Research Communications and Engagement Lead
WORLD CHANGERS TOGETHER
Job purpose
The Research Communications and Engagement Lead (RCEL) will be accountable for the design and delivery of the College of Science and Engineering’s (CoSE) first Research Communication and Engagement Strategy in support of the College’s Research Strategy and Vision.
Working across six Schools the RCEL be responsible for managing, developing, and implementing strategic communication campaigns and engagement initiatives that promote the College’s research strengths. The RCEL will interact with a diverse range of external stakeholders, including regional and national experts on scientific innovation. The post holder will work in partnership with key internal and external stakeholders to inform, shape, and deliver a professional, creative, and dynamic plan that is influential and impactful, demonstrating the University of Glasgow’s research power across Science and Engineering. This is a pivotal role in enhancing the reputation and reach of the College’s key research themes across domestic and international markets.
This role reports directly to the Head of Student and Academic Services (CoSE) and will work closely with individuals from across the organisation, drawing on expertise, and sharing resources to ensure a joined up seamless execution of the College’s Research Communication and Engagement Strategy.
Main duties & responsibilities
- Lead and implement a Research Communications and Engagement Strategy and associated delivery plan aligned to the College’s Research Priorities/ Themes which is appropriate to channel and audience.
- Stakeholder mapping. Effectively map out audiences and storytellers, aligning plans and campaigns to the KPIs associated with each audience group.
- Develop and implement a College Communications Plan for CoSE research stories including how these are promoted in CoSE research news and engagement activities internally and externally.
- Develop and deliver innovative, effective, and tailored communications, aligned to a cohesive CoSE research content strategy, ensuring consistency, alignment, and relevant translation of messaging.
- Lead on sourcing, creating, coordinating, and implementing engaging content, targeting specific stakeholder groups. This will involve preparing briefs, developing storyboards and delivering compelling copywriting that can be re-purposed across multiple channels e.g. podcasts, video, interviews etc.
- Deliver timely and relevant data and insight to inform and shape the overall strategic plan, provide expert guidance, share best practice, highlight new initiatives to explore, and demonstrate the impact and value of communications activity through effective ROI.
- Line management of Research Communications and Engagement team in support of the delivery of the Research Communications and Engagement Strategy delivery plan.
- Responsible for the monitoring, management and reporting on the team’s budget ensuring maximum service provision is delivered against resources deployed.
- Build strong professional networks and engage with partners locally, nationally and internationally, including academics, sector bodies, industry, funding bodies, and governments. Exploit opportunities to amplify key research messages and the societal impact of the research.
- Work in partnership with academic colleagues and the College’s Research Development and Industry Engagement Leads to organise and deliver events including seminars, conferences, public lectures, and networking opportunities to drive engagement with our academics and research through attendance and participation.
- Partnering with the Schools, proactively explore new opportunities to increase the reach and impact of key research themes, staying on top of latest developments, news, and related research.
- Oversee the monitoring and auditing of campaigns to ensure a coherent and consistent voice for all communications related to CoSE research, ensuring that all are operating in accordance with best practice guidelines and the University’s brand.
- Work with External Relations. including Communications and Brand and Reputation team in Marketing and Communications, to optimise CoSE research presentation and academic media presence across institutional activity and external stakeholder access to CoSE specific content and resources.
- Be a positive ambassador and represent the College and University of Glasgow at events, external conferences, workshops, networks.
- Attend and contribute to University-wide projects and committees, providing specific communications direction on behalf of the College.
Knowledge and qualifications
Essential
- Ability to demonstrate the competencies required to undertake the duties associated with this level of post having acquired the necessary professional knowledge and management skills in a similar or number of different specialist roles. Or: Scottish Credit and Qualification Framework level 9,10 or 11 (Ordinary/Honours Degree, Post Graduate Qualification), or equivalent, including being professionally qualified in relevant discipline, with a broad range of professional experience in a management role(s).
- Demonstrable knowledge and experience of current issues, priorities, and good practice in social media, communications and content strategy.
- Demonstrable awareness of how audiences use and engage with internal and external communications channels.
- Authoritative knowledge of content strategy and campaign development.
Desirable
- Thorough knowledge of the current UK landscape relating to public engagement with research and research impact.
- Thorough knowledge of the higher education sector including current trends.
Skills
Essential
- Expertise in storytelling in content marketing across a range of platforms e.g. social media, video, podcast etc.
- Excellent ability to create engaging content for a variety of channels, digital and traditional, and the specialist requirements of these channels.
- Excellent storyboarding and project management skills.
- Excellent oral and written communication skills, ability to communicate effectively across a range of audiences, with a high level of accuracy and attention to detail, including strong copywriting and proof-reading skills.
- Excellent time management and organisational skills with the ability to work under pressure efficiently on numerous projects simultaneously, meeting tight deadlines.
- Excellent interpersonal skills, including diplomacy and discretion, and the ability to liaise with stakeholders across a range of levels.
- Influencing, negotiating and relationship building skills; demonstrating creativity, energy and enthusiasm.
- Highly self-motivated, ability to work independently using initiative and judgement to drive work outputs, and collaboratively with teams on shared endeavours.
- Strong analytical and problem-solving skills. Proven ability to manipulate and interrogate management reports and to track trends to shape future tactics and strategy.
Desirable
- Google Analytics skills; advanced traffic segments, keywording and SEO, ROI to track and optimise digital marketing performance.
Experience
Essential
- Editorial experience of conveying subject matter concisely and compellingly to audiences with wide ranging degrees of interest and expertise.
- Experience of leading and managing communications within a complex organisation and of creating and developing internal and external communication strategies.
- Significant experience of using digital/social media platforms.
- Significant experience of storyboarding audio/video, digital media.
- Excellent events management experience, including organising public events both in person and online.
- Experience of managing budgets, producing ROI reports, and creating operating plans.
- Experience of working independently, thinking analytically and applying judgment.
- Experience of motivating and encouraging others to find creative ways to communicate their work to a wider audience through website, social media, blogging etc.
Desirable
- Experience of working with industrial and/or commercial partners.
- Experience of working in an HE environment.
- Experience of working in a science focused environment.
- Experience of content creation and maintenance in a Content Management System (CMS) environment
- Experience of using a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system.
How to apply
Full details of the role and how to apply can be found by visiting our website:
The closing date for applications is 3 January 2025.
Terms & Conditions
Salary will be Grade 8, £49,250 - £56,921 per annum.
This post is full time (35 hours per week) and open ended (Permanent).
The University of Glasgow has a responsibility to ensure that all employees are eligible to live and work in the UK. If you require a Skilled Worker visa to work in the UK, you will be required to meet the eligibility requirements of the visa route to be assigned a Certificate of Sponsorship.Please note that this post may be eligible to be sponsored under the Skilled Worker visa route if tradeable points can be used under the Skilled Worker visa rules.
World-Changing Campus
We have delivered one of the most significant expansions of a UK university city campus for over a century.
Over the last decade, the University of Glasgow has invested in its estate to expand its world-class campus and facilities.
An area covering 14 acres of land next to our magnificent Gilmorehill campus has been redeveloped to build a mix of modern research, teaching and public spaces.
Our new buildings will mean the University remains a centre for world-changing research, as well as a vibrant community hub and centre for public engagement.
The development will transform our teaching, learning and research spaces. It will allow us to bring together the best minds of today and tomorrow within world-class interdisciplinary research spaces that offer flexibility and stimulate collaboration, and modern study spaces that will combine study and social learning space with technology enabled teaching.
- The Mazumdar-Shaw Advanced Research Centre (ARC) is changing the way research is conducted at Glasgow. The ARC is the creative and collaborative heart of research at the University of Glasgow, bridging the boundaries between research, cross-subject collaboration and true societal impact . The ARC brings more than 500 world-leading researchers from a range of disciplines together in a building specifically designed to break down organisational structure and facilitate collaboration and interdisciplinary work.
- The James McCune Smith Learning Hub is an inspirational and diverse learning space. The flagship building was the first to be completed as part of our campus development, and provides a creative environment, combining flexible study and social learning space with multi-styled and technology-enabled teaching. It can accommodate more than 2,500 students, and includes a lecture theatre with capacity for 500 students. State-of-the-art teaching facilities, with flexible study spaces and interactive teaching for students, help to create a more immersive learning experience.
Find out more
Living in Glasgow
A UNESCO City of Music, a vibrant arts and culture scene, a food-lover’s delight, and a shopper’s paradise. Just some of the highlights of the ‘friendliest city in the world’. As well as that accolade by the Rough Guides poll, Glasgow has also been named a must visit destination by publications including the New York Times, The Guardian, and Wanderlust.
Music
The city hosts an average of 130 music events a week catering for every taste; from rock to rap, and classical to country. Glasgow also has a world class club scene playing host to some of the world’s top DJs.
Shopping
Outside of London’s West End, Glasgow is frequently voted the best place for shopping in the UK. A must-visit destination for any shop-a-holic, it houses high street chains, international designers, and independent retailers. The West End, home to the University of Glasgow, is bustling with vintage fashion, vinyl stores, and second-hand bookshops.
Arts and Culture
Glasgow’s arts scene has gone from strength to strength, and is the base for five internationally renowned performing arts companies including the National Theatre of Scotland and Scottish Ballet. The city has several world-class museums, which are free to the public, and the city’s architecture is a work of art in itself.
Food and drink
You can be in Glasgow and taste the world with its many diverse restaurants, cafes, and bars. And if you’ve yet to sample the delights of haggis and whisky, Glasgow is the place to be.
The City and Beyond
Glasgow has all the opportunities and excitement of a big city but its compact size means you can quickly travel from one vibrant district to the next. You could be relaxing in one of its many parks, before shopping in the quirky West End, and then dancing until the wee small hours in the Merchant City.
And when you fancy getting out of the city you can reach the stunning Loch Lomond in just 30 minutes, climb one of our many breath-taking Munros, play golf at one of Scotland’s many world-class courses, visit one of our ancient castles, or go further North and search for Nessie! Scotland has also just been named the world’s most beautiful country by Rough Guides.
Relocating to Glasgow
Choosing to relocate to Glasgow is a big decision. There are numerous things to be considered, such as the costs of moving, the cost of living, and where exactly to relocate to. We have created two guides to aide you in the decision making process.
Find out more on relocating to Glasgow at the below link:
- Relocating to Glasgow
WORLD CHANGERS TOGETHER
WORLD CHANGING GLASGOW 2025
Our outstanding disciplinary breadth and expertise has enabled us to make world-changing advances in fields as diverse as medicine, physics, linguistics, public policy and global development.
The key to our success is our talented staff and students pushing back at the boundaries of knowledge and understanding together.
Our World Changers Together strategy recognises the fundamental importance of a culture of open cooperation: not just as colleagues and mentors or students and teachers, but as a community of discovery that reaches beyond its walls and draws inspiration and strength from its connections and partnerships worldwide: excellence that's part of something bigger. The strategy is articulated across three themes:
COMMUNITY
- People centred, globally engaged
CONNECTIVITY
- Collaboratively minded, digitally enhanced
CHALLENGES
- Solution focused, impact oriented
Find out more
It is the University of Glasgow’s mission to foster an inclusive climate, which ensures equality in our working, learning, research and teaching environment. We strongly endorse the principles of Athena SWAN, including a supportive and flexible working environment, with commitment from all levels of the organisation in promoting gender equity.
Our values
The future holds innumerable challenges for our sector, our society, and our world. We will have to adapt and change what we do and what we offer if we are to navigate these successfully. Our strategy and approach may evolve as the landscape changes, but our values will remain constant: a fixed point of certainty in uncertain times.
We have identified our values in consultation and partnership with our staff and student community. Living and upholding these values will ensure that we remain true to the spirit of our community and ourselves:
Ambition and Excellence
- We strive for excellence through our work
- We defend academic freedom globally
- We recognise and celebrate shared success
- We have an unrelenting focus on development
Curiosity and Discovery
- We innovate and solve problems together
- We lead by influence and example
- We engage with lifelong learning and personal development
- We learn from our mistakes
Integrity and Truth
- We uphold honesty, integrity and fairness
- We share our work widely and generously
- We do the right thing, not the easy thing - or we don’t do it
- We take responsibility
An Inclusive Community
- We are one Glasgow team, and we care for and respect one another
- We advocate for diversity and believe in variety as a vital part of a healthy university
- We champion education as an engine for social progress
- We practise and advance sustainability