Interim Head Of Communications

Job Description

King’s Culture – the university’s specialist culture team – is recruiting a 6-month Interim Head of Communications. We broker, develop and support a portfolio of distinctive partnerships with artists, communities, cultural organisations and cultural policy makers that support King’s education, research and service strategies.

The Interim Head of Communications provides expertise and strategic insight to deliver effective communications that connect and showcase these activities and reinforce King's role at the forefront of HE and cultural sector engagement.

You will be a key member of the Culture team at King’s and work closely with colleagues from across the university, including faculties and central Corporate Communications, and with external partners across the cultural and creative industries sector.

In this role you will:

• Be a passionate storyteller and support an inclusive cultural community at King's by amplifying its activities to internal and external stakeholders.


• Provide strategic communications expertise for King’s Culture’s varied programme of activity, including the phased relaunch of Science Gallery London from June 2022, the cultural programming for the newly pedestrianised Strand/Aldwych and a range of public engagement projects that have artist/researcher collaborations at the heart.


• Direct the content strategy and creation for King’s Culture’s webpages and social media channels as a first port of call for all things cultural across the university.


• Promote King’s Culture’s offer internally to students and researchers, and externally to the cultural sector.


• Develop and nurture relationships with key stakeholders across and beyond King’s.


• Extend opportunities to reach beyond the university and enhance the profile of King's activities and achievements. 


• Advise the Culture team on project-based communications plans and work closely with three project coordinators to successfully implement these plans.


• Plan communications resource across the team and advise on key moments in King’s central communications plan as well as the overall news agenda.


• Select and manage external suppliers such as PR agencies, copywriters and graphic designers and work within King’s brand and copy style guidelines.

A degree or equivalent

A professional, public relations/communications or relevant qualification or equivalent experience 

Ability to understand and translate complex themes and messages that the university wants to get across to external and internal audiences and expertise in how to create and communicate those messages in credible and engaging ways

High level of stakeholder management skills including influencing, negotiating, listening, challenging, giving and receiving feedback, educating, coaching and facilitating of both leaders and other peer professionals

Strategic capability and vision – ability to develop and implement in collaboration with other Corporate Communications colleagues an effective integrated strategy which combines a range of story-telling interventions including a strong focus on digital engagement, successful corporate events, internal campaigns and online media to promote more two way dialogue with key stakeholder groups, both external and internal

As part of an integrated corporate communication strategy and plan, ability to translate complex academic research papers into stories suitable for dissemination to wider external and internal audiences through multiple channels including corporate events and online/digital

Know-how and experience of the most effective ways to monitor and evaluate ROI on activities e.g. online impressions created, likes, shares, apps to survey event success, use of event hashtags on social media, QR codes, to traditional print media coverage  

Excellent creative writing, ability to adapt to multiple styles and uses, editing and proofing skills with an eye for detail

An understanding of the higher education sector and cultural sector

Experience

Experience of working cross-organisationally in a complex environment with competing priorities

Demonstrable track record of applying an integrated approach to profile-building activities for maximum impact 

Proven experience of first class integrated corporate event design, planning and execution, from theme/content development to story-telling through multiple King’s channels and platforms to maximise the publicity opportunities with other stakeholder groups

Proven experience of applying an integrated approach to communication and engagement to maximise the impact of philanthropic endeavours