Job Description

Location: University House
Salary: \xc2\xa336,421 to \xc2\xa339,591 per annum
Permanent
Post Type: Full Time
Release Date: 13 September 2023
Closing Date: 23.59 hours BST on Wednesday 04 October 2023
Interview Date: Wednesday 11 October 2023
Reference: 092023-412

Our Senior External Relations Officer will play a key role in how we tell our distinctive story to a host of external audiences, developing the reputation of Birmingham City University as a place to study and an institution making a significant impact on the city, region and beyond.

We are seeking a self-motivated and driven external relations professional who can support us to gain maximum awareness and attention for the work of the University and successes of its students and staff through media relations, public affairs and stakeholder events.

The senior officer will support the External Relations Manager in implementing ambitious external communications strategies, all aimed at developing the reputation of the University.

You\xe2\x80\x99ll be as comfortable in teasing out the best angles from stories of our academics\xe2\x80\x99 work to pitch to media as you will liaising with key University stakeholders and partners to increase their knowledge of our work. And you\xe2\x80\x99ll understand the value of an event to showcase our stories to an even wider audience.

Your skills will help us to deliver an exciting range of high profile events aimed at drawing the attention of the media and a range of influencers to the University. And you\xe2\x80\x99ll be adept at keeping up-to-date with the news agenda of the day, enabling you to promote expert comment from our academics as swiftly as possible.

The successful applicant will have proven experience of driving proactive and creative media relations engagement, or extensive event management, as well as responding effectively to crisis situations.

You will also be able to:

• Track and predict the news agenda with a view to identifying specific opportunities to place BCU within the national media, promoting key messages and opportunities for reputational gain.
• Provide authoritative and clear expert briefings to academics and senior University leaders ahead of media appearances/interviews.
• Support the External Relations Manager in generating ideas for broadcast packages and support the External Relations Officers in setting up interviews and filming opportunities.
• Contribute to the development and implementation of crisis communications plans and offer briefings to journalists if required.
• Regularly evaluate media relations activity, using coverage monitoring to determine trends, suggest refinements to the systems used and provide feedback to the External Relations Manager.
• Support the External Relations Manager and Head of Communications and Public Affairs in developing events aimed at promoting the University, for example, City Talks and alumni/stakeholder events, on or off campus.

You will have:

• Degree or equivalent (PR, Communications, Marketing or other related subject is desirable)
• Excellent written and oral communication skills
• Evidence of a diplomatic and confident approach to handling stakeholders through negotiation, conflict resolution and presentation capabilities
• The ability to prioritise competing demands
• Operating at a more senior level within an external relations environment
• Producing high quality content for PR, publications, website and social media
• An ability to understand complex subjects and making them accessible to wide audiences
• Experience of working in education, public service or a knowledge based industry is desirable. Sensitivity to the higher education environment is essential
• A genuine and specific interest in news and current affairs across the spectrum from serious to lighter issues
• A self-managing and achievement orientated work style with the ability to work successfully to tight deadlines
• Adaptable approach and good problem solving skills with the ability to remain calm under pressure and respond sensibly to the unexpected

Further details:

The appointed candidate will normally be employed through our subsidiary company BCU Support Services Limited, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Birmingham City University.

OUR VISION

Birmingham City University is growing in quality and standing, with an academic STEAM agenda at the heart of our ambitions. We are transforming the lives of students and their communities, and want outstanding people to join us in taking us on the next stage of our exciting journey.

Our students learn through doing. They are empowered throughout their educational journey, achieving significant educational gain and personal transformation.

There has never been a better time to join us. Come and be part of the next exciting stage of our journey.

ABOUT BIRMINGHAM CITY UNIVERSITY

At the heart of our 2025 Strategy is our mission is to enable our students to transform their lives and to achieve their potential. Through our education and research, and the roles our graduates go on to play in the world, we not only support individuals to transform their lives, but we also play a part in transforming society.

Located in the centre of the UK\xe2\x80\x99s second city, we are a university with a long heritage of innovation and of making, dating back to our origins in 1843 when we were founded as the Birmingham Government School of Design.

Our heritage of making through innovation and its application through knowledge exchange, and of creative research and practice, today finds it expression in our STEAM agenda, in our research and enterprise, and in our commitment to challenge-based learning. Working across disciplines, and delivering impactful research and enterprise, interdisciplinarity is at the heart of the continuing transformation of our academic portfolio.

OUR STAFF COMMUNITY

Birmingham is home to a rich and diverse range of communities. Our students reflect this rich cultural mix, and we are continuing to work to make sure that this is also reflected in our broader university community.

Birmingham City University values the quality and diversity of our staff. Our staff and student community is defined by our core values, which outline who we are as a University and how we work with each other. Our core values are we create opportunity, we think differently, and we build community.

We are committed to equality, diversity and inclusion, continuously reviewing and improving our policies, practices, and procedures to ensure that we are promoting these in all aspects of our operations. We believe that by working together, combining our many different backgrounds and life experiences, we will empower each other to reach our full potential.

We hold an Athena SWAN Bronze award in recognition of our commitment to improving employment practices for the advancement of gender equality.

Our University is located in one of the most culturally rich and diverse Cities in the UK, and it is our ambition to be the University for Birmingham and the surrounding region. The events of 2020 have highlighted the stark inequalities that Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic Communities face and we are committed to removing the institutional barriers that our staff and students face and improve the representation, progression and success of staff and students from all backgrounds within higher education. To demonstrate this, we have signed up to the Race Equality Charter to show our commitment.

Birmingham City University has been recognised for its progress on LGBT+ equality with a Gold award in the Stonewall Index and have entered the Top 100 Employers 2023 for LGBT+ inclusion. Meanwhile, we are Disability Confident (Committed) and are on an exciting journey to advance our University to progress through the Disability Confident scheme.

We are also a Mindful Employer, which means we are committed to supporting the mental health and well-being of our staff, and we have also signed up to the Mental Health Charter led by student mental health charity Student Minds. Furthermore, we are signed up to The Technician Commitment - a university and research institution initiative supported by the Science Council and Gatsby Foundation \xe2\x80\x93 aiming to ensure visibility, recognition, career development and sustainability for technicians working in higher education and research.

WORKING AND LIVING IN BIRMINGHAM

The youngest city in Europe with under-25s accounting for nearly 40% of the population, Birmingham is a city full of energy and enthusiasm and is a great place to live and work.

Based in the heart of England, the city is easily accessible by road, rail and air. Birmingham New Street station has recently undergone major redevelopment, while the city is at the heart of the high-speed rail network, HS2. HS2 will provide new rapid rail travel connecting Birmingham City Centre to London and the rest of the network from the new Curzon Street Station \xe2\x80\x93 adjacent to Birmingham City University\xe2\x80\x99s City Centre Campus \xe2\x80\x93 and will be one of the most environmentally friendly stations in the world.

The city\xe2\x80\x99s appetite for progression is boundless, and it has been championing innovation since the earliest days of the Industrial Revolution, reflected in Birmingham City University\xe2\x80\x99s new STEAMhouse building which opened in October 2022 and is home to an inter-disciplinary community of entrepreneurs, businesses, academic researchers, and students offering a wealth of support to companies of all sizes to boost growth through innovation to address commercial and societal challenges.

Birmingham is brimming with great theatres, museums, the world-famous Birmingham City University Royal Birmingham Conservatoire, as well as beautiful historical buildings and the iconic Library of Birmingham. It also has amazing concert and sporting venues including Edgbaston Cricket ground, which Birmingham City University has a long-standing partnership with. It is also home to the Alexander Stadium, which is the stunning new home for Birmingham City University\xe2\x80\x99s sport courses. The Stadium was one of the main event spaces for the Birmingham Commonwealth Games in 2022, which saw the eyes of the world on the city, and Birmingham City University staff and students played pivotal roles - including designing the official medals for winning athletes.

Birmingham\xe2\x80\x99s vibrant dining scene offers something for all tastes, including Michelin star restaurants, Spiceal Street at the Bullring, the Chinese Quarter, and the famous Balti Triangle.

The city also provides a great place to shop, being home the Bullring and Grand Central, the luxurious Mailbox Birmingham and the world-famous home of British bling - the Jewellery Quarter, which is home to Birmingham City University\xe2\x80\x99s School of Jewellery.

From Harvey Nichols, Selfridges and the beautiful arcades and independents, to the city\xe2\x80\x99s historic markets in Digbeth, the shops in Birmingham offer a plethora of choice.

underpin how we work in achieving the ambitions set out in our Strategy and Priorities, and are the principles that unite the way we work together and for our students.

Birmingham City University