Position Title: TransiT Communications and Engagement Manager
Grade and Salary: Grade 7, £36,023 - £45,585 per annum
FTE and working pattern: Full Time Fixed term contract to June 2029
Interviews are expected to take place on Friday 25th October 2024
Purpose of the role
TransiT is the UK’s largest research hub dedicated to rapidly decarbonising transport through digital twinning. Led by Heriot-Watt University and the University of Glasgow, this £46 million initiative unites 8 universities and 67 industry partners to address transport decarbonisation. TransiT will create a Federated Transport System of Systems (FTSoS), integrating digital twins across road, rail, air, and maritime transport modes.
The post holder will develop and drive all communications and engagement activities for delivery of the TransiT Stakeholder Engagement Strategy. This includes PR and external communications (online content, social media, brand recognition) as well as the planning and management a wide range of stakeholder events.
Given the urgency of the challenge of transport decarbonisation, it is essential that industrial and policy stakeholders, and the wider public, are actively engaged throughout the programme of research. The Transit Hub aims to ensure an inclusive approach to research and innovation and to ensure demonstrable impact generation is embedded throughout the life cycle of the research.
This demands two-way communication in listening to stakeholders and sharing research developments using appropriately targeted approaches. With such a broad stakeholder base, it is essential to maintain strong communications and awareness of the research progress with both the initial stakeholder base and the wider industrial communities in logistics, transport, energy and digital technologies. The team includes two Project and Industry Engagement Managers to support engagement with specific industrial partners, and the Communications and Engagement Manager will complement that work through the wider communications strategy and the facilitation of in-person and online events for the broader stakeholder base.
Detailed Description
The research builds on highly successful consultation which explored transport decarbonisation and mode integration. This new national research hub will be responsible for delivering new knowledge, technical capabilities and policy advisement relating to UK transport decarbonisation priorities through the development of digital twinning. This highly ambitious programme of research is supported by 67 industrial, research and stakeholder organisations, and the network is expected to grow rapidly over the course of the programme.
This is an exciting opportunity that will deliver a complex and transformative research programme to rapidly advance the decarbonisation of transport, building strong industrial and policy networks. Digital twinning allows different transport configurations to be tested and developed much faster than real-world engineering projects, until the lowest cost pathway to net-zero carbon emissions is identified.
About our Directorate and Team
The post holder will work within the TransiT Hub Support Team. The post holder will report to the TransiT Hub Programme Manager and work alongside a team including two Project and Industry Engagement Managers, a Contracts Manager, the Hub Co-ordinator, Data Manager and Finance Manager. The Support Team is distributed between Glasgow University and Heriot-Watt University, working in a highly integrated way between the two institutions. Most of the Support Team posts, including the Communications and Engagement Manager, are based at Heriot-Watt University, sitting within the TransiT Research Hub. The role-holder is expected to spend at least 3 days a week working in person on campus at Heriot-Watt University.
The post holder will also be professionally supported through the University Marketing and Communications directorate and the Public Engagement team.
Summary of Key Duties and Responsibilities:
* Development and ownership of the TransiT communication and engagement strategy
* Reporting, via the Programme Manager to the TransiT Executive Board on the implementation and outcomes of the strategy
* Manage and facilitate effective stakeholder engagement events with industry, policy and community stakeholders, in collaboration with TransiT researchers and Project and Industry Engagement Managers
* Work with key research partners to facilitate joint research events across critically aligned research hubs
* Develop and coordinate in collaboration with TRANSIT researchers and external stakeholders, the delivery, marketing and evaluation of a programme of public involvement and engagement activities consistent with TRANSIT's mission
* Design and manage effective external and internal communications including website, social media, print, film, PR etc. Development and maintenance of dynamic content on communication channels for key external audiences. Ensuring consistency with other communication channels like social media, the university website, external sites and news channels.
* Build and tell compelling stories of success within TransiT on digital and traditional communication channels including working with media, industry/government/business partners, public affairs agencies and the wider higher education sector
* Development (with external technical support as required) and regular updating of the TransiT website and social media
* Plan and manage all external press and media communication activity and resources and coordination of any external freelance PR resource. This includes handling enquiries from media, individuals and other organisations, often via telephone and email
* Ensure a consistent approach to planning external media and press communications, collaborating with the wider marketing and communications team to ensure that TransiT Hub and University communications are aligned
* Plan, prioritise and organise your own work and resources and others in the team to agreed objectives, including sharing responsibility for team activities and leading plans and priorities, monitoring progress against targets.
Education, Qualifications & Experience:
Essential
1. Degree level education, ideally in a related marketing or communications discipline
2. Demonstrable professional expertise and experience in communications
3. Ability to research, analyse and present complex information and data effectively with good attention to detail
4. Extensive communications and content management experience
5. Excellent communication, presentation and interpersonal skills (written and oral), including a proven ability to communicate complex ideas succinctly to non-specialist audiences, and speak with confidence to senior practitioners
6. Strong copywriting and editing experience
7. Demonstrable ability to forge and maintain mutually beneficial relationships
8. Capability to motivate and influence volunteers and teams to support planning, organising, delivery and evaluation of events
9. Confident working with senior managers and colleagues across the consortium and stakeholders
10. Demonstrable ability to work quickly, flexibly and accurately in a dynamic, changing and pressured environment
11. High level organisational skills with the ability to prioritise major developments and to function effectively in a pressured environment
Desirable
1. CIM/CIPR/IDM or equivalent Marketing/Comms qualification
2. Experience of working within or with Higher Education
3. Experience within environmental, transport or policy making fields
How to Apply
Applications can be submitted up to midnight (UK time) on Sunday 06 October 2024.
Please submit your CV via the Heriot-Watt on-line recruitment.
For more information about the role, contact the TransiT Programme Manager, Dr Janey Andrews – j.andrews@hw.ac.uk
We welcome and will consider flexible working patterns e.g., part-time working and job share options.
Heriot-Watt University is committed to securing equality of opportunity in employment and to the creation of an environment in which individuals are selected, trained, promoted, appraised, and otherwise treated on the sole basis of their relevant merits and abilities. Equality and diversity are all about maximising potential and creating a culture of inclusion for all.
Heriot-Watt University values diversity across our university community and welcomes applications from all sectors of society, particularly from underrepresented groups.
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