Communications Officer/Executive

Job details

Job title: Communications Officer

Reporting to: Deputy Head of Communications

Responsible for: No direct line reports

Based: Our Head Office is based in London, but we have an agile working policy enabling people to work at another UK location up to 4 days/week. Permanent remote working in the UK is possible and we welcome applications from people based in other parts of the UK. 

Terms: Full-time (35 hours per week), permanent. Requests for part-time or flexible working will be considered

Salary: £27,500 to £33,100 pa

Download the candidate pack for this role as a pdf or view our text-only version of the pack here.

Role overview

The Communications Officer will be responsible for delivering the communications activity for several of the BSA’s flagship programmes. They will create engaging content for our digital channels, as well as work on national PR campaigns, develop social media strategies and produce thought-provoking case studies.

They will work on key aspects of the British Science Week campaign, including leading on Smashing Stereotypes, as well contributing towards the wider communications campaign.

The Communications Officer will also work closely with our Community Engagement team to promote and communicate the work of their programmes, including Community Leaders and the Community-Led Research Pilot.

Key responsibilities

  • Lead on the BSA’s Smashing Stereotypes campaign, as part of British Science Week, by developing an engaging multimedia communications plan;
  • Oversee the content development for the BSA’s main social media channels, including Twitter (X), Facebook, TikTok, LinkedIn and Instagram;
  • Oversee the content of the BSA website and work with its developers to ensure the website meets the needs of the organisation;
  • Produce high quality and engaging copy and content for various formats, including press releases, news stories, blog posts, social media posts and internal communications to suit the intended audiences of the relevant programme or project;
  • Lead on the promotion of, and content development for, the BSA’s Community Engagement programmes, including Community Leaders and the Community-Led Research Pilot;
  • Produce analysis and reports on any relevant campaigns, as well as review the performance of the BSA’s website;
  • Contribute to the British Science Festival marketing & communications campaign, including leading on the social media campaign, liaising with press & media, and scheduling promotional activity;
  • Proofread and edit copy produced by other colleagues, ensuring it meets the BSA’s house style requirements and reflects the relevant programme’s brand, core messaging and tone of voice;
  • Support the wider communications team at busy times;
  • Perform any other tasks as reasonably required by the line manager.

About you

The Communications Officer role will suit someone who loves to produce high quality, standout content for a wide and varied audience. 

We are looking for someone who is proactive and creative, with an eye for detail. You should be a compelling storyteller, with experience in developing engaging content in various media.

You do not need a background in science to apply for this role – we are looking for someone who wants to communicate messages and deliver excellent content.

You will have the opportunity to work with a range of stakeholders in this role, including some of the BSA’s beneficiaries, our partners and sponsors, the press and media, as well as contractors. You need to feel comfortable meeting and talking to new people.

You will occasionally work at events, so a professional manner is a must, and a willingness to travel to other parts of the UK from time to time.

Person Specification

Below is a summary of essential and desirable criteria needed for this role, as well as how we will assess a candidate’s suitability.

Essential criteria 

Criteria

CV

 Applied Qs Interview Task

Excellent written and verbal communication skills, as well as experience of producing written copy for various formats;

 Y Y Y Y

Experience of using social media platforms, ideally in a professional setting;

 Y Y

Experience and knowledge of producing engaging video content;

 Y

Experience of evaluating success, which could include producing reports, data analysis or use of analytics platforms;

 Y Y Y

Experience of working on multiple projects at once, as well as able to demonstrate how to prioritise their workload effectively;

 Y Y Y

Excellent digital skills and an awareness of the platforms and channels used to deliver communications campaigns;

 Y Y

Excellent attention to detail, including the ability to proofread and edit copy efficiently;

 Y Y

Experience of generating creative ideas for delivering messages to different audiences.

 Y Y

Desirable criteria

Criteria

CV

 Applied Qs Interview Task

Awareness / experience of the ways that equity, diversity and inclusion need to be considered when delivering campaigns and other communications outputs;

 Y

An interest in future developments or innovative tactics in the communications sector.

 Y Y

Benefits 

  • Agile working policy enabling you to work at home or in another UK location up to 4 days per week, if office-based, and to vary your working hours outside our 10am – 12pm and 2pm – 4pm core hours, subject to the needs of the BSA;
  • 27 days holiday per annum plus bank holidays (pro-rata for part-time employees); 
  • Up to two days paid leave per year for significant voluntary commitments in support of professional and personal development, such as being a trustee of a charity or a school governor;
  • Auto-enrolment pension scheme (4% paid by employer);
  • Up to five days’ unpaid leave per year (this is down to the Manager’s decision and ensuring it does not affect work); 
  • Life assurance from your first day, subject to scheme rules;  
  • Occupational sick pay: up to six weeks’ full pay per year (pro-rata for part-time employees); 
  • Confidential telephone counselling service, offered by our legal insurance;
  • Interest-free loan for season ticket, bike to work, and assisted study;
  • Discounts may be offered on Science Museum tickets and in the shop.

To apply

Applications should be made via this link: https://app.beapplied.com/apply/xb0rh9ngqo 

The closing date for applications is 23.59 on Sunday 15 October 2023.

Interviews are due to take place week commencing 23 October 2023.

You will be informed as soon as possible after the application deadline whether you have been selected for interview.

As part of the British Science Association’s commitment to being a Disability Confident employer, all disabled* applicants who meet the ‘essential criteria’ for this vacancy will be offered an interview under our guaranteed interview scheme.

If you wish to apply under the guaranteed interview scheme, you will be asked to indicate this when you submit your application by selecting ‘yes’ in the relevant box when asked during the application process. Applicants do not need to state any further information or declare their disability at the application stage.

The BSA follows government advice in that it is important to note that there may be occasions where it is not practicable or appropriate to interview all disabled people that meet the minimum criteria for the job. For example, in certain recruitment situations (such as a high number of applications), we may wish to limit the overall numbers of interviews offered to both disabled people and non-disabled people.

In these circumstances, we could select the disabled candidates who best meet the minimum criteria for the job rather than all of those that meet the minimum criteria, as we would do for non-disabled applicants.

Whether you are applying under the scheme or not, if you are successful in being shortlisted, we will ask candidates with disabilities or long-term health conditions to let us know if they need any adjustments during the recruitment process.

If you have further questions or would like this information in a different format, please contact: [email protected]  

Terms & conditions

From time to time the job entails working extended hours and occasional weekends, for which no overtime payments are made. The BSA operates a time off in lieu policy for weekend working and some other out-of-hours instances.

Only applicants who have a legal right to work within the UK will be considered. You will be asked to bring along proof of nationality and/or proof of ability to work in the UK.

You will also be asked to declare any previous convictions in line with your rights under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) order 1975.

This is a description of the job as it is presently constituted. It is the practice of the Association to examine job descriptions from time to time and to update them to ensure they relate to the job as then being performed, or to incorporate whatever changes are reasonably required, in discussion with the postholder.

It is the policy of the BSA to offer starting salaries at the bottom end of the salary band where appropriate.

A copy of our Privacy Notice is available on the vacancies page of our website.

*The Disability Confident scheme’s definition of disability is in line with the Equalities Act 2010: “a physical or mental condition which has a long-term and substantial effect on your daily life”.

Further information about our Disability Confident commitments can be found on the Disability Confident page of our website.

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