Online Community & Content Officer

Submission Information
Publish Date: 
Wednesday, January 3, 2018
Archive Date: 
Wednesday, January 31, 2018
Job Summary
Job Category: 
Other
Institution Classification/Type: 
Other
Institution/Company: 
SKA Organisation
Street Line 1: 
Jodrell Bank Observatory
Street Line 2: 
Bomish Lane
Street Line 3: 
Lower Withington
City: 
Macclesfield
State/Province: 
Cheshire
Zip/Postal: 
SK11 9DL
Country: 
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
Announcement
Job Announcement Text: 

Job Title: Online Community & Content Officer

 

Reference: CW/17

 

Reports To: Deputy Communications Manager

Location: SKA Organisation, Jodrell Bank Observatory, Cheshire, UK

Closing Date for applications: 4th February 2018.  For details of how to apply please see below. 

Submission of applications: Email to [email protected]

 

Organisation Background

 

The Square Kilometre Array (SKA) is a global project to build a multi-purpose radio telescope that will play a major role in answering key questions in modern astrophysics and cosmology.  Ten governments are now participating in the project, with others engaged in discussions regarding possible membership.  Over the next 18 months, this global headquarters will expand with the construction of an extension to the existing building to accommodate the additional staff needed for the Construction and Operations phases of the SKA telescope facilities that will ultimately be located in South Africa and Australia. Negotiations are currently underway between the governments of SKA member countries with the aim of establishing the SKA as an Inter-Governmental Organisation (IGO).  These negotiations are expected to be concluded in 2018 and the IGO to be established thereafter.

 

 

The Role

 

As the SKA project transitions to the start of the construction in a couple of years, it becomes more and more critical for SKA Organisation to dedicate resources to content creation and production, following progress across the international project and developing appropriate stories reflecting on the breadth of activities on the political, engineering and scientific fronts. The position is within SKA Organisation’s Communications and Outreach team, led by the Director of Communications, Outreach and Education. The Online Community & Content Officer will assist and report to the Deputy Communications Manager.

 

Under the supervision of the Deputy Communications Manager, the job holder will take an active role in producing original content for the SKA, including but not limited to writing content for webpages & newsletters, blogposts and occasionally drafting press releases. The job holder will also be expected to contribute to other material such as scripts, interviews, factsheets, brochures, etc.

 

Additionally, the job holder will take an active role in running the SKA’s official social media channels, creating and publishing engaging posts, and should have experience and be familiar with corporate social media.

 

The job holder will work as part of a team, and will have to liaise with a wide range of stakeholders to identify and leverage opportunities stemming from SKA-related developments taking place around the world. Stakeholders include policy people, scientists, engineers, industry, local communities, as well as colleagues working in communications teams across the SKA partnership.

 

The job holder should be an excellent story-teller, familiar with writing accessible and engaging content on engineering and science in a variety of formats. They will be expected to be able to work independently and to actively look for & develop stories and source accompanying multimedia material in collaboration with the rest of the team.

 

The Communications and Outreach Team sometimes have to travel and work outside normal office hours, including on weekends. The job holder may be required on particular circumstances to work unsocial hours such as weekends and to travel abroad on specific occasions to develop certain material or cover live events.

 

Key Responsibilities, Accountabilities and Duties

 

The key responsibilities, accountabilities and duties for the Online Community & Content Officer include:

 

  • Actively look for & identify communications opportunities stemming from SKA activities, milestones & progress and social media trending topics of relevance for the SKA;
  • Produce engaging articles & content for publication in print and on online platforms according to agreed written style for each platform’s purpose and audience;
  • Produce engaging content for & monitor activity on the SKA’s social media channels, including Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google+ & Instagram;
  • Use content management softwares to post content & material onto company websites;
  • Actively review & maintain content on the SKA websites up-to-date;
  • Conduct interviews & actively seek information from internal technical staff and external parties to produce compelling stories;
  • Produce or source quality multimedia content (photos, videos, voice recordings) to accompany content;
  • Provide clear, concise and timely written and oral communications;
  • Work under time pressure and deliver to agreed strict deadlines and standards;
  • Work both on your own initiative and as part of a team;
  • Build good collaborative working relationships with people from different cultural backgrounds and disciplines.

This list is not exhaustive and you may be required to undertake any other relevant and reasonable tasks as directed by your manager.

 

Essential Knowledge, Skills and Experience

 

You will have/be:

  • +3 years’ experience in a related field such as corporate communications, science communication or journalism;
  • University degree or equivalent in journalism, science communication or communications;
  • Native fluency in both written and spoken English and track record of publications/writing in English;
  • Excellent oral and written communication skills;
  • Proven ability to produce excellent quality content and reporting in a wide range of formats;
  • Experience using social media channels in a professional context, preferably in a corporate environment (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, etc.);
  • Proven ability to quickly absorb new knowledge and grasp technical concepts;
  • A good team player with strong organizational, interpersonal and communication skills;
  • A strong ability to work with staff and teams from diverse cultural backgrounds;
  • A flexible and ‘hands on’ approach to your work, including the ability to work remotely as well as occasional unsocial and weekend hours as required;
  • Capable of performing duties as required and also be self-managing: be capable of working on your own on specific, defined projects;
  • A willingness to represent the SKA Office in international and other forums and the willingness and ability to travel to SKA consortium locations and centres, and other locations, if required;
  • Proficiency with Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, Excel and Adobe Acrobat required

 

The following competencies are desirable:

  • Experience in web-based journalism & blogging;
  • Interest in science, astronomy and/or engineering;
  • Experience with content management systems, such as WordPress, Joomla or others;
  • Experience working in an international, distributed environment;
  • Experience with marketing platforms such as MailChimp;
  • Experience with multimedia production such as photography, videos, audio-recordings, podcast production, etc.
  • Experience with photo editing software, such as Photoshop/GIMP;

 

For more information on the SKA project visit http://www.skatelescope.org. The SKA Organisation offers a competitive salary, a generous company pension scheme and a flexible benefits package. The successful applicant’s workplace will be located at the SKA Office’s new headquarters at Jodrell Bank Observatory.

 

 

How to apply

 

Please send a CV and covering letter, including details of your current remuneration, to [email protected], quoting reference CW/17

 

Applications should include a summary of your project experience, detailing how you meet the essential and desirable knowledge, skills and experience criteria, and the names of at least three professional referees, one of whom must be your current employer (or most recent employer if not currently working). 

 

Closing date for receipt of applications is 4th February 2018.

 

 

Equal Opportunities Statement:

 

SKA Organisation is committed to being an equal opportunities employer. Our aim to is recruit and retain the most talented individuals, regardless of gender, race, disability, age, sexual orientation, religion or nationality.

At all stages of the recruitment process and beyond, we strive to treat applicants and employees with a high standard of care, honesty and politeness.

Women have traditionally been under-represented in the fields of science and engineering; SKA Organisation welcomes and encourages female applicants.

Where applicants with a disability need facilities or adjustments to enable them to participate in the recruitment process, these will be provided. If you need equipment or adjustments to enable you to complete your application and/or attend an interview then please let us know.

 

 

 

Included Benefits: 

SKA Organisation offers a competitive salary, generous contributory pension scheme, leave and sick pay schemes and maternity/paternity leave (subject to qualifying service).

Application Deadline: 
Sunday, February 4, 2018
Current Status of Position: 
Accepting Applicants
Apply to Job
Attention To: 
Andrew Taylor
Title: 
Human Resources Manager
Institution/Company: 
SKA Organisation
Street Line 1: 
Jodrell Bank Observatory
Street Line 2: 
Bomish Lane
Street Line 3: 
Lower Withington
City: 
Macclesfield
State/Province: 
Cheshire
Zip/Postal Code: 
SK11 9DL
Country: 
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
Phone: 
+44 161 306 9604
Inquiries About Job
Attention To: 
Human Resources
Subject: 
Online Community & Content Officer