Strategic Communications Director - Future Proofing our Climate + Weather (FPCW)

Salary: £115,000

Location: Kings X, London; Tues - Thurs (3 days) at HQ, Monday + Friday, anywhere

Employment Type: 2 years fixed term contract (possibility of extension, depending on the Programme)

Closing Date: 18.01.26

Application: We’d love to hear about your passions and how you’ll make an impact here - please include a CV and cover letter with your application - we consider it an essential part of getting to know you.

About ARIA: ARIA is a new kind of R&D funding agency. We fund scientists and engineers to pursue research at the edge of the possible. From climate change to AI, society faces enormous challenges and opportunities that can be uniquely addressed by science and technology. ARIA was created to activate the UK’s world-class R&D in new ways, so we can meet these head on. We are growing our team to develop bold new approaches that can scale – from programmes to systems, processes and everything in between.

Role Summary: This role will be embedded within the Future Proofing our Climate + Weather (FPCW) team, serving as the architect of global engagement, communications, and narrative strategy across the opportunity space and its affiliated programmes. You will be the thought partner to the Programme Director, Mark Symes, co-developing the strategies that ensure this research is conducted transparently, responsibly, and for the public benefit.

What You’ll Do:

• Develop and run, in coordination with ARIA’s Director of Communications and Engagement, the communications and engagement plan for the FPCW opportunity space and Exploring Climate Cooling (ECC) programme, integrating all external-facing activities - including public engagement, Oversight Committee communications, and media strategy - to set a global standard for transparent, responsible research.
• Look after a budget, with authority to commission partners, fund novel engagement activities, and deploy resources to advance the opportunity space and the programme’s strategic goals.
• Manage a dedicated communications partner, directing their execution of the ECC programme's communications and engagement core materials.
• Draft all public-facing communications, including core narratives, FAQs, media handling and briefings.
• Advise funded Creators on their own comms plans and assist Creator teams with responding to inbound media enquiries.
• Review and offer constructive feedback on Creator teams' engagement plans and activities.
• Develop comms materials or plans for new initiatives in the programme and opportunity space.
• Pioneer and direct innovative communications strategies that move beyond traditional media.
• Develop and own the opportunity space’s high-level reputational risk register and crisis communications framework.
• Act as a trusted spokesperson for the opportunity space and the programme in high-stakes external forums.
• Develop the long-term legacy strategy for the ECC programme.
• Draw on expertise from climate science, policy, and civil society to elicit critical feedback on FPCW’s communications and engagement strategies.
• Support and manage the Comms and Engagement outputs of our engagement training service provider.
• Oversee the design and maintenance of the ECC programme and FPCW opportunity space webpages.

Who You Are: You go beyond traditional PR to help shape how emerging science and technology are understood. You’re interested in how frontier research reaches the world, and motivated by making complex, unfamiliar ideas clear and accessible to wider audiences. You believe that the best way to handle complex scientific topics is through transparency and openness, not gatekeeping. You are a doer who can pivot from advising high profile scientists on their media strategy to developing new comms formats that communicate complex ideas clearly.

What We’re Looking For:

• You design communication strategies for projects with long time horizons and high stakes.
• You can see the legacy of a programme five years before it's finished.
• You have successfully deployed non-traditional tactics, perhaps working with digital creators or using interactive media to reach audiences that traditional institutions miss.
• You’ve supported organisations through moments of intense scrutiny and complexity.
• You know how to get the absolute best out of external firms.

Benefits:

• Pension: A defined contribution pension scheme with a 5% employer contribution.
• Annual Leave: 27 days per year, in addition to statutory bank holidays and the option to buy or sell up to three days of leave.
• Access to a free, confidential 24/7 employee assistance programme.
• Life Assurance coverage equivalent to three times your annual base salary.
• Participation in the Cycle to Work scheme.
• Two days of paid volunteer leave annually.
• Enhanced family leave arrangements.

Not sure you meet 100% of our criteria? Don’t worry. If you believe that you could excel in this role, we encourage you to apply. We want to attract the broadest array of candidates, including those with diverse workplace experiences and backgrounds.

Please use your cover letter to tell us about your interests and what you hope to bring to this role. If you require any reasonable adjustments throughout the recruitment process, please notify us and we will make every effort to accommodate you.

ARIA adopts a highly considered approach to ethical and social responsibility. ARIA is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration. We are an inclusive workplace that values diversity.