Job description
King’s College London is looking for an exceptional Digital Communications Officer to work across three of its most high-profile institutes within the Faculty of Social Science & Public Policy: the Policy Institute, Global Institute for Women’s Leadership and International School for Government.
The successful candidate will join a friendly and hard-working team who produce research which regularly generates media attention and helps shape the political and policy debate in the UK.
This is a fantastic opportunity to work alongside leading researchers, current and former policymakers, and well-known public figures. In recent years, the institutes have held events with the likes of Hillary Clinton, Julia Gillard and Tony Blair; recorded podcasts with Cate Blanchett and Mary Beard; and worked on research projects with David Miliband, Jo Johnson and more.
This role will be essential as the institutes look to raise their public profiles further and ensure their work has even greater impact. Key to this will be developing and expanding their online presence and the range of outputs they produce, as well as generally helping their work reach new audiences.
The job would suit someone who’s digitally savvy, with excellent graphic design skills, attention to detail and the ability to manage projects effectively. An interest in politics and public policy issues would be beneficial too.
Given the range of research areas covered by the role, and the need to work across different teams, the successful candidate will need to be flexible, comfortable working in a fast-paced environment, and willing to pitch in with a variety of tasks when needed.
This post will be offered on a full-time, fixed term contract until mid April 2024.
Key responsibilities
- Managing the production process around research outputs – including designing reports, creating social media graphics and short videos, and writing engaging content.
- Producing charts, infographics and data visualisations.
- Implementing and developing brand identity guidelines.
- Writing accessible and engaging copy for the web and social media.
- Creating eye-catching digital mailings and event invitations.
- Working with researchers to come up with innovative ways to communicate their findings.
- Keeping institute websites updated and making recommendations for how to improve them.
- Working with colleagues in the faculty and central communications teams to cross-promote work across external and internal channels.
- Helping to maintain and expand contacts databases, to ensure we are engaging with key stakeholders.
The above list of responsibilities may not be exhaustive, and the post holder will be required to undertake such tasks and responsibilities as may reasonably be expected within the scope and grading of the post.
Skills, knowledge, and experience
Essential criteria
- Proven experience of working with and managing a brand identity.
- High level of proficiency in Adobe Creative Suite – particularly InDesign and Photoshop.
- A demonstrable understanding of graphic design principles.
- Experience of managing websites and social media channels in a professional capacity.
- A high level of attention to detail.
- Strong organisational skills and ability to manage competing priorities.
- An interest in the work of the institutes.
- Educated to degree level or equivalent.
- Basic knowledge of HTML and CSS.
Desirable criteria
- Experience working in an academic, charity or think tank environment.
- Experience copy-editing and/or proofreading to a professional standard.
- Experience of using the Contensis CMS and/or Squarespace.
- A relevant professional qualification in graphic design, communications or related field.