on your CV in the future.
Our success is dependent upon our ability to embrace diversity and draw on the skills, understanding and experience of all our people. We welcome applications from all sections of the community irrespective of gender, race, ethnic or national origin, religion or belief, sexual orientation, disability or age. As "Disability Confident" employers, we guarantee to interview all applicants with disabilities who meet the minimum criteria for the vacancy.
UKRI supports research in areas that include animal health, agriculture and food security, and bioscience for health which includes research on animals, genetic modification and stem cell research. Whilst you may not have direct involvement in this type of research, you should consider whether this conflicts with your personal values or beliefs.
We will conduct a full and comprehensive pre-employment check as an essential part of the recruitment process on all individuals that are offered a position with UKRI. This will include a security check and an extreme organisations affiliation check.  The role holder will be required to have the appropriate level of security screening/vetting required for the role.  UKRI reserves the right to run or re-run security clearance as required during the course of employment.