Communications and Events Officer PEC

Salary: £25,742 to £26,444 with progression to £27,979 per annum (pro rata)

Newcastle University is a great place to work, with excellent benefits . We have a generous holiday package; plus the opportunity to buy more, great pension schemes and a number of health and wellbeing initiatives to support you.

Closing Date: 17 April 2024

The Role

The Creative PEC working in partnership with Newcastle University and the Royal Society of Arts (RSA) is recruiting for a Communications and Events Officer based at RSA House in London.

We are looking for an individual who is passionate about the creative industries, arts and culture and wants to be part of a dynamic and friendly team looking to support the sector across all nations and regions of the UK.  If this sounds like you, then we want to hear from you.

Since its inception in 2018, the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC)-funded Creative Industries PEC, has succeeded in bringing about a step change in the quantity and quality of evidence available to UK policymakers seeking to support growth in the creative industries. Funding for a further five years has been awarded and we are in the first year of delivering of this new phase, which started in June 2023.

This is a new role to support our growing communications and online and in-person events programme. It reports to the Communications Manager and sits within a small supportive team that reports to the Deputy Director.

Creative PEC currently delivers a wide variety of communications and events activity. We work with consortium partners to deliver launch events for up to eight major publications a year online; have a monthly online Seminar Series and are planning several in-person events with our partners at Newcastle University and Royal Society of the Arts. We are developing online and in-person events with our Industry Champions and our Policy Unit manage a wide range of stakeholder engagement events. Alongside we regularly publish research reports, manage our website, newsletters, social media and press to effectively communicate our work to policy makers, researchers and industry.

For this role we encourage applications from individuals who can complement our existing team. We believe that success is built on having teams whose backgrounds and experiences reflect the diversity of the UK population.

This is a part time role (80% FTE and we can be flexible on the days/hours of work) and is a fixed term opportunity that is available for approximately 9 months in the first instance, with potential for extension.

For more information about the Creative Industries Policy & Evidence Centre, please click here .

To apply, please complete an online application and upload a CV and cover letter. Your cover letter is a supporting statement, and you should outline how you meet the essential criteria of the role detailed in the person specification section.

For informal enquiries regarding the role, please contact Alice Kent, Head of Communications (job-share) or Anna Zabow (job-share) at [email protected] or [email protected] . 

Key Accountabilities

Events

• Provide administrative support for the programming and delivery of a high-profile series of online and in-person events
• Coordinate planning and delivery with colleagues across Creative PEC, Newcastle University, RSA, research consortium partners and other partners
• Attend event planning meetings with colleagues, keeping event plans up to date and report back to wider Creative PEC team
• Assist with the promotion of Creative PEC events to ensure we achieve our delegate targets
• Set up online events, registration systems and monitor booking information
• Assist with on-the-day delivery of in-person events including front of house, working with contracted staff such as caterers, photographers, and tech support
• Assist with ensuring Creative PEC events are accessible and inclusive
• Support on event evaluation and reporting using online evaluation tools

Communications

• Lead on day-to-day content creation for social media activity for the Creative PEC (currently Twitter and LinkedIn)
• Assistant with the monitoring of social media platforms to report on engagement and contribute to data-driven communications strategy
• Write draft copy for a range of functions including monthly newsletter, web copy and event promotional copy
• Assist with ensuring the Creative PEC website is kept up to date using WordPress
• Source imagery for the website and social media
• Work with designers to support the timely delivery of our research reports
• Support colleagues across Creative PEC to design effective PowerPoint and other presentational materials
• Ensure the PEC Style Guide is kept up to date
• Support ensuring Creative PEC branding is used correctly by partners
• Provide proofreading support as and when required
• Support with uploading Creative PEC research to the website
• Monitor emerging social media platforms and advise the communications team on areas for development
• Provide admin and meeting support to the Comms team including coordinating meetings as required

The Person 

Knowledge, Skills and Experience

• Evidence of previous professional experience in a relevant administrative and communications or events role
• Experience and/or ability and interest in learning to use a range of comms software effectively including Zoom webinar, Canva, WordPress, survey evaluation tools
• Experience and passion for updating social media content on a day-to-day basis
• Approachable and confident in working and communicating with a wide range of people
• Proven ability to coordinate information effectively and support detailed planning processes
• Experience of writing for a range of audiences, including for example blogging
• Demonstrable proofing skills, attention to detail and high standards of accuracy
• Interest in learning about the creative industries

Qualifications

• GCSE Grade 4 (A to C) or above in English and Mathematics (or vocational qualifications or equivalent) or demonstrable work experience in a relevant role and comparable organisation

Newcastle University is a global University where everyone is treated with dignity and respect.  As a University of Sanctuary, we aim to provide a welcoming place of safety for all, offering opportunities to people fleeing violence and persecution.

We are committed to being a fully inclusive university which actively recruits, supports and retains colleagues from all sectors of society.  We value diversity as well as celebrate, support and thrive on the contributions of all of our employees and the communities they represent.  We are proud to be an equal opportunities employer and encourage applications from individuals who can complement our existing teams, we believe that success is built on having teams whose backgrounds and experiences reflect the diversity of our university and student population.

At Newcastle University we hold a silver Athena Swan award in recognition of our good employment practices for the advancement of gender equality.  We also hold a Race Equality Charter Bronze award in recognition of our work towards tackling race inequality in higher education REC.  We are aDisability Confident employer and will offer an interview to disabled applicants who meet the essential criteria for the role as part of the offer and interview scheme.

In addition, we are a member of the Euraxess initiative supporting researchers in Europe. 

Requisition ID: 26877