Student Engagement and Communications Officer

Communications and PA

Location: Guildford
Salary: £35,308 to £43,155 per annum
Fixed Term - End Date 31/07/2024
Post Type: Full Time
Closing Date: 23.59 hours BST on Thursday 22 June 2023
Reference: 029623

The University of Surrey is looking for a talented Student Communications and Engagement Officer to inform, support and engage our current student audience through story-telling and bright ideas. You will be someone who loves producing a varied range of content types across on and offline communications channels, is confident in pulling together creative and varied multichannel communications plans and campaigns, and enjoys reviewing stats to see where we can constantly develop and improve our output.

As part of our central internal communications team, you will be delivering messages across a range of varied audiences with multiple objectives and purposes. One day you could be working on emotive student-generated video content via Instagram stories, the next day you could be running a new campaign to launch a new student app or service. No two days are the same - you will be part of a fast-paced, increasingly changing environment and therefore we are looking for someone who is adaptable, up for a challenge and is not afraid to come forward with ideas and insight based off their own professional and personal experience.

This role would suit someone who has five years’ communications experience, ideally related to engaging with Gen Z audiences, and someone who is looking to make an impact, with high levels of influence and responsibility over our student communications activity, as well as the opportunity to help us shape and progress our communications strategy. You’ll be working with a wide range of University stakeholders at different levels of the organisation, so you will need to be comfortable with talking to and advising senior colleagues and using your knowledge to encourage communications best practice.

As a line manager of two, you will have experience of managing a team in a fast-paced and complex environment, setting priorities, managing workloads, and nurturing professional development – as well as being a great team player yourself.

We are keen to meet applicants who can bring something special to the team, so if you have some experience of campaigns management and digital content production (video, social, audio, graphics or anything in between) then please let us know through your application. You will also be a competent copywriter, highly organised with the ability to manage projects and tasks with limited supervision.

The Communications team you’ll be a part of works across the University and leads on staff and student communications, strategic communications, media relations, social media, public affairs and public engagement. Its focus is on engaging and informing our staff and student communities, raising the profile of the institution, supporting and protecting its reputation, and managing crises and issues as they arise.

We offer a generous pension, flexible working options, and supportive family-friendly benefits, including an on-site nursery. You will be expected to spend up to three days a week in the office on the Stag Hill campus in Guildford, with the option to work remotely for the rest of the week.

If you would like more information about the role, please contact Jodie Hansford j.hansford@surrey.ac.uk. 

To apply for the role, please look at the University of Surrey jobs page [add link].

The role is Fixed Term until 31/07/2024

Further details: Job Description

For more information and to apply online, please download the further details and click on the 'apply online' button above.

In return we offer a generous pension, relocation assistance where appropriate, flexible working options including job share and blended home/campus working locations (dependent on work duties), access to world-class leisure facilities on campus, a range of travel schemes and supportive family friendly benefits including an excellent on-site nursery.

Click here to find out more about the benefits we offer to support you.

The University of Surrey is committed to providing an inclusive environment that offers equal opportunities for all. We place great value on diversity and are seeking to increase the diversity within our community. Therefore we particularly encourage applications from under-represented groups, such as people from Black, Asian and minority ethnic groups and people with disabilities.