COMMUNICATIONS MANAGER STUDENT ACCOMMODATION CANDIDATE INFORMATION PACK
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
UCL is London’s leading multidisciplinary university, with more than 11,000 staff and 38,000 students from 150 different countries.
Founded in 1826 in the heart of London, UCL was the first university in England to welcome students of any class, religion, and the first to welcome women on equal terms with men.
Post Title: Division:
Communications Manager
UCL Estates
Section:
UCL Accommodation
Reporting To:
Head of Communications and Student Experience
Grade:
7
UCL is one of the world’s top universities with an annual turnover exceeding £1 billion. Based in the heart of London, it is a modern, outward-looking institution.
At its establishment in 1826, UCL was radical and responsive to the needs of society, and this ethos – that excellence should go hand-in-hand with enriching society – continues today. UCL’s excellence extends across all academic disciplines; from one of Europe’s largest and most productive hubs for biomedical science interacting with several leading London hospitals, to world-renowned centers for architecture (UCL Bartlett) and fine art (UCL Slade School).
THE UCL COMMUNITY
UCL’s staff and former students have included 29 Nobel prizewinners. It is a truly international community: more than one-third of our student body – more than 35,000 strong – come from 150 countries and nearly one-third of staff are from outside the UK. UCL offers postgraduate research opportunities in all of its subjects, and provides more than 200 undergraduate programmes and more than 400 taught postgraduate programmes. Approximately 54% of the student community is engaged in graduate studies, with about 29% of these graduate students pursuing research degrees.
UCL Estates
UCL Estates manages the estate and facilities infrastructure from the strategic to the operational, across property acquisition and management, capital projects, engineering and maintenance, environmental sustainability, safety, security, cleaning and including student residences and central room bookings. UCL manages 4,074 student rooms across 21 residences, three which provide catered accommodation, with a further 2,000 rooms held under nomination agreements.
JOB DESCRIPTION
Job Purpose
The UCL Accommodation team is seeking to recruit a dynamic and creative individual with leadership qualities to join our award winning communications team. The Communications Manager post offers an excellent opportunity for an experienced communications professional to develop the department’s student and staff communications channels.
The successful post holder will bring imaginative flair to developing communications for targeted student audiences. Responsible for delivering and developing an effective, coherent and integrated student communications strategy across a range of print and digital channels, the post specifically includes the development of the department’s student and commercial websites, social media channels, e-newsletters, CRM system and print publications. The post holder must be someone eager to learn, develop, and keen to make an impact on the life of students residing with UCL. UCL is a globally recognised Institution and one of the UK’s most successful Universities. The Accommodation team sits within the UCL Estates division, and comprises of over 20 Halls that houses more than 6500 residents. UCL Accommodation has set out an ambitious new vision of becoming the leading provider of accommodation in the HE sector; delivering an exceptional student experience and is embarking on new strategy to deliver this vision. Student engagement is at the very heart of this strategy.
PURPOSE
The successful post holder will bring imaginative flair to developing communications for targeted student audiences. Responsible for delivering and developing an effective, coherent and integrated student communications strategy across a range of print and digital channels, the post specifically includes the development of the department’s student and commercial websites, social media channels, e-newsletters, CRM system and print publications. The post holder will have experience of developing compelling student communications and formulating university student policies, coupled with an excellent understanding of information architecture and navigation design for websites with multiple audiences, as well as current and developing engaging, interactive content and managing social media tools. The post holder will also be expected to play a key role in providing leadership, advice and practical support for the continuing development of the University’s student digital presence as a central part of an evolving student communications strategy, coordinating communications from across central services which are situated across various locations. High quality communications and consultation are an integral part of the department’s activities. The post holder will work closely with colleagues across the central administration and services, with academic and administrative members of the University and its colleges, Students Union UCL and with students. Reporting to the Head of Communications and Student Experience, the post holder will line manage the Communications Officer and Web Content Manager. The Communications staff operate as a team. The Communications Manager will be expected to be a fully contributing member of this team, and to assist on staff-focused projects, as required.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
Strategic – – To play a major role in developing and implementing the department’s student and staff communications strategy, communications plan and social media strategy and policy. – – To monitor and develop student and staff communications content and channels for the department. – – To develop, implement and advise colleagues on student communications policy and standards compliance. Communications – – Lead on the production, delivery and evaluation of the department’s communication strategy and platforms across all areas of activity and to deliver this in line with the overall strategy of the department. – – Support the UCL Accommodation senior management team on all communications aspects relating to the student life whilst in student accommodation. – – Lead on the production of new and engaging content. – – Source images and developing them into a library for use across various communication channels. – – Research, interview, write, edit, subedit and proof material in print and digital format. – – Produce regular internal newsletters, blogs and vlogs. – – Lead on preparing press releases and news items and liaising with UCL Media Relations team. – – Maintain and keep the department’s marketing and communications calendar up to date. – – Lead and co-ordinate marketing and student engagement campaigns. – – Lead on the production and dissemination of marketing and other digital-and paper-based promotional materials.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
Web and Social Media – –
Lead the continual development of the department’s student and commercial website, with the aim of increasing its visibility and effectiveness for all appropriate audiences. – – Lead on the production of new and engaging content on the department’s websites as well as the maintenance of update-to-date news and general content across web and social media platforms. – – Lead on the development of social media strategy and policy for the department; monitoring and developing new communication channels and soliciting content for these channels (Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Chinese Social Media channels etc.) – – Responsible for the maintenance, up keep, management and monitoring of the department’s existing social media channels. – – Utilise and advise on the use of tools such as Google Analytics and search engine optimisation technology to raise the visibility of the department’s website, particularly in relation to student recruitment. Publications – – Approve format reports, documents, working papers, blog and other publications, as well as write accompanying content such as news, case studies and web content for a variety of audiences. – – Lead on the production of booklets, leaflets and other marketing materials for a variety of audiences in conjunction with design agencies and printers. Marketing – – Lead on the production and dissemination of publicity, publications, prospectuses and other digital and paper-based promotional materials. Liaising and Networking – – Act as the main point of contact for UCL’s CAM and Media Relations, Student Recruitment, Student Support & Wellbeing, Students Union UCL and other internal stakeholders. – – Manage and develop a database of key contacts and stakeholders for the department.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
– – Networking outside of the department, both within the wider UCL community and with external contacts to ensure the department’s activities are reported and advertised in a timely, appropriate and relevant manner. – – Maintain an appropriate and effective method of communication with all UCL Accommodation department stakeholders; this can include advertising events, opportunities as well as encouraging them to contribute to community building. – – Manage strategic partners, student representatives and other key contacts both internally and externally. – – Stand in for the Head of Communications and Student Experience where appropriate. Brand and Visual Identity – – Manage the brand and visual identity of the department across the institution by monitoring the usage of templates and adherence to guidelines so that the brand and visual identity is communicated consistently by all staff. Event Co-ordination – – Lead and/or assist with the co-ordination of department and student events, including Open Days and student engagement events. Project Management – – Devise and co-ordinate projects within the department, including continuous development of new Drupal websites, implementation of new CRM system and student experience survey and feedback tool and integration of all systems with the application and allocation system. – – Measure and evaluate the impact of key events such as Welcome event among key audiences through analytical and qualitative methods. Training and Line Management – – Keeping informed of developments in the field of marketing, communications and public relations as well as the management and governance across the department’s network of stakeholder organisations and audiences. – – Implement a programme of training (face-to-face, online, external and internal courses etc.) across the department to upskill staff with responsibility for visual identity, social media, events management and internal and external communication.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
– – Line management responsibility of the Communications Officer and Web Content Manager and take overall responsibility for ensuring their activities are delivered efficiently and effectively to the highest standard. Other Duties – – The post holder will contribute to departmental, faculty and UCL-wide working groups or committees as requested. – – The post holder will maintain own continuing professional development. – – The post holder will familiarise themselves and actively follow UCL’s policy on General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). – – The post holder will carry out any other duties as are within the scope, spirit and purpose of the job as requested by the line manager or Director of the Department. – – The post holder will actively follow UCL policies including Equal Opportunities policies and be expected to give consideration within their role as to how they can actively advance equality of opportunity and good relations between people who share a relevant protected characteristic and people who do not share it. – – The post holder will maintain an awareness and observation of Fire and Health & Safety Regulations.
This job description reflects the present requirements of the post, and as duties and responsibilities change/develop, the job description will be reviewed and be subject to amendment in consultation with the post holder.
PERSON SPECIFICATION
The person appointed will have the skills, abilities, personal attributes and experience listed below. In your application, you should demonstrate how you meet the person specification, using examples. ( E - Essential, D - Desirable). Knowledge, Education, Qualifications and Training E D
Undergraduate qualification in a communications or marketing discipline, or equivalent professional experience.
X
Postgraduate qualification in communications or marketing, or equivalent professional experience.
X
Up-to-date knowledge of social media channels and developments.
X
Excellent working knowledge of Content Management Systems and Customer Relationship Management Systems.
X
Skills and/or Abilities
Computer literacy, including understanding or and competency in word processing (e.g. Microsoft Word), desktop publishing and image manipulation (e.g. InDesign, Illustrator or Photoshop) and website technologies (e.g. Drupal).
X
Excellent organisational skills, time management and project management skills, including the ability to work effectively on numerous projects simultaneously.
X
Excellent interpersonal skills, including diplomacy and discretion, and the ability to liaise with staff and external individuals at all levels and work within small teams.
X
Excellent networking and negotiating skills.
X
Excellent verbal and written communication skills (including accurate grammar, spelling and punctuation), with faultless attention to detail and an ability to write and present to a variety of audiences.
X
Extensive experience of writing, editing and sub-editing, including the expression of complex or technical material in lay terminology.
X
PERSON SPECIFICATION
Skills and/or Abilities
E D
X
Extensive knowledge of graphic design, photography, art direction and typography.
X
A strong understanding of websites, social media and multimedia, and how they can be used for marketing.
X
Expert ability to differentiate between data and insight, identify trends and use resulting conclusions in operational and strategic decision-making; to analyse consumer behavior and changing expectations, define and evaluate KPIs and identify opportunities for department growth.
X
The ability to innovate and to implement new communications strategies and novel technol- ogies.
X
Knowledge of Higher Education and Accommodation sector.
Experience
A track record in managing and delivering top quality strategic communications and cam- paigns.
X
Experience of producing a variety of communication materials (from concept to delivery) within tight deadlines.
X
Experience of producing effective print and online communications e.g. press releases, re- ports, brochures and proposals.
X
X
Experience of writing copy for different audiences.
X
Knowledge and experience of using search engine optimisation technology, including Google Analytics.
X
Experience of simple video production.
X
Experience of developing student engagement.
X
Experience of leading and coordinating projects.
PERSON SPECIFICATION
E
D
Personal Characteristics and Other requirements
Demonstrable initiative and creativity.
X
Adaptable and resilient with the ability to work effectively under pressure.
X
A commitment to customer focus and the need to provide an efficient, professional and ef- fective service to the many users and contacts both internally at all levels of the organisation and externally.
X
Willingness and ability to undertake training and adapt to new systems quickly.
X
An ability to identify new areas of activity e.g. student engagement initiatives and trends in social media.
X
Collaboration in all its forms, from leading teams, both internal and external, to personal contributions and building partnerships; reaches across organisational boundaries to get input and resources to achieve results, and recognises and resolves conflict as it arises.
X
Due to the nature of the role the post-holder will be expected to work at evening and week- end events occasionally.
X
FURTHER INFORMATION
Employee Benefits UCL is a dynamic, global university based in one of the most exciting capital cities in the world. Not only does working at UCL offer the opportunity to work with game changers in your field, it also provides competitive terms, conditions and benefits. UCL benefits and policies apply equally whatever the sexual orientation and/or gender identity of employees. Benefits and policies relating to employees partners, includes both different sex and same sex partners. In addition to 41 days leave (inclusive of public holidays and closure days) and generous pension schemes, UCL provides a number of other staff benefits outlined below. • Excellent provision for professional development • The UCL Cycle scheme • The UCL Eye Care scheme • Voluntary Healthcare schemes • Subsidised access to a range of health and fitness facilities
• The offer of an interest-free season ticket loan • Various family friendly benefits and support https://www.ucl.ac.uk/human-resources/pay-benefits/staff-benefits
Work location The permanent base for each of the posts is at Bidborough House, in UCL Estates’ recently refurbished, modern, open-plan offices. Given the scale and nature of the UCL Estates post holders will be expected to work across the UCL portfolio as the needs of the role dictate.
APPLICATION PROCESS
Applications should consist of a CV and covering statement outlining key matching experience and rationale for applying for the post which should be sent to Danielle Davies. danielle.davies@mrgpeople.co.uk | 020 8892 0115 | 07940 024 656 For a confidential and informal discussion please contact Danielle Davies of The Management Recruitment Group.
Regal House 70 London Road Twickenham TW1 3QS Tel 020 8892 0115
52-54 Gracechurch Street London EC3V 0EH Tel 020 3962 9900
111 Piccadilly Manchester M1 2HY Tel 0161 638 0936
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