The appointment will be on UCL Grade 10.
The salary range will be Competitive salary, inclusive of London Allowance.
Dementia is the greatest health challenge of our century.To date there is no way to prevent it or even slow its progression, and there is an urgent need to fill the knowledge gap in our basic understanding of the diseases that cause it.
The UK Dementia Research Institute (UK DRI) is the biggest UK initiative driving forward research to fill this gap.The UK DRI Headquarters team is based at UCL yet works across all six of the UK DRI host institutions. Collectively the HQ team is responsible for making the distributed UK DRI community function as a single institute, with a shared culture of intensely collaborative research.
The role: Communication is at the heart of modern biomedical research: internal communication ensures that the hundreds of individuals who make up the UK DRI engage with each other, share ideas, and address problems together. External communication enables us to better understand the needs and concerns of those affected by dementia, and to share our vision and progress with broad audiences.
The role of UK DRI Director of Communications and Engagement is to drive the creation, delivery and evaluation of an ambitious national communications and engagement strategy for the entire institute, made up of over 800 researchers. This entails the direct coordination of communications across six leading universities. The position builds and upholds the institute’s reputation on a national and international scale, playing a key role in the institute’s long-term future. The UK DRI Director of Communications and Engagement ensures one strong voice, and forms productive working relationships with our three founding funders, the Board of Trustees and other key stakeholders in the wider research community. The role also leads the institute’s critical function in public affairs to build our profile in government and make the case for continued funding.
We are looking for a communications and engagement specialist who can set strategic direction and resourcing for institute-wide communications and engagement, manage budgets, lead the communications team, work across the seven centres of the institute and with key stakeholders including the Board of Trustees, funders and scientific partners. You will lead projects to involve people living with dementia in our science, promote and embed the UK DRI commitment to Equity, Diversity and Inclusion, launch public engagement initiatives, develop our press office, provide training to our researchers, strengthen our internal communications, chair a committee with our funders and manage reputational risk. As the newest function in the team, the role will play a key part in driving forwards our political profile, working closely with our Public Affairs Manager.
This role is hybrid, based between home and at the UK DRI London Headquarters at UCL. May involve some travel to the other UK DRI host institutions, and the nature of this role will require occasional attendance at out-of-hours activities.
The post is available from August/September 2022 to October 2023 to cover a Maternity Leave.
You will be educated to degree level in biosciences, with qualifications or experience in science communication. You will have substantial experience working in a communications leadership role, of raising the political profile of a higher education institution or comparable research-focused environment, delivering a wide range of communications including press, public engagement and patient involvement.
Applicants should apply online. To access further details about the position and how to apply please click on the ‘Apply’ button above.
For a confidential discussion regarding the role, Lucy Wilson (UK DRI Director of Communications and Engagement), [email protected].
If you have any queries regarding the vacancy or the application process, please contact Barbara Hehir (UK DRI Head of HR) [email protected].
The UCL Ways of Working for professional services supports colleagues to be successful and happy at UCL through sharing expectations around how we work – please see www.ucl.ac.uk/ways-of-working to find out more.
Latest time for the submission of applications: 23:59.
Interview Date: Friday 19th August 2022. (on Zoom)
We particularly welcome female applicants and those from an ethnic minority, as they are under-represented within UCL at this level.
We will consider applications to work on a part-time, flexible and job share basis wherever possible.
Closing Date 14 Aug 2022
Latest time for the submission of applications23:59