Head of Publications and Stories

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C16-00314

Professional Expertise

Administration and Business Support

Department

Vice-President (Advancement) (C16)

Location

London

Working Pattern

Full time

Salary

£56,431-£66,437

Contract Type

Permanent

Working Type

Hybrid

Available for Secondment

No

Closing Date

09-Oct-2026

That covers alumni engagement, philanthropic partnerships, volunteering and supporter communications. Whatever the channel, our aim is the same: to help our global community feel they belong here, and to inspire them through experiences and stories that show the difference UCL makes in the world.

Right now, much of that energy is focused on Here, it will happen – UCL's major philanthropic and engagement campaign and one of Advancement's key strategic priorities. The campaign brings alumni, donors, volunteers, partners and supporters together to tackle some of the most significant challenges facing society. It's a big moment for us, but our work doesn't stop there: we're also here to support Advancement's long-term engagement, communications and fundraising goals.

You'll join the Advancement Messaging, Storytelling and Content Team, part of our Alumni and Donor Engagement function. We provide strategic leadership for Advancement's communications, content and audience engagement, and we're organised around three closely connected disciplines:

• Strategic Messaging – narrative development, messaging, tone of voice, strategic communications planning and high-profile communications.
• Publications and Stories – editorial strategy, storytelling, publications, multimedia content, design, visual identity and content asset management. This is where you come in.
• Digital Channels – digital channel strategy, websites, email and CRM communications, social media, audience journeys, optimisation and analytics.

The three Heads work as one leadership team, making sure everything we put out into the world is strategically aligned, creatively distinctive, focused on our audiences and genuinely effective at inspiring engagement, advocacy and support across UCL's global community.

If you love finding the story behind the story and turning it into something people want to read, watch and share, this is a role where you can make a real mark.

You'll lead our editorial strategy, storytelling programme, publications, multimedia content, design services and content asset management, sharing stories that show what philanthropy, alumni engagement, volunteering and partnership achieve. Working hand in hand with your fellow Heads of Strategic Messaging and Digital Channels, you'll bring Advancement's narratives to life through high-quality, audience-centred content.

What you'll be doing

Shaping our editorial and storytelling direction

• Leading an editorial strategy and storytelling programme that bring our priorities, philanthropic impact and community engagement to life for alumni, donors, volunteers and supporters.
• Managing our story pipeline, so we always have a diverse, sustainable supply of high-quality stories.
• Translating strategic narratives and messaging into compelling editorial content, publications, multimedia stories and creative assets.

Bringing content and creativity to life

• Leading the planning, commissioning and delivery of our flagship publications and editorial products.
• Overseeing written, visual, audio and video content that's engaging, accessible and effective across audiences and formats.
• Leading our design and creative production services, and acting as steward of Advancement's visual identity with the guidance, templates and resources colleagues need.

Keeping our content ethical and well governed

• Overseeing consent, rights management and content governance, so stories, images, video, testimonials and other assets are used ethically,…