Communications and Engagement Officer (Internal)

The University

At Durham University we are proud of our people. A globally outstanding centre of educational excellence, a collegiate community of extraordinary people, a unique and historic setting – Durham is a university like no other.

Across the University we have a wide variety of roles and career opportunities, which together make us a large and successful community, which is a key hub of activity within our region and nationally. Whether you are at the very start, middle or end of your career, there is a role for you. We believe everyone has their own unique skills to offer. 

Further information about the University can be found here .

The Role and the Department

We are looking to recruit a full-time Communications and Engagement Officer (Internal) to join our award-winning Internal Communications team.

Our Internal Communications team is instrumental in ensuring our diverse, international staff and student audiences feel valued, informed and engaged with the University. You’ll join us at an exciting time as we refresh our internal communications to have even more of a strategic and innovative focus.

You will play a key part in delivering communications that engage and enthuse the staff and student communities of a World Top 100 University.

The role sits within the Communications team, which comprises three teams under the overall leadership of the Director of Communications and Engagement: Internal Communications, External Communications and Corporate Marketing (Brand Management).

The Communications team is part of the University’s Advancement team. The Advancement team’s objectives are:

·       R1 (Reputation) enhancing global reputation.

·       R2 (Recruitment) contributing to international student recruitment.

·       R3a (Return) driving philanthropic income.

·       R3b (Return) enhancing alumni and supporter engagement.

·       E: (Engagement) enabling more productive engagement with external and internal communities.

We’re looking for someone with outstanding writing and editing, organisation, planning and delivery skills, with experience in developing written and visual content for communications channels, and who has a keen eye for detail. It’s a great opportunity for someone who is looking to apply a creative but also a well-executed approach to engage internal audiences effectively. The role is fast-paced and varied, with no two days the same. One day you might be producing our weekly e-newsletter, the next you might be developing creative materials for a student support campaign or interviewing a colleague for our monthly magazine.

This is a demanding role within a complex organisation. It will involve working with stakeholders at all levels, often to advise, influence and recommend the most appropriate course of action. You will frequently have to edit detailed and complex information into something that is understood by a wider audience, that is in keeping with our brand guidelines and tone of voice. 

The role will involve juggling a high volume of requests and priorities can sometimes change. You will need to have developed the ability to manage your workload in a fast-paced, complex stakeholder environment.

Please note, while this is primarily a role specialising in Internal Communications, we apply a flexible approach to the deployment of team members according to business need at any one time. As such you may be asked to provide support, appropriate to your role, to other teams within the Communications department such as the Corporate Marketing Team (brand management) and External Communications. This will serve to give greater variety to the role and give you a much broader range of experience across our strategic communications disciplines.

Working at Durham  

·       A competitive salary is only one part of the many fantastic benefits you will receive if you join the University: you will also receive access to the following fantastic benefits: 

·       27 Days annual leave per year in addition to eight public holidays and four customary days per year – a total of 39 days per year. The University closes between Christmas and New Year.

·       No matter how you travel to work, we have you covered. We have parking across campus, a cycle to work scheme which helps you to buy a bike and discount with local bus and train companies.

·       Lots of support for health and wellbeing including discounted membership for our state-of-the-art sport and gym facilities and access to a 24-7 Employee Assistance Programme.

·       On site nursery is available and access to holiday camps for children aged 5-16 throughout the year.

·       Family friendly policies, including maternity and adoption leave, which are among the most generous in the higher education sector (and likely above and beyond many employers).

·       There is a genuine commitment to developing our colleagues professionally and personally. There is a comprehensive range of development courses, apprenticeships and access to qualifications and routes to develop your career in the University. All staff have dedicated annual time to concentrate on their personal development opportunities. 

·       The opportunity to take part in staff volunteering activities to make a difference in the local community.

·       Discounts are available via our benefits portal including; money off at supermarkets, high street retailers, IT products such as Apple, the cinema and days out at various attractions. 

·       We offer generous pension schemes. 

Durham University is committed to equality, diversity and inclusion.

Our collective aim is to create an open and inclusive environment where everyone can reach their full potential and we believe our staff should reflect the diversity of the global community in which we work. As a University equality, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) are a key part of the University’s Strategy and a central part of everything we do. We also live by our values and our Staff Code of Conduct. At Durham we actively work towards providing an environment where our staff and students can study, work and live in a community which is supportive and inclusive. It’s important to us that all of our colleagues are aligned to both our values and commitment to EDI.

We welcome and encourage applications from members of groups who are under-represented in our work force including people with disabilities, women and black, Asian and minority ethnic communities. If you have taken time out of your career, and you feel it relevant, let us know about it in your application. If you are a candidate with a disability, we are committed to ensuring fair treatment throughout the recruitment process. We will make adjustments to support the interview process wherever it is reasonable to do so and, where successful, reasonable adjustments will be made to support people within their role.

What you need to demonstrate when you apply/Person Specification  
  
When you apply it is important that you let us know what skills/experience you have from a similar role and/or what skills/experience you have which would make you right for this role. Further information about the role and responsibilities is outlined above. Where a criterion has an asterisk (*) next to it, it may be given additional weighting when your application is considered.
  
Your application should cover the following criteria:  

Essential Criteria

Desirable Criteria

            10.  Knowledge and experience of ensuring compliance with regulatory and organisational policy and guidelines.

How to apply

To progress to the assessment stage, candidates must evidence each of the essential criteria required for the role in the person specification above. Where there are desirable criteria, we would also urge you to provide any relevant evidence.

While some criteria will be considered at the shortlisting stage, other criteria may be considered later in the assessment process, such as questions at interview.

Submitting your application 

We prefer to receive applications online. We will update you about your application at various points during the process, via automated emails from our e-recruitment system. Please check your spam/junk folder periodically to ensure you receive all emails 

Interviews will be held on Thursday 14th March.
 
What you are required to submit:

- A CV (maximum two pages)
- A covering letter (maximum two pages) which shows examples of how you meet all of the criteria within the Person Specification  

Please ensure that you submit the documentation as listed above or your application cannot proceed to the next stage.

Contact details 
If you would like to have a chat or ask any questions about the role, Leanne Stronach ([email protected] ) would be happy to speak to you.

Typical Role Requirements

Service Delivery

• Provide specialist Internal Communications with problem solving and query handling.
• Proactive and reactive service provision to provide the best possible experience to internal stakeholders.
• Ensure that the University’s procedures and values are always reflected in all aspects of the service provided. Adapt ways of working where this is not evident.
• Use your experience and problem-solving skills to investigate and resolve issues that come into in the Internal Communications inbox and make recommendations based on your findings.
• Collect and record data and information accurately, provide reports and distribute information to key stakeholders in the process or service.
• Ensure the accuracy and integrity of data and information through routine checks and analysis.
• Show a commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion and the University’s values.

Planning and Organising

• Plan and organise internal communications channels and own workload to deliver the role.
• Plan, manage and deliver assigned projects, activities and events in accordance with agreed plans and objectives.
• Seek feedback from internal stakeholders to ensure that the service is updated to meet customer expectations.
• Manage budgets and expenditure, including framework suppliers and agency spend. 

Communication/Liaison

• Develop and improve services by taking part in meetings, working groups and committees.
• Create good working relationships, including internal and external networks which allow you to increase your knowledge and skills, while swapping information with peers.
• Provide training for other team members and share your expertise with them to increase knowledge and make improvements to working practices.
• Build relationships with a diverse range of key stakeholders to share good practice, exchange information and work together on joint initiatives.
• Any other reasonable duties.

Specific role requirements

• The role is based in Durham City.
• The University’s hybrid working principles, allow for some time to be spent working from home and some time working from campus. These arrangements are to be discussed and agreed with your line manager.
• May be required to provide support for the University’s Major Incident Response Plan and major reputational incidents during office hours.
• Some out of hours / evening and weekend work may be required to deliver projects and build and maintain networks.

Please note that in submitting your application Durham University will be processing your data. We would ask you to consider the relevant University Privacy Statement Privacy Notices - Durham University  which provides information on the collation, storing and use of data.   
When appointing to this role the University must ensure that it meets any applicable immigration requirements, including salary thresholds which are applicable to some visas.