Marketing and Communications Officer

Role

Title:

Marketing and Communications Officer (Global Research Institutes)

Grade and Salary: Grade 6, £31,236 - £36,636 per annum

FTE and working pattern: Full-time (35hrs per week) Open-ended

Reward and Benefits: 33 days annual leave, plus 9 buildings closed days for all full time staff. Use our total rewards calculator:  to see the value of benefits provided by Heriot‑Watt University.

Heriot‑Watt University has established a reputation in delivering world‑class teaching and leading‑edge research for over 200 years, making it one of the UK’s top universities for innovation, research, business and industry. The University offers a distinctive range of degree programmes in the specialist areas of science, engineering, design, business and languages. Our strong alignment with industry and our global presence combined enable us to help address some of the world’s most pressing challenges.

Our Global Research Institutes (GRIs) are central to delivering the University’s Strategy 2035, from driving income generation in key research areas to growing the University’s rankings across citations, reputation and our research market share. They provide a focus for the future talent needed to build economies and deliver positive impact.

Working across the University’s Global Research Institutes, with initial focus on Net Zero, this role will support the promotion of internationally recognised research and innovation through integrated marketing, communications and stakeholder engagement. As priorities evolve, the role will have the flexibility to support activity across the wider GRI portfolio.

As part of the Marketing and Communications Team, you will report to the Senior Marketing Manager for Business and Enterprise. You will work closely with academics, researchers and colleagues across the University to develop and deliver marketing and communications activity that raises the profile of Heriot‑Watt's research and innovation. This includes creating compelling content, delivering integrated campaigns, supporting stakeholder engagement and promoting research excellence across digital, media and events channels as well as through business‑to‑business engagement.

From communications planning to the delivery of targeted campaigns, we are looking for passionate and creative marketers able to deliver the following:

• Website – Develop and maintain web content that promotes Heriot‑Watt's research and innovation, routinely creating and publishing case studies, blogs and web articles, aligned to the University’s digital roadmap and user experience.
• Intranet – Build on our internal communications channels such as Newsletters and News Beat updates, deploying content that helps us to engage internal audiences.
• Digital marketing – Expertise in a variety of social media channels such as Linked In, experience using content management systems and experience developing integrated digital campaigns.
• Email marketing – Creating personalised and targeted email campaigns that engage our different audiences. Experience using digital platforms like Mail Chimp, Pardot or similar digital mass‑mail tools is essential.
• Copywriting – Create engaging copy for print, web and social media channels.
• PR and Communications – Utilize press releases, thought leadership etc. that develop effective brand‑led storytelling that promotes the impact and value of the University’s research and innovation.
• Events – Contribute to events including visits, conferences and workshops.
• Reporting – Provide regular reports on marketing activity, working with in‑house teams to show measured results. Use data management to offer valuable insights and create reporting dashboards with KPIs.
• Agency briefing and management – Brief and manage external agency relationships for campaigns e.g. media agencies, design/advertising agencies, video production.
• Collaboration – Work with Global Research Institutes, Schools, academics and professional services colleagues to identify and promote world‑leading research and innovation, with an initial focus on the Net Zero Global Research Institute.
• Other duties – Where required, the…