Communications Manager

Company Description

The National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) is the United Kingdom’s largest funder of health and care research. The NIHR invests more than £1.6 billion a year of research funding from the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC). The NIHR’s research programmes, people, centres of excellence and systems together represent the most integrated health research system in the world.

Established in 2006 by the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC), the NIHR’s mission is to improve the health and wealth of the nation through research. It funds, supports, and delivers high-quality research that addresses the needs of patients, the public, and the healthcare system.

Job Description

Job Purpose
The Communications Manager will be part of a busy team helping to demonstrate the value and impact of the NIHR’s major investments in all areas of health research, medical technologies and research infrastructure for the benefit of patients now and in the future. An organised and proactive individual who will enjoy and thrive on the fast-paced work at the heart of NIHR and the UK’s health research system.

Ideal candidates for this role will be highly organised, excellent all-round communicators, skilled at working with diverse teams to understand and support their communications needs across a wide range of channels, including contributing to a busy media brief. The Communications Manager will report to the Senior Communications Manager and a key responsibility will be to support the promotion of NIHR’s research portfolio, as well as cross-NIHR communications activities.

Key Responsibilities

• Support the Senior Communications Manager in working with NIHR research funding teams to promote NIHR’s research infrastructure, research findings and opportunities for researchers and the public to be involved in NIHR research
• Plan and deliver announcements of new funding schemes, major funding awards and complex research outputs, triaging press releases and working with awardees on NIHR naming, brand and acknowledgement and channel set-up as relevant
• Produce concise and engaging written, visual and multimedia content for NIHR channels (website, social media, blog, newsletters, intranet) to promote the work of the NIHR to different audiences including researchers, patients and the public
• Work closely with NIHR’s communications delivery teams, underpinning the communications strategy and contributing to planning and strategic projects across the organisation, and becoming a key member of the media delivery team
• Establish, maintain and improve ways of working with internal teams we support, providing communications guidance in areas such as accessible web content and compliance with NIHR’s visual identity guidelines.

Qualifications

Qualifications & Experience 

Essential Criteria 

• Degree-level education or relevant equivalent experience
• Significant press office experience, preferably in a health, medical or scientific context, or similar communications environment involving pitching and landing media coverage
• Significant experience in translating complex topics for web, social media and news stories
• Proven copywriting ability, with strong grammatical skills and attention to detail
• Knowledge of the media landscape for health, medical and science stories
• Experience of using social media platforms and content management systems to share and tailor news and other content for diverse audiences

Desired Criteria 

• Creative and visual flair to plan and produce visual social media and infographic content
• Effective planning, organisational and prioritisation skills with the ability to manage own time to meet demanding deadlines
• Excellent interpersonal skills, team working and customer focus
• An understanding of the health, public health and/or social care research community and the way research is managed, published and disseminated in the public interest

Additional Information

Compensation, Benefits & Working Arrangements:
Salary: £40,300 pa
Location: Twickenham, London / Hybrid working model
Contract Type: Full Time, Permanent 
Working Hours: 7.5 hours per day
Annual Leave: 25 days, plus UK public holidays

Employee Benefits Include:
Annual bonus, subject to company performance
Enhanced Contributory Pension Scheme
Life Insurance Cover
Benenden Healthcare Membership
Training and Development Opportunities 
Season Ticket Loan  

This is a Twickenham, London, office based, hybrid role, with an expectation for all employees to attend our offices a minimum of one day a week, four days a month, and may increase, subject to team requirements.

Application
If you are excited about the prospect of joining our team and believe you possess the relevant skills and background, we invite you to apply. Please submit your CV along with a 'Statement of Suitability' that showcases your key skills and experiences in relation to the 'Essential Criteria' outlined in the job description. Additionally, share your enthusiasm for working with NIHR. 

NB: Closing date for applications is 5pm on the 26th August, with interviews week commencing the 15th September.

Our Commitment to Equality and Diversity
LGC strongly believes that every job applicant and employee should be valued for their individual talents regardless of age, disability, race, colour, ethnic or national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender reassignment, marital or civil partnership, pregnancy or maternity, religion, or belief. Short listing, interviewing and selection will always be carried out without regard to gender, sexual orientation, marital status, colour, race, nationality, ethnic or national origins, religion or belief, age, or trade union membership.