Marketing, Communications & Events Officer for Regional Centre – College of Engineering and Physical Sciences

The Science to Industry (S2I) Centre, a Midlands Centre for STFC business engagement, aims to deliver a vibrant and sustainable environment for Midlands SME business, one that gives access to STFC’s world-leading research capabilities while bridging to the manufacturing innovation of the Manufacturing Technology Centre and the region’s science and engineering base through its universities. The project aims to raise the profile of STFC facilities and create a series of pathfinding projects with regional SMEs and in turn generate the processes and capability that will form a regional ecosystem in which STFC national facilities are part of the innovation pathway. The intent is to use this project to create a Centre fully integrated into the region’s portfolio of innovation activities.

The Marketing, Communication and Events Officer will work alongside the Business Engagement Manager to deliver a project to establish a pilot Regional Centre that can bridge the knowledge gap and help local business to find solutions to high-tech challenges, innovate manufacturing techniques and find new partnering opportunities and markets to thereby improve productivity, build R&D capacity and accelerate growth in the region.

The Marketing and Events Officer will support the communications strategy and event management for this project and provide high-quality administrative support to deliver the project in a timely and efficient manner. You will also be responsible for supporting project planning, delivery and impact. You will proactively identify and ensure timely delivery of agreed activity with a particular focus on reputation and impact. You will identify opportunities and match these to the business and political audience. You will also play an important role in enhancing the reputation of the University of Birmingham as an “engaged University”.

Please note- this role requires the flexibility to occasionally work out of hours and travel to events, for which prior notice will be given.

Main Duties

1. Project management, marketing and communication

Working with the Business Engagement Manager, the Marketing and Events Officer will:

• Manage a programme of activity for an external business and political audience within an agreed timeframe agreed with the Business Engagement Manager and Academic leads.
• Provide high-level administrative support for the project including effective budget management.
• Coordinate and collaborate with the Manufacturing Technology Centre (MTC), as a partnering organisation for the Centre
• Review and evaluate the project, measuring the impact of activity and recommend future additions and/or exclusions.
• Responsible for negotiating with venue providers; issuing targeted event invitations; promptly recording all correspondence onto the database; and managing costs within a fixed budget.
• Use influencing skills to persuade senior business representatives, political representatives, academics, University senior team, and fellow professional services colleagues to commit time to engage with the project.
• Write project briefings for the senior team.
• Act as a point of contact throughout the project for University, MTC and external contacts.
• Record event statistics using the approved CRM system i.e. Blackbaud CRM database.
• Ensure effective communications about the project, maximising PR opportunities as appropriate both to external and internal stakeholders.
• Management of social media campaigns to promote the project.
• Be responsible, together with MTC, for the development of all marketing collateral required to support the project, including: development of microsites; design of targeted e-shots, exhibition stands, brochures, delegate packs; and other relevant branding.
• Proactively produce audio and video clips, charts, tables or any other content necessary to illustrate and enhance important research and business engagement communications. Use a variety of media and techniques to translate complicated science into engaging content for a lay audience.
• Ensure all project-related communication (hard and soft copy) complies with University and MTC branding guidelines, is written in a language appropriate to the target audience and sent via the most appropriate means of communication.
• The job holder’s decisions should be informed by clear, up to date knowledge and understanding of the University’s core objectives and those of the Business Engagement team.
• The post holder is expected to make decisions independently and find solutions to any issues that might arise.

2. Performance and resource management

• Develop a rigorous set of measures to objectively benchmark the success of the project using the data to inform future communications and events activity.
• Deliver activity to an agreed budget, ensuring the best possible value for money for the University.
• Make the most efficient use of time and financial resources through rigorous prioritisation.
• Financial: Effectively manage budgets for the project, including responsibility for raising purchase requisition orders and budget reconciliation and monitoring.
• The post holder is expected to manage their own workload to ensure that all tasks are performed to a deadline.

3. Strategic thinking & perspective

• Demonstrate an understanding of the economic/commercial context of project activity within a Higher Education, business and political setting and any factors that might impact on the success of the project.
• Build open, trusting and effective internal and external partnerships based on mutual respect and understanding.
• Be an able and willing internal and external ambassador for the University.
• Be robust in dealing with negative outcomes.
• Express complex ideas coherently through a variety of media.

4. Working collaboratively

• Demonstrate collaborative working and actively consult with colleagues, seeking links and alliances as appropriate.
• Promote diversity of ideas in relationships with people and cultures, having the ability to work with colleagues at all levels of authority, competence and status to contribute to the effective development and delivery of individual and team goals.

Knowledge, Skills, Qualifications and Experience Required

• Educated to degree level or equivalent events and communications experience.
• Significant and demonstrable experience in event management.
• Excellent demonstrable project management and organisation skills.
• Experience in managing budgets and negotiating contracts that deliver excellent value for money.
• The ability to build relationships and engage senior individuals and businesses.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills with demonstrable attention to detail.
• Strong negotiation skills and the ability to persuade and influence with diplomacy and sensitivity, can deal with situations with sensitivity, tact and diplomacy.
• A proven ability to remain positive, adaptable and flexible when dealing with change and uncertainty.
• A highly-developed capacity for strategic planning with the ability to accept and embrace change.
• The proven ability to identify and seize opportunities.
• Understanding of the vision and strategic priorities of the Centre and the University of Birmingham.
• Demonstrable experience of actively managing programmes of work to achieve targets.
• Proven ability to meet targets, milestones and contracted outputs within agreed deadlines.
• Enthusiastic, target-driven attitude, motivated to deliver the project.
• Ability to work under pressure and to effectively prioritise a varied and diverse workload.
• Good all-around IT skills, and demonstrable experience of working with a large complex CRM database.
• The ability to work with initiative, to take decisions and think creatively and laterally.
• Proven organisational skills and ability to meet targets, contractual outputs and work to deadlines.
• Strong sense of professional integrity and the determination to constantly exhibit the agreed values and behaviours of the University.

Informal enquiries can be made to Kate Jermey; k.jermey@bham.ac.uk

Valuing excellence, sustaining investment

We value diversity and inclusion at the University of Birmingham and welcome applications from all sections of the community and are open to discussions around all forms of flexible working.

Apply on this link