Marketing and Communications Co-ordinator

Job Description

About the Role

The Marketing and Communications Co ordinator supports the delivery of integrated marketing and communications activity for The Open University in Scotland, with a primary focus on raising brand and profile, and supporting student recruitment and retention.

The role is responsible for the day to day co ordination, monitoring and maintenance of digital, social media and other communications channels, ensuring content is accurate, timely and aligned with organisational priorities.

Working as part of an integrated Strategy, Marketing and Communications Team at The Open University (OU) in Scotland, you will support campaigns and business objectives by maintaining key channels, monitoring performance, and ensuring effective engagement with prospective and current students, alumni, stakeholders and the wider public, while also carrying out a range of general administrative duties.

Key Responsibilities

Marketing and Communications (MarComms) channels monitoring and delivery

• Monitor and maintain OU in Scotland’s social media channels, including creating and posting scheduled content in a timely and accurate manner, responding to comments and enquiries, and escalating issues where appropriate.
• Track performance metrics (e.g. engagement, reach) and contribute to regular reporting by collating data and highlighting key changes.
• Maintain awareness of good practice across digital platforms and apply this to day to day activity.
• Engage and collaborate with colleagues in the central OU Marketing and Communications to ensure alignment across OU and OU in Scotland comms, content, messaging.

Website and communications channels maintenance

• Update and maintain website content using the content management system, ensuring information is accurate, accessible and up to date.
• Support the maintenance of communications channels, including social media and email newsletters.
• Assist with the preparation and distribution of email communications to support campaigns and stakeholder engagement.

Communications operations

• Manage shared team inboxes, including monitoring enquiries, responding where appropriate, and ensuring timely escalation.
• Support MarComms performance monitoring by tracking media/press coverage, web traffic and engagement with other content, and maintaining records to support reporting and evaluation.
• Assist with the co ordination of communications activity, including scheduling, tracking actions and supporting campaign delivery.
• Work with colleagues across teams to gather information and ensure communications are accurate and aligned.

Events support

• Support the administration and promotion of events (online and in person), including co ordinating communications, managing attendee lists and responding to enquiries.
• Support delivery of events e.g. stakeholder receptions, student recruitment events, and degree ceremonies including supporting hosting, plus production of content at those events, such as photography/video/vox pops.
• Contribute to post event follow up and evaluation.

General support

• Support the delivery of marketing and communications activity aligned to recruitment and retention priorities.
• Assist with administrative processes, including financial procedures such as raising purchase orders and processing invoices.
• Contribute to team meetings by providing updates on activity and highlighting any issues arising from monitored channels.
• Undertake other duties appropriate to the role, including providing cover in colleagues’ absence.

About You

Essential

• Proficiency and confidence using digital tools and systems (e.g. Microsoft Office suite and Hootsuite or similar), with willingness to learn new platforms.
• Experience creating, curating and publishing effective, engaging social media content across a range of channels, in a professional or organisational context (e.g. Facebook, LinkedIn and YouTube).
• Strong communication skills, with the ability to produce clear and accurate content. Higher English or equivalent qualification or significant writing experience.
• Creative skills, including capacity to support production of graphics, photography and film.
• Ability to work with data (e.g. social media or website metrics) and present information clearly.
• Experience maintaining databases with accuracy and attention to detail, including awareness of General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).
• Experience handling enquiries or managing shared inboxes; good judgement in responding to enquiries and escalating issues.
• Experience of working as part of a team focused on achieving outcomes.
• Good organisational skills, ability to manage and prioritise multiple tasks, organise own workload, to work independently, and act on own initiative.
• Attention to detail and commitment to accuracy.
• Adaptability and openness to change in a fast moving digital environment; ability to work accurately, make timely decisions and remain effective under pressure, with a problem solving approach.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills, high degree of literacy and numeracy.
• Excellent interpersonal skills. Ability to collaborate, communicate courteously with a broad range of people including internal colleagues and external partners. Ability to work collaboratively as part of a team.
• Ability to carry out the role in a way that is consistent with equality legislation and University policies.
• A willingness to work some evenings or weekends when required for events.

Desirable

• Experience updating websites or working with content management systems.
• Experience supporting events.
• Understanding of how digital communications support marketing objectives such as brand awareness, student recruitment and engagement.
• Ability to create multimedia content and at ease using tools such as Adobe Photoshop/Illustrator or similar, Adobe Premier Pro or similar video editing software, Canva.

Benefits

At The Open University, we offer a range of benefits to recognise and reward great work, alongside policies and flexible working that contribute towards a great work life balance. Get all the details of what benefits we offer by visiting our Staff Benefits page (clicking this link will open a new window).

Flexible working

We are open to discussions about flexible working. Whether it’s a job share, part time, compressed hours or another working arrangement. Please reach out to us to discuss what works best for you.

Work Location

It is anticipated that a hybrid working pattern can be adopted for this role, where the successful candidate can work from home and the office. However, as this role is contractually aligned to our Edinburgh Office, it is expected that some attendance in the office will be required when necessary and in response to business needs. We’d expect this to be 1 2 days per week, but this could be more often if business needs dictate. Full time working based at our Edinburgh site is also supported if this is preferred by the candidate. Expenses associated with travel to our Edinburgh site are not reimbursable.

Equal opportunities

The Open University is committed to equality, diversity and inclusion which is reflected in our mission to be open to people, places, methods and ideas. We aim to foster a diverse and inclusive environment so that all in our OU community can reach their potential. We recognise that different people bring different perspectives, ideas, knowledge and culture, and that this difference brings great strength. We strive to recruit, retain and develop the careers of a diverse pool of students and staff, and particularly encourage applications from all underrepresented groups. We also aspire to make The Open University a supportive workplace for all through our policies, services and staff networks.