PR and Communications Officer

FTE: 1.0fte (working 37 hours per week) (Part time may be considered)

Salary: UH6 £33,002 pa (pro rata) to £38,784 pa (pro rata) by annual increments on achieving designated skills and experience

Annual Leave: 25 days (pro rata) plus standard public holidays and an additional 4 days including the closure of our office between Christmas and New Year

Location: Flexible working with three days working from home and two days in the office (usually Tuesdays and Thursdays) at our Hatfield campus – MacLaurin Building, Bishop Square, Hatfield, AL10 9AB 

Main duties and responsibilities

The PR and Communications Officer plays a central role in strengthening the University’s reputation, particularly among external stakeholders. The PR and Communications Officer will be an excellent writer with a sharp instinct for storytelling, they will identify, develop and deliver compelling stories, PR campaigns, award entries, leadership briefings, academic spokesperson activity, newsjacking opportunities and events. This work will showcase the University’s high‑quality, career‑focused education and enterprise, world‑leading research, state‑of‑the‑art facilities, and diverse, inclusive campus community. Using a wide range of communication tactics, they will place and promote this activity through the most appropriate media channels, generating positive coverage that reaches clearly defined target audiences.

Skills and experience required

You will have proven experience in a PR or journalism role. You will be able to respond to media enquiries quickly and sensitively maintaining a cool, calm head; spot opportunities to place comments by academic experts on breaking news stories and have experience of writing clear and accurate copy and press releases and other forms of written communications for external audiences. Good IT skills with the ability to demonstrate effective use of IT as a communication tool for professional practice, plus comfortable using common AI tools responsibly and effectively is essential.

You’ll also be comfortable supporting publications and web content with the ability to communicate with key stakeholders professionally. You will further bring to this role strong interpersonal skills and the ability to build, sustain and manage a wide range of stakeholder relationships within the University. You’ll be a team player, as well as a kind and friendly individual with a consideration for others and be committed to the provision of a high quality, professional service.

Qualifications required

You will be educated with a minimum of a degree or equivalent, or proven experience. You will also hold a professional PR, journalism, communications or similar qualification or proven professional work experience.

Please view the job description and person specification for a full list of the duties and essential criteria. Please attach a personal statement showing clearly how your skills and experience match the Person Specification.

Internal applicants – please ensure you apply via your employee self-service portal.

We regret that we are unable to offer UKVI sponsorship for this post; applicants will either hold UK Right to Work or demonstrate access to UK Right to Work before an offer is made.

Contact Details/Informal Enquiries: If you have any further questions about this, or wish to informally discuss the position, please contact PR and Communications Manager Vicky Trendall by emailing v.trendall@herts.ac.uk

Closing date: 07 June 2026

Interview date: TBC

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