Internal Communications Lead

JOB DESCRIPTION

Employment status and working hours

Permanent, full time for 35 hours per week. Part time hours may be considered. A minimum of 28 hours per week are required for this role.

Full time hours at the University are 35 per week with the standard working pattern Monday to Friday from 09:00 to 17:00. Hours of work can be discussed and agreed for any part time appointment.

Organisation structure

Deputy Vice Chancellor department.

Your line manager will be Jane Fawkes, Deputy Vice Chancellor (University Secretary).

Place of work flexibility

Your time will be split between the Horizons, Reading office and your home*. The exact split of days/hours is negotiable but must include a minimum of two working days each week in Horizons only on the core days (Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday). *Working from home is only possible if your environment is suitable.

High level summary of job role

The purpose of this role is to develop and deliver an internal communications and engagement service that aligns with the University's strategic priorities, ensuring staff are consistently informed, engaged and valued.

At a time of exciting growth, you will be responsible for developing internal communications and messaging, as well as engagement initiatives and events to develop the culture of the University, build relationships and inspire staff to contribute to our evolving vision and success.

Collaborating closely with the Deputy Vice Chancellor, Executive team, HR team, and Marketing team, you will play a pivotal part in communicating a sense of purpose and supporting effective change management to enable the University’s strategic aims.

Specific job role accountabilities and responsibilities

Internal Communications

Provide strategic direction and leadership on the development of the University's internal communications strategy.
Translate strategic activity and information into messages and activities that are relevant at a departmental, team, and individual level.
Develop and optimise internal communication channels to deliver a wide range of messages in the most effective formats, ensuring relevance and impact across diverse staff audiences.
Assess and implement the most effective communication channels, including intranet, email, digital screens, print, and digital media.
Create and deliver targeted communication frameworks that support organisational change, enhance employee engagement, and foster a shared sense of purpose.
Design and implement a structured framework for employee communications, covering a broad range of topics, that builds alignment around our strategic messaging and directly connects with the working life and priorities of staff.

Stakeholder Engagement

Build strong relationships with key stakeholders (e.g. senior management, academic staff, departments) and support and equip them to communicate effectively and with purpose.
Contribute to increasing employee engagement by working with the HR and Payroll team to develop internal communication strategies to respond to staff feedback and requirements, identified in the University’s employee survey.
Equip University managers with tailored communication tools and content, enabling a consistent, two-way flow of information that enhances leadership visibility, encourages dialogue, and supports a collaborative organisational culture.
Work with others to prepare crisis communications and deliver clear and effective internal messaging and briefings to reassure and guide staff.

Events

Plan and deliver a range of staff engagement activities and events that reinforce strategic priorities, strengthen the University as a community and inspire staff to contribute to the University's growth and success.
Establish and deliver quarterly staff events that communicate key messages, promote transparency, and encourage open, two-way communication across all levels.
Use engagement platforms and live communications, such as All Staff briefings, to create opportunities for two-way dialogue, celebrate achievements, and ensure staff feel informed, connected, and heard.
Lead the purpose and support the delivery of major annual staff events to enhance staff engagement through shared experience and relationship building.

Leadership on specific themes

Provide guidance to the Executive team on the delivery of key messages and themes, ensuring clarity, consistency, and alignment with the University's tone, values, and communication objectives.
Maintain close alignment and collaboration with the Director of Marketing, Communications and Brand, and the wider Marketing team, to ensure consistency and cohesion across internal and external communications on key themes.
Contribute and advise on HR communications to ensure the effective delivery of change to policies and practices.
Liaise with student communication teams to ensure consistency of messages and manage any potential conflicting interests.
Chair the Communications Working Group.

Other

Track the effectiveness of internal communication efforts and make adjustments as needed.
Undertake other duties commensurate with the grade as requested by the Deputy Vice Chancellor.

Other important features of the job role

Line management responsibilities: None.

Budget responsibility: None.

In this role you will liaise with the following: Executive and Senior Leadership team, Marketing team, HR and Payroll team, employees across the University.

PERSON SPECIFICATION

E = Essential person requirement; D = Desirable person requirement

How the person requirement will be assessed:

A = Application; I = Interview; T = Test or other assessment

Please be aware that as part of onboarding processes, we will seek original documentary evidence of the relevant academic and/or professional qualifications which you include within your job application. This is all part of our comprehensive pre-employment screening which also includes checking your identity, right to work, criminal record history (basic disclosure), and three years employment history.

Qualifications and training

Degree level qualification, or relevant professional qualification in public relations, marketing, communications, or English (D, A).

Previous experience

Experience in a similar role (E, A, I).

Developing and implementing an internal communication strategy (E, A, I).

Organising events (E, A, I).

Communicating with stakeholders at a senior level (E, A, I, T).

Using different digital strategies for internal communication (E, A, I).

Experience within the Higher Education sector (D, A, I).

Skills, knowledge, and aptitudes

Digital skills: We use MS Office which includes Teams, Outlook, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint (E, A).

PR/Communication skills (E, A, I, T).

Ability to think strategically and implement strategy into practice (E, A, I).

Organisational skills (E, A, I).

Working collaboratively with internal and external stakeholders (E, A, I).

Innovative and creative thinking (E, A, I).

Other requirements or special requirements

Alignment to the University’s core values of Passion, Integrity, Excellence and Support; all employees are expected to demonstrate our values at work (E, I).

Commitment to delivering positive outcomes for our students; we want our students to be successful (E, I).

You must be prepared to undertake mandatory online training should you be appointed including Data Protection, Health and Safety, Safeguarding, Prevent, and EDI (E, I).

PAY AND BENEFITS

Salary: Salary range £40,000 to £50,000 per annum (Full Time Equivalent).

Holiday: 26 days paid holiday (rising to 28 with service) plus paid bank/public holidays plus up to five paid closure days (typically between Christmas and New Year); all per holiday year Full Time Equivalent. Our holiday year runs from 1 August to 31 July. We also have a holiday buy and sell scheme in place. Sometimes the University does not need to close for five days per year and any balance (for example one day), can be used as a paid Wellbeing Day to take time out for your own physical or mental health.

Pension and life assurance: Pensions auto-enrolment to the People’s Pension which is a default salary sacrifice scheme. You may opt out of salary sacrifice but remain in the scheme, or you may choose to opt out altogether. We provide life assurance (death in service) cover as standard to all employees.

Family-friendly policies: Policies in place for all types of family-friendly statutory leave with enhanced pay available from day one of employment for some leave types. Access to Tax-Free Childcare (Government scheme).

Wellbeing: Full access to the Employee Assistance Programme as well as the Thrive Mental Wellbeing app. Several employees are trained Mental Health First Aiders and can support staff. We have a wellbeing policy and we focus on five pillars of wellbeing.

Sustainable travel: Cycle to Work and Electric Vehicle salary sacrifice schemes.

Parking: We have locked sheds for bicycles. For cars, for Horizons based roles, we may in the future be able to offer parking on site however you must not assume this will be possible. Every now and then we may have a spare parking space become available and you can ask to join the waiting list. The University is keen wherever possible, to encourage staff to commute as sustainably as possible.

Other health related benefits: Employer-funded Health Cash Plan (Simplyhealth) and voluntary dental insurance (Unum).

Other valuable benefits:

Charity giving options available including one voluntary paid day, per annum.
You will have access to Microsoft Office 365 applications for personal use.
You will have access to range of lifestyle discounts and everyday savings.
We offer learning platforms including LinkedIn learning.

On the Join the team page of our website, you will find the full list of employee benefits.

APPLICATIONS - THINGS TO CONSIDER

For an informal discussion about the role please contact Jane Fawkes on 0118 921 4682 or email j.fawkes@ube.ac.uk. For any other enquiries please contact HR on 0118 467 2454 / 2433 or email recruitment@ube.ac.uk

Did one of our employees recommend you? If you apply on the recommendation of an existing employee, please make sure to mention their name within your application.

We're passionate about sustainability and we have a five-year strategic plan: We expect job seekers to be curious about who we are and what we do. We point you towards a couple of resources about who we are and sustainability.

Closing date and next steps

We will receive applications until the advert closes on Monday 29 September 2025 at 17:00. We will not consider late applications. Our ATS does not screen applications, we humans do. Applications may be reviewed prior to the closing date and occasionally, you may be invited to interview ahead of the closing date.

Interview details

Dates for interview will be advised to you later in the process. We'll ask you to tell us about any dates you cannot make, up to 4 weeks from the closing date; this helps us to plan interviews should you be shortlisted, prior to contacting you.

Interviews are normally carried out over Microsoft Teams or Zoom. Depending on the job role and place of work, your interview may be at our Reading or London office. Please be prepared for a two-stage interview process, held on different dates. As part of the interview process, you will likely meet a member of the Senior Leadership Team.

Note for internal candidates

If you are an existing employee, we request you inform your current line manager of your intention to apply for this role.