Digital Media Producer

Grade and Salary: Grade 7, £37,694 - £47,389 per annum FTE

Working Pattern: Full-Time, Open-Ended

Reward and Benefits: 33 days annual leave, plus 9 buildings closed days for all full-time staff.

About Our Team: Heriot-Watt University has been a pioneer in distance, blended and online education for three decades, and has over 9,000 online students across the world. Heriot-Watt Online draws on expertise from schools, professional services and partnerships to deliver high-quality, fully online programmes, often at large scale.

Purpose of Role: The Digital Media Producer will work closely with academics and Learning Designers to develop effective, engaging, and sustainably produced digital media for courses delivered asynchronously, fully online, often at large scale. The successful candidate will have hands-on experience of the entire pre- to post-production lifecycle – from planning to recording and directing through to editing, and publishing – and will possess outstanding communication and technical skills. They will be creative and passionate about digital education and will thrive as part of a highly collaborative team. Experience in education is particularly desirable, but you may come from a background in video production, filmmaking, broadcasting, or animation. Above all you must be passionate about working with factual material, work well with subject experts and others unfamiliar with media production, and be able to communicate often complex ideas through creative and appropriate approaches to moving image and sound.

Key Duties and Responsibilities:

• Collaborate with Learning Designers and subject matter experts throughout online course development projects.
• Lead the production of digital media assets for graduate-level online courses, including:

• Scripting, storyboarding, and production planning
• Producing videos, animations, podcasts, and other digital media to agreed specifications, quality expectations, and schedules
• Monitoring production against schedules and escalating any risks (e.g., potential delays or technical/quality issues) via project reporting processes and team meetings.
• Consulting subject matter experts to review media at key points and resolve any queries/issues
• Ensuring that digital media complies with relevant accessibility requirements, e.g., by managing captioning and transcription
• Liaising with specialist external providers (e.g., illustrators, motion-graphics designers) as required
• Where relevant, reviewing and providing feedback on the quality and consistency of media assets developed by others.

• Identifying requirements for new or replacement media production equipment
• Researching potential production and equipment solutions
• Actively engaging with contemporary digital media production research, techniques, and networks
• Using initiative to develop future processes and systems with the view of enhancing sustainability and scalability of media production
• Leading or contributing to knowledge sharing activities such as training, guides, and process documentation.
• Leading or contributing to enhancement projects on digital media and pedagogical innovation.

Person Specification:

Essential:

• Undergraduate degree or equivalent experience
• Demonstrable experience of creating high-quality video, audio, and other digital media working with factual material
• Experience of collaborating with subject matter experts to co-design, script, and produce digital media for education
• Experience of working with subject matter experts who may be inexperienced or apprehensive about presenting to camera, specifically experience in applying techniques to get the best out of inexperienced presenters
• Experience of working to fixed deadlines and adapting production approaches based on what is most appropriate and achievable in context
• Expertise in the use of relevant equipment and software, e.g., Adobe Premiere, Illustrator, and After Effects within Adobe Creative Cloud.
• Ability to foster and maintain good working relationships with a wide range of stakeholders, including subject matter experts, Learning Designers, IT, and senior managers
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills (written and verbal), e.g., discussing ideas and how best to convey these via digital media, writing clear and precise specifications and guidance, and influencing decision-makers on digital media design and production and production project management
• Ability to plan and organise workload independently while working collaboratively in a small team
• Ability to use initiative to develop effective practices and systems
• A keen eye for aesthetics and detail, and demonstrable sense of appropriate quality standards
• An innovative, creative, and collaborative approach to work

Desirable:

• Undergraduate or postgraduate degree in a relevant field such as digital media, film and television production, animation, multimedia design, or online education
• Experience of working in a team focusing on digital media and/or online learning in higher education
• Proficiency with Vimeo, 3Play Media, Canvas, and/or Coursera LMSes
• An active interest in digital media in higher education
• Knowledge and understanding of usability and accessibility guidelines
• Proficiency in the creation of motion graphics and/or graphic design

Heriot-Watt University is committed to securing equality of opportunity in employment and to the creation of an environment in which individuals are selected, trained, promoted, appraised and otherwise treated on the sole basis of their relevant merits and abilities. Equality and diversity are all about maximising potential and creating a culture of inclusion for all. Heriot-Watt University values diversity across our University community and welcomes applications from all sectors of society, particularly from underrepresented groups.