Faculty Marketing and Communications Officer

SALARY SCALE: €46,710 - €67,018 p.a. pro rata

JOB DESCRIPTION

JOB SYNOPSIS:

University of Limerick wishes to appoint a Marketing and Communications Officer to work for the central Marketing and Communications Division on profiling the assigned faculties. The focus of the role is to support the faculties in communicating their strategic messages, their impact and achievements both internally and externally. The Faculty Marketing and Communications Officer will provide high level professional support for the delivery of marketing and communications outputs of the faculties through working closely with the central Marketing and Communications Division and with the faculties. The post holder will be responsible for developing and managing the profile and brand proposition of the faculties by seeking and developing content to profile strategic achievements across teaching, research, community/society impact and external engagement

OVERALL PURPOSE OF JOB:

The role sits within the Marketing and Communications division (M&C), reporting within that structure and will have a close working relationship with the Faculty Managers or nominees. The appointee will have responsibility for covering general marketing activities including brand awareness and adherence, communications (PR and materials), content creation, digital marketing across relevant social media of events and activities and to ensure content is to a high level. Together with their central MarComms colleagues, they will lead traditional and digital marketing initiatives to promote engagement of the faculty brand. They will be the central point for dissemination of information to promote their faculty and communicate its value to all stakeholders.

DESCRIPTION:

Marketing and Communications

• To profile the assigned faculty and its achievements to key stakeholder groups using the full mix of marketing and communications tools and drive action from all required to ensure success. To gain an understanding of and promote the breadth of activity in each faculty in close co-operation with the central MarComms team and the Faculty Manager/Nominee.
• To ensure that faculty communications and publications comply with the University brand guidelines, policies and procedures of the central Marketing and Communications division.
• To support and maintain effective internal communications and awareness of faculty activities using UL Connect, the University’s internal communications platform. To contribute to the university’s monthly marketing and communications Meet-Up and attend regular student recruitment committees sharing information on activities, best practice and updating the central Marketing and Communications calendar on behalf of the faculty.
• To advise on the management of content on the faculty website under the guidance of the central Web team to support and enhance the faculty core communications channels.

PR and Media

• Working with the Communications Manager in creating communication material for UL publications as well as promoting or reviewing relevant faculty content for profiling externally.
• To create digital content for the faculty for UL publishing platforms and social accounts.
• To provide support and advice across all areas of the faculty on the development of marketing materials and campaigns, web and social media presence and media relations, in tandem with the central team.
• To liaise with local, national and international bodies e.g. media organisations (in consultation with the Communications Manager), editorial partners, public representatives, universities, oversees institutions as appropriate.

Financial

• To develop budgets and identify key KPIs for planned activities and produce evaluation reports against the plan.
• To manage all budget and expenditure in the preparation of communications material for publication, for merchandise and in the organising of communications events. 

General

• To work closely with central MarComms and if designated, act as the faculty liaison with media and coordinate efforts during special events, such as official openings and student graduations.
• To organise, categorise and maintain a photographic bank of images on SharePoint for the faculty.
• To liaise and manage interactions with creative agencies, photographers and videographers.
• To develop a system and capture information on all external engagement activities across the faculty.
• To input into and support strategic events such as faculty awards, launches of research programme, new academic programmes and other relevant events.
• To undertake any other duties as appropriate.

Key Working Relationships & Contacts

• Reporting to the Communications Manager, the officer will maintain a strong relationship with the relevant Faculty Manager or faculty nominee.
• Regular contact with internal faculty management and support divisions across various levels.

Working Environment/Special Circumstances

• Appointee will be a member of the Marketing and Communications Division, working with the Faculty MarComms Officer team, with a strategic remit to cover specific faculties as assigned by the Communications Manager.

Job Boundaries

• Will operate on initiative to advise and assist as appropriate on marketing and communications requirements of the assigned faculty, to ensure effective delivery of services.
• Work to designated deadlines and contribute to projects.
• Plan and prioritise with reference to the Marketing and Communications strategy.

DIMENSIONS:

• Commitment to the delivery of high-quality support to the university, the Faculty and the M&C team.
• Budget review and recording.
• No direct staff supervision required.

KNOWLEDGE, FUNCTIONAL SKILLS, EXPERIENCE & QUALIFICATIONS:

Knowledge

• Familiarity of working in a marketing/communications environment – Essential.
• Ability to obtain an in-depth understanding of business plans, strategies and processes – Essential.
• Knowledge of the higher education sector – Desirable.

Functional/Work-based Skills

• Excellent organisational, planning and project management skills – Essential.
• An excellent communicator with teamworking, problem solving and interpersonal skills – Essential.
• Competence in various Microsoft packages – Essential.
• A flexible approach to work – Essential.
• Ability to multi-task, prioritise and take initiative – Essential.

Experience

• Minimum of 5 years’ Marketing/Communications experience – Essential.
• Demonstrable understanding of social media and web – Essential.
• Excellent writing skills – Essential.
• Experience of undertaking high level organisational tasks – Essential.
• Experience of web content management – Desirable.
• Experience of graphic design tools, e.g. Canva – Desirable.
• Experience in Marketing/Communications for the higher education sector or for a well-known brand – Desirable.

Qualifications

• Batchelors degree in a relevant field, or substantial required experience in the Third level sector – Essential.