Strategic Communications Manager

Salary: £51,846 - £56,662 

12 month fixed term (maternity cover)

Bristol 

Generous Civil Service defined benefit pension

The Office for Students is the independent regulator of higher education in England. We aim to ensure that every student, whatever their background, has a fulfilling experience of higher education that enriches their lives and careers. We’re looking for skilled, committed people who care about students and their experience of higher education.

We’re proud of our people, our culture and the benefits we offer. We care about supporting and developing our staff, working together to achieve more than each of us can do alone, and we want to create a welcoming and engaging working environment which is free from discrimination.

Join us and you’ll be part of an energetic, forward-looking organisation with high ambitions and big opportunities for our people.

About the job

The Communications team leads the OfS’s work on external and internal communications, including public affairs, media relations, digital publishing, stakeholder engagement events and public information. It is based in the Strategy, Delivery and Communications Directorate.

Working with teams across the OfS and with communications colleagues, you’ll provide expert advice and guidance on the design and delivery of communications projects. Your portfolio will include the OfS's work on equality of opportunity, and may include other areas of work dependent on organisational need. You’ll also contribute to the development and implementation of the OfS's corporate communications strategy and help to embed our approach to communications across the organisation.

Key responsibilities may include

1. Develop a coherent, comprehensive narrative that describes the OfS's role in ensuring access, participation and success in higher education.
2. Develop and implement strategic communication plans for a range of publications, announcements and projects related to the OfS’s work on equality of opportunity.
3. Develop and implement strategic communication plans for other areas of the OfS’s work as required.
4. Identify key OfS audiences and stakeholders with the aim of ensuring impact, reach and targeted messaging.
5. Continue to raise the profile of the Director for fair access and participation with students, the sector, other higher education stakeholders and the wider public, in collaboration with the heads of media and public affairs.
6. Work with the Head of internal opportunities to ensure OfS colleagues are informed about key OfS announcements and publications.
7. Work with the media team to develop key messages and tactics with the aim of ensuring accurate, positive media coverage for the OfS’ work.
8. Build trusted, effective working relationships with senior OfS leaders.
9. Proactively identify and manage reputational and delivery risks.
10. Evaluate the impact and effectiveness of communications activities to ensure outcomes are met and lessons learned to inform future work and continuous improvement.
11. Contribute to the development of the corporate OfS communications strategy.
12. Ensure close alignment of all communications activity with the OfS’s corporate strategy and business plan.
13. Support directorate initiatives and the development of a directorate culture based on positive, respectful behaviours and efficient, collaborative ways of working.

About you

We’re looking for an experienced, committed communications professional with a clear focus on outcomes. You’ll be an excellent influencer, able to build positive, trusted relationships with peers and senior leaders. You’ll have outstanding written and verbal communications and be able to understand and assimilate complex policy and technical information and data to inform communications advice and judgements.

You’ll bring strong project management skills, including the ability to work collaboratively and flexibly across a number of projects and respond effectively to changing demands and priorities.

Knowledge of higher education and regulation is desirable, but not essential.

Working for us

1. The OfS regulates the higher education sector on behalf of all students. We value diversity and the wealth of perspectives, experience and ideas that it brings to our work, and we strive to embed equality of opportunity in everything we do.
2. We recruit based on fair and open competition and welcome applications from candidates regardless of age, disability, race and ethnicity, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, religion or belief, sex, sexual orientation and socio-economic background.
3. Flexibility is important to the OfS, as we recognise that it can enable people to work more effectively. A set of organisation-wide principles shape our approach to flexible and hybrid working, which our teams then use as guidance on how they deliver their business goals. This would usually mean working from the office for two days in a typical week.
4. To attract the widest possible field of qualified applicants, flexible working, for example job share and part time working, apply to this role.
5. In addition, our Total Reward Framework offers a range of benefits to suit your way of life. These include comprehensive learning and development, annual leave starting at 25 days’ per year (plus public holidays), access to the highly regarded Civil Service pension scheme and a variety of health benefits.