Events and Communications Co-ordinator

Events and Communications Co-ordinator

Bristol

£42,001 - £44,151 + generous Civil Service defined benefit pension

About us

The Office for Students (OfS) is the statutory regulator for higher education in England. Our aim is to ensure that every student, whatever their background, has a fulfilling experience of higher education that enriches their lives and careers. We do this by regulating the higher education providers on our register to make sure they are delivering high quality courses and positive outcomes for their students; where they are not, we take action.

About the job

The Strategy, Delivery and Communications (SDC) Directorate leads the OfS’s work on external and internal communications and public affairs: media relations and planning, digital publishing, multimedia support, stakeholder engagement and parliamentary support, publications, events and public information.

As the lead events contact across the OfS, you’ll be part of a small, busy public affairs team leading on the planning and delivery of online, in-person and internal events for a range of key audiences including universities and colleges, political and sector stakeholders and students.

You’ll work with colleagues across the OfS to identify events which support our communications objectives and work independently to provide expert advice and strategic guidance on their design and delivery. This will include thinking strategically about the type, style and delivery of OfS events and working with colleagues to prepare event communications, produce content, and write speeches for OfS speakers.

As well as delivering the events programme, you will work alongside the Head of Public Affairs to deliver communication and public affairs priorities, for example by writing stakeholder briefings or preparing background briefings for senior staff attending parliamentary committee hearings and providing occasional cover for the public inquiries service.

About you

We are looking for someone with strong organisational and interpersonal skills, and a proven ability to plan, coordinate and deliver in-person and online events.

You’ll be an excellent influencer, able to build positive trusted relationships with peers and senior leaders. You’ll have outstanding written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to understand and assimilate complex policy and technical information and data to inform advice and judgements. You’ll have a good sense of how events help to deliver strategic objectives, what makes an engaging event or speaker line-up, and how to evaluate success.

You’ll be a highly organised individual with excellent attention to detail and strong project management skills, including the ability to work collaboratively and flexibly across several projects and respond effectively to changing demands and priorities.

An existing knowledge of the higher education policy environment and an understanding of UK politics, or demonstrable willingness to develop this, is desirable.

Key responsibilities
- Reporting to the Head of Public Affairs and working closely with them to deliver a strategic, engaging, and effective events programme ensuring it delivers the organisation’s key priorities and regulatory objectives
- Leading small project teams to plan and deliver all OfS events (digital, in-person and internal).
- Drafting content for OfS events and proposing agendas and external speakers.
- Delivering logístical activities, including: locating suitable venues and producing detailed proposals for events; managing event registration; event promotion; agreeing and managing event budgets and project plans; managing supplier relationships and co-ordinating venue management.
- Hosting and producing OfS online events.
- Briefing OfS colleagues, including senior leaders, on roles and responsibilities during online and in-person events.
- Collaboration with internal stakeholders to advise colleagues across the OfS on event objectives, audiences, agendas, and event promotion.
- Working with the Head of Public Affairs to deliver public affairs and communication priorities including preparing briefings for meetings with external stakeholders and supporting communication colleagues.

Knowledge and learning
- Expert knowledge of delivering an events programme through experience of developing, planning and creating both in-person and online events.
- Evaluates work and applies lessons learned.
- Seeks opportunities to coach others and support them in their learning.
- Knowledge of online events platforms and understanding of good practice for delivering online events.
- Knowledge and understanding of key issues in higher education, the OfS’s work and UK politics (or demonstrable willingness to develop this).

Planning
- External events including; thematic conferences, sector-facing webinars, policy webinars, events in parliament or events linked to OfS insight briefings are planned and organised in collaboration with the Hea