Internal Applicants Only - Communications Officer

20409BR

College of Physical Sciences

Managerial, Professional and Specialist Staff – MPSS

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This post is currently open to employees of Cardiff University only.  Please do not apply if you do not have a current contract of employment with the University.

Internal Applicants Only - Communications Officer College of Physical Sciences and Engineering, Cardiff University

Based in the College of Physical Sciences and Engineering Communications and Marketing Team, you will use your creative communications skills to raise the profile of the College and our constituent academic Schools to a range of audiences.

You will work closely with colleagues in our Recruitment and Campaigns and Digital Communications teams. You will use a variety of channels to produce creative content to support effective tactical campaigns with a particular focus on student recruitment, and to build a reputation for our College and its academic Schools by promoting all of their activities.

Working as part of a highly motivated team, you will play a key role in creating content for a variety of campaigns and publications as well as creating rich content to be shared on our digital and social media channels. You will be a highly creative and motivated individual with experience of working in communications team, public relations agency or in journalism. While ideally, you will have an interest or some experience in promoting the physical sciences, you do not need to have scientific qualifications or expertise.

 You will be an excellent writer and creative content generator, with the ability to turn complex subject matter into engaging content for a range of audiences.

This post is full-time (35 hours per week) and is available as a fixed term contract from October 2025 to September 2026.

Salary: £33,482 - £36,130 per annum (Grade 5)

For informal enquiries about this vacancy, please contact Heidi Freer-Hay Freer-HayHV@Cardiff.ac.uk
For further information about working at Cardiff University, please contact the College HR Team: PSE-HRTeam@Cardiff.ac.uk

Closing date: Friday, 25 July 2025

External applications are currently not being considered for this post.  If the decision is made to open the post to external candidates, the strapline at the top will be removed and you will be given ample time to apply – please check back periodically for details.

Cardiff University is committed to supporting and promoting equality and diversity and to creating an inclusive working environment. We believe this can be achieved through attracting, developing, and retaining a diverse range of staff from many different backgrounds who have the ambition to create a University which seeks to fulfil our social, cultural and economic obligation to Cardiff, Wales, and the world.  In supporting our employees to achieve a balance between their work and their personal lives, we will also consider proposals for flexible working or job share arrangements.

Applications may be submitted in Welsh, and an application submitted in Welsh will not be treated less favourably than an application submitted in English.

Job Description

Key Duties

Take a leading role in the delivery of tactical communication and marketing campaigns to support a wide range of activities including student recruitment, research communications, stakeholder engagement and profile building.

Work closely with colleagues in Schools and the College Communications and Marketing Team to develop narratives to communicate activity effectively to key stakeholders, including prospective students.

Provide professional advice and guidance on marketing and communications to internal customers across the College, ensuring complex and conceptual issues are understood, using judgement and creativity to solve problems and suggest tactical solutions.

Lead the development of high quality, creative content for a wide range of audiences and purposes including print, web and social media.

Take a proactive approach to content generation, forecasting upcoming events and announcements and identifying relevant activity within Schools. Repurpose and repackage news items for a wide range of audiences.

Build and maintain effective operational relationships with academics and other PS Staff to embed marketing communications activities within Schools, maximising efficiency of information flow.

Collaborate with colleagues across the University to support the communication of research impact activity within the College to external audiences.

Support the organisation and promotion of high profile visits and events.

Work with and advise key contacts in allocated Schools to support core internal communications activity such as content generation and engagement events.

Ensure the provision of effective and appropriate communications and marketing is delivered to Schools across the College in line with changing customer requirements.

Instruct and guide other employees across the University within communications and conversion activity, developing and delivering training as necessary.

Investigate and analyse specific issues within communications and marketing for the physical sciences, creating recommendation reports, supported by advances within sector.

General Duties

Ensure that an understanding of the importance of confidentiality is applied when undertaking all duties

Abide by University policies on Health and Safety and Equality and Diversity

Perform other duties occasionally which are not included above, but which will be consistent with the role

Person Specification

Essential Criteria

Qualifications and Education
1. Degree / NVQ 4 or equivalent Professional membership/experience.

Knowledge, Skills and Experience
2. Substantial experience of working within a communications marketing role and demonstrable knowledge of key advances within the profession.
3. Able to demonstrate professional knowledge and understanding of campaign management and content generation and to give advice and guidance to internal and external customers.
4. Ability to create high quality, creative content including copywriting, editing and proofreading skills and an understanding of social media and digital marketing techniques.

Customer Service, Communication and Team Working
5. Ability to communicate conceptually detailed and complex information effectively and professionally with a wide range of people.
6. Evidence of ability to explore customers’ needs and adapt the service accordingly to ensure a quality service is delivered.
7. Ability to build working relationships with a wide range of stakeholders.

Planning, Analysis and Problem Solving
8. Ability to use initiative and creativity; identifying and proposing practical solutions to communications challenges.
9. Ability to work independently with a ‘can-do’ attitude, planning and setting priorities forown work and that of others and monitoring progress.

Other
10. A willingness to undertake further training and development.

Desirable Criteria

1. Postgraduate/Professional qualification.
2. Experience of working in a Higher Education environment.
3. Fluency in Welsh, written and oral

Additional Information

Job Purpose
The role will be responsible for the production and dissemination of high quality, creative content to support effective tactical campaigns with a particular focus on student recruitment and reputation building for the College and its constituent Schools. In addition, this role will be responsible for gathering news stories for use across a range of internal and external communication channels. The post holder will work closely with all other functions within the College and central Communications and Marketing teams to organise, contribute and deliver activities. They will form strong and effective relationships with academic and professional services staff across the College.

Important note: It is the University’s policy to use the person specification as a key tool for short-listing. Candidates should evidence that they meet ALL of the essential criteria as well as, where relevant, the desirable. As part of the application process you will be asked to provide this evidence via a supporting statement. Please ensure that the evidence you are providing corresponds with the numbered criteria outlined below. Your application will be considered based on the information you provide under each element. When attaching the supporting statement to your application profile, please ensure that you name it with the vacancy reference number, e.g. Supporting Statement for 20409BR

Job Category

Management & Executive