Communications Assistant

Science and Technology Facilities Council

Communications Assistant
£25,702
Permanent
Full Time
Rutherford Appleton Laboratory Harwell, Oxfordshire
Closing Date: 31st August 2021

RAL Space is the UK’s national space laboratory. Our activities and our facilities enable scientific research in disciplines such as climate science, space weather and astronomy. With over 50 years of experience in space programmes, we have had significant involvement in more than 210 instruments on missions to date.

RAL Space is an integral part of the Science and Technology Facilities Council. We employ more than 330 highly skilled staff in the heart of the Harwell Space Cluster and at the Chilbolton Observatory.

The role

We are looking for a talented communicator, with a flair for developing engaging content, the skills to develop our social media platforms and a keen interest in space.

The role is part of RAL Space’s small embedded communications team helping to connect the work of our department with audiences through compelling storytelling.
We deal with a wide range of engagement, from working with the media to delivering the public and schools outreach programme to young people and stakeholders. We are looking for someone to join the team with strong interpersonal skills and an interest in understanding our audiences and our channels of communication.

Part of the role of the communications team is to proactively seek out stories and provide advice and support to our staff to help them share their work in a more effective way. The ideal candidate will be able to confidently work alone, but also have the ability to work supportively in a team.

Our work is varied and interesting. You could find yourself assisting with schools outreach based on Mars exploration on one day and writing a case study for a new Earth observation technology on the next. We are looking for a confident communicator able to simplify complex explanations and then summarise them clearly in good written and spoken English. Although the topics and projects undertaken in the department are by their nature technical, a detailed technical or scientific background is not expected but an appreciation of science and a readiness to learn will be very important.

Contacts and Communication
Internal:

RAL Space Communications Team, RAL Space staff, STFC Communications and Engagement Teams, STEM Ambassadors
External:

• Industry and business partners, key stakeholders, schools, members of the public, potential partners in traditional and non-traditional media.

Knowledge/skills:

• Confident to manage own workload and small projects.

Desirable:

• An appreciation of science and a readiness to learn (S)
• Qualification in communications, such as Chartered Institute of Public Relations or Chartered Institute of Marketing (S)
• Experience explaining complex subject matter to a non-specialist audience (S)
• Experience in a public engagement or event planning role (S&I)
• Familiarity/ proficiency in creative media packages, such as Photoshop, InDesign, PremierPro, although training will be provided (S)
• Some knowledge of website editing/updating would be helpful, although training will be given (S).