Main purpose of the job
The Digital Communications Officer will execute website content and communications strategy, raising awareness and reputation of the faculty and its departments as a leading hub of education, research, impact and engagement in the global built environment sector, and delivering key communications for internal and external audiences.
Support the delivery of integrated digital communications content and campaigns, building brand narrative and thought leadership with key global audiences.
Support the development, management and optimisation of website content and information architecture to enable seamless user journeys, drive traffic, and create engagement with key audiences.
Play a key role in implementing digital communications and channel plan and support the day-to-day management of communications requests and digital communications channels and academic departments, including website content, social media, event promotion and newsletters.
Work closely with academic leads and develop in-depth knowledge of the faculty and departments, delivering digital communications activities that strategically support them.
Duties and responsibilities
Digital communications expertise and networks
Proactively develop in-depth knowledge of departments, and their education and research work, building relationships with key stakeholders and returning this knowledge to the role, ensuring the highest degree of professionalism and expertise is built into website content and digital communications for the faculty.
Collaborate with colleagues across Marketing and Communications team, and in academic departments, to promote and support marketing and communications activities, and implement integrated campaigns across digital communications channels.
Support the Marketing and Communications team with assisting large-scale public events delivery where required.
Work with Communications team, Media Relations, Social Media team, Digital Experience team, Brand team and wider VPEE team to align with organisation-wide communications strategies, campaigns, brand frameworks, best practice and guidelines.
Be part of a wider team of Marketing and Communications experts, delivering exemplary communications in conjunction with VPEE, professional working groups and Communities of Practice.
Digital communications and channels
Support the delivery of an annual communications plan raising global awareness and reputation of research and impact work from the faculty and departments, coordinating with organisation-wide communications calendars and plans.
Respond to day-to-day communications requests from a wide range of stakeholders, ensuring requests are managed effectively and completed in a timely manner.
Implement day-to-day website requests, including editing existing content and creating new content, and ensuring all web content is created to a high standard supporting the content strategy and information architecture.
Implement content guidelines to ensure website content is optimised for accessibility, quality assurance, SEO and AI search, and data protection, in line with best practice and legal regulation.
Lead on the day-to-day management of social media channels for the faculty and departments, (eg Instagram, LinkedIn, X, Facebook, BlueSky and YouTube), proactively curating, drafting and proofreading high quality content to engage audiences.
Flag or escalate social media issues when necessary.
Compile, edit and implement internal and external digital communications for the faculty and departments, including delivering newsletters and bulletins, event promotion, communications campaigns, and managing mailing lists.
Proof-read and edit written content created by others to ensure all digital communications content is delivered to a high standard, ensuring consistency and brand, editorial style and tone of voice for core audiences.
Ensure digital communications campaigns, content and channels are accessible and inclusive for all.
Digital communications data insights and performance
Bring a data-driven approach to all areas of the role and create data analytics reports to assess the effectiveness of website content and digital communications as part of the faculty's monthly and annual marketing and communications performance frameworks.
Conduct audience and channel research and evaluate competitor activities to identify new ways to communicate with target audiences.