Head of Communications and Engagement

About the role: 

An exciting opportunity has arisen to join the Communications and Engagement Team as our Head of Communications and Engagement.  The post will involve supporting the Union to deliver its communications strategy, as well as our democratic functions such as campaigning and leadership elections. 

You'll lead the Communications and Engagement Team, and work closely with the Union team and University colleagues to ensure that we communicate effectively with our stakeholders.

View the full recruitment pack  

This role is based in Headington, Oxford. We ask staff to spend at least 60% of their time on-site and the remainder can be worked from home. 

About us:

Oxford Brookes Students’ Union (Brookes Union) exists as a charity led by its values and its members. We offer a wide range of services and activities to support and enrich the lives of our students. Brookes Union employs approximately 20 career staff, a further 40-60 student staff and we work with over 500 student volunteers and over 100 student groups.

How to apply:

Closing date for applications: 11:59pm on 30/06/2025.
We intend to hold interviews on Fri 11 July.

To apply for this role please upload an up to date CV and a Cover Letter outlining your reasons for applying and how your relevant qualifications, experience, knowledge, skills and abilities meet the criteria outlined in the Person Specification.

Apply here

Main responsibilities:

Communications:

• Develop and deliver the Union’s overall Communications Strategy
• Develop and deliver effective communication plans for the Union’s projects and priorities
• Ensure that all communications channels are properly evaluated, and provide advice and guidance on which resources or strategies to deploy
• Manage the Union’s marketing and communications channels
• Oversee the Union’s data protection policies, ensuring that staff are aware of their responsibilities
• Responsible for managing the Union’s CRM/CMS, including owning the relationship with our supplier.
• Manage the correct application of the Union’s tone of voice across our communications channels, providing guidance, training and support where needed to teams and departments. Manage the Union’s visual identity through digital, video, and print, regularly reviewing and evolving the visual style.
• Regularly gather and communicate the impact made by the Union, including the development of impact reports 

Democratic functions:

• Ensuring that the Union is considered to be legitimately representative of its members by increasing engagement in and the quality of democratic activity. In doing so, ensure that the Union is truly democratic, and that all members and Officers adhere to the Union's constitution and bye-laws.
• Responsible for leading the Union’s democratic procedures, for example the annual elections or Annual Members’ Meetings
• Support the Elected Officers to communicate their priorities and campaigns to our members, helping our Officers effectively develop their own personal communications plans to raise their profile across the student community. 

Relationships:

• Develop relationships with key stakeholders across the University,
• Develop and maintain effective working relationships with other Students’ Unions, NUS and other student engagement networks
• Building strong relationships with key stakeholders across the University
• Main contact for the Union’s website provider, the University Communications, Press & PR team, and relevant external suppliers

Senior Leadership Team:

• Supporting the CEO to report regularly to the Board of Trustees, producing and presenting reports upon request
• Responsible for building strong and sustainable relationships internally and externally which support the Union in achieving its KPIs and objectives
• Provide effective and comprehensive line management to your team including objective setting, personal and professional development, appraisals, performance management and wellbeing/pastoral support
• Responsible for ensuring that our elected Officers are high-performing and well respected. This includes ensuring that Officers are able to influence change at the highest levels within the University
• Responsible for developing and delivering the Union's organisational strategy, including setting and monitoring progress towards ambitious KPIs