Salary - £37,405 - £39,694
Hybrid working (50/50)
Location: Wallingford, Bangor, Edinburgh or Lancaster
Permanent
We reserve the right to close this advert early if we find the right candidate, so we encourage you to apply early.
UKCEH is looking for an experienced External Communications Officer to join our team of talented individuals, contributing to scientific discovery and generating the data, insights and solutions that researchers, businesses and governments need to solve complex environmental challenges.
Working at UKCEH is rewarding. Our science makes a real difference, enabling people and the environment to prosper, and enriching society. We are the custodians of a wealth of environmental data, collected by UKCEH and its predecessors over the course of more than 60 years.
As a valued member of our team, you’ll get:
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27 days annual leave, rising to 29 days after five years, plus 3 days for our Christmas closure

• 10% employer pension contribution
• Enhanced maternity and paternity leave (subject to qualifying requirements)
• 24 hour, 365-day access to support with physical, mental, social, health or financial issues plus access to our trained Welfare Officers
• Flexible working opportunities

..
We are looking for a dynamic External Communications Officer to join our Communications and Engagement team. This is an exciting opportunity to shape and deliver high-impact communications, with a strong focus on events, media and social media.
About the Role
As External Communications Officer, you will play a key role in raising the profile of UKCEH, reporting to the Senior External Communications Manager and working closely with your Communications & Engagement colleagues. You will be responsible for developing and delivering engaging external communications, including:

Events & Engagement:

• Plan, deliver and evaluate all aspects of UKCEH’s attendance at key corporate, trade research and outreach events – including face-to-face, hybrid and virtual events.
• Write and deliver event plans, setting and sticking to clear objectives, tactics, budgets, timelines and metrics, working in collaboration with colleagues across the organisation.
• Evaluate event attendance to inform continuous improvement and future decision-making.
• Work with graphic designers to create engaging event materials, on brand, on message, and produced on time.

Media Relations:

• Collaborate with your external comms colleagues to build and help maintain a media database and opportunities covering national media, trade, podcasts, feature, profile opportunities.

Social Media and Website:

• Collaborate with colleagues to support the delivery of external digital communication including website content.
• Identify influencers who reflect UKCEH values and have an interest in environmental science.
• Support the development and sharing of engaging content on UKCEH social media channels.

External Communications Reporting:

• Monitor and evaluate external engagement activities and develop reporting to demonstrate the impact external communications.

We are looking for someone who is creative, proactive, and audience-focussed, with a strong understanding of external communications and digital engagement.

For the role of External Communications Officer, we’re looking for somebody who has:

• Experience in external communications, PR, digital media and organising events either in-house or for a PR / marketing agency
• Strong organisational skills with the ability to manage multiple projects
• Experience of media relations and/or social media
• An understanding of social media and web analytics with experience using insights to improve performance.
• Excellent project management skills, with the ability to juggle multiple priorities and deadlines.
• Strong interpersonal skills and the ability to collaborate effectively across teams.
• Creative problem-solving skills and an eye for detail.
• Knowledge of the latest approaches, technologies and techniques in communications and how to apply them.
• Relevant degree and/or professional qualification communications or equivalent experience.

If we’ve just described you, we’d love to meet. Apply now. Please send us your CV, accompanied by a covering letter which highlights any relevant skills and experience, together with what excites you most about the role and working for UKCEH.
At UKCEH, we are committed to fostering an inclusive and equitable workplace where everyone—regardless of background, identity, ability, or circumstance—has the opportunity to thrive. As a Disability Confident employer, we actively encourage applications from neurodivergent candidates and those with disabilities. We are happy to provide any adjustments or support you may need throughout the application process—please don’t hesitate to reach out. So, if you’re excited about this role but your experience doesn’t align perfectly with every requirement, we’d love to hear from you anyway. You may be just the right fit for this role or another within our wider team.
Unfortunately, we are unable to offer visa sponsorship for this position at this time.
About Us
Here you can explore the kind of roles we recruit for, search our latest vacancies, learn more about what it’s like to work at UKCEH, and find out about the many benefits of joining our team.
Every one of our 600+ staff and 50+ postgraduate students plays a vital role in delivering our ambition to understand the environment and the human impact on it, so that together people and nature can prosper.
How we work is just as important as what we achieve. We want UKCEH to be a welcoming, inclusive, engaging and collaborative place to work. We embed our values - excellence, integrity and teamwork - into everything we do.

• Experience in external communications, PR, digital media and organising events either in-house or for a PR / marketing agency
• Strong organisational skills with the ability to manage multiple projects
• Experience of media relations and/or social media
• An understanding of social media and web analytics with experience using insights to improve performance.
• Excellent project management skills, with the ability to juggle multiple priorities and deadlines.
• Strong interpersonal skills and the ability to collaborate effectively across teams.
• Creative problem-solving skills and an eye for detail.
• Knowledge of the latest approaches, technologies and techniques in communications and how to apply them.
• Relevant degree and/or professional qualification communications or equivalent experience