Student Communications Manager

About the Opportunity

Position overview

• Department: Student Engagement
• Location: London Campus
• Term: Full-time; permanent
• Salary: Up to £51,000 per annum depending on experience

Benefits: The university supports staff maintaining a good work/life balance, offers flexible working and parental leave opportunities, an Employee Assistance Programme which provides free, confidential advice on both home and work concerns as well as optional private medical insurance, season ticket loans and being part of the cycle to work scheme.

Reports to: Director of Student Engagement

Start: 1 July 2026

The role: The Student Communications Manager develops compelling written and visual communications for student, alumni, and parent audiences. Acting as the central coordinator and quality gateway for all student-facing communications at the Northeastern University London campus, the postholder works across Student Life, Academic Services, Faculty, Academic Engagement, and other professional services to ensure information is accurate, timely, accessible, and aligned with institutional priorities and brand standards. The role owns the Student Hub (SharePoint), the student newsletters, and the London campus internal student communications strategy. It also provides communications support for events, change initiatives, and urgent or sensitive situations. The postholder is currently an individual contributor but may supervise one or two staff, temporary workers, or students in the future.

Duties and Responsibilities:

• Communications Strategy and Planning: Own and implement the annual student communications strategy, aligned to institutional priorities and the academic calendar. Develop and maintain a forward communications plan, mapping key student touchpoints across the year (induction, add/drop, assessment periods, results, graduation, and others). Identify gaps or inconsistencies in student communications and proactively propose improvements. Advise senior leadership on communications strategy, audience insight, and emerging trends in student engagement.
• Content Creation and Editorial Quality: Source, draft, review, and edit communications from all university departments before distribution, ensuring accuracy, clarity, appropriate tone, and consistency with brand and editorial standards. Produce high-quality written and visual content for a range of channels, including email, the Student Hub, digital signage, presentations, and print. Apply plain English principles and accessibility standards throughout all student-facing content. Maintain the institutional voice and ensure consistency of messaging across all platforms and teams. Provide editorial counsel to academic and professional services colleagues on student communications.
• Student Hub and Channel Management: Take ownership of the Northeastern University London Student Hub (SharePoint), ensuring content is accurate, current, well-structured, and engaging. Manage the student newsletter end-to-end, from content sourcing and editing to design, distribution, and performance reporting. Work with the Social Media Manager and other content creators to promote key stories and updates across relevant channels. Ensure all channel content remains aligned with agreed standards, approval processes, and brand guidelines.
• Stakeholder Coordination and Governance: Act as the central point of coordination for student communications across the London campus. Manage the communications submission and approval process, supporting staff to use the correct routes and formats. Build and maintain effective working relationships with internal stakeholders in London and other global campuses to support timely, well-coordinated communications delivery.
• Reporting and Continuous Improvement: Track and evaluate the effectiveness of student communications using relevant KPIs, including email open and click-through rates, Hub analytics, and student survey data. Maintain communications trackers and plans, contributing to regular reporting cycles and stakeholder updates. Use data and feedback to identify areas for improvement and make evidence-based recommendations. Contribute to business reviews by providing visibility of communications activity and impact.
• Events Communications: Work with the Events team and relevant colleagues to plan and deliver communications in support of institutional events, including induction, open days, academic ceremonies, programming and student engagement activities. Work with the events team to produce event-related materials including run-of-show documents, scripts, signage, and post-event communications. Advise on best practice for event communications based on audience data and engagement insight.
• Brand and Compliance: Act as brand guardian for all student communications, ensuring all outputs comply with visual identity standards, brand guidelines, and institutional tone of voice. Follow and uphold communications governance requirements, including third-party publicity and approval obligations. Support colleagues in understanding and applying brand and communications standards in their own outputs.

Person specification criteria:

• Education, Qualifications and Training: Undergraduate degree in Marketing, Communications or English [D]. 3-5 years of professional experience in communications, marketing, or journalism [E].
• Experience: Experience in Higher Education and/or knowledge of graphic and web design software [E]. Highly effective writing, editing, and copy-editing skills, with the ability to shape content for student and parent audiences [E].
• Knowledge, Skills and Abilities: Sound understanding of branding and institutional voice, with the ability to develop and maintain editorial standards [E]. Critical thinking and strategic messaging skills [E]. Ability to build effective internal relationships and identify newsworthy stories [E]. Ability to develop and deliver clear, timely communications during urgent or sensitive situations, including crisis response, change initiatives, and high-stakes events, ensuring consistent messaging and stakeholder confidence under pressure [E]. Proficiency in Microsoft Office, particularly Outlook and email service platforms [E]. Ability to work collaboratively and professionally with colleagues across teams, departments, and the global network [E].

Additional Information:

Enquiries: Informal enquiries may be made to Suzi Broadaway, Director of Student Engagement via emailing suzi.broadaway@nulondon.ac.uk. However, all applications must be made in accordance with the application process specified.

Application process: Applications must include a covering letter and a full curriculum vitae. Interviews are expected to commence w/c 29th June 2026.

Job sponsorship: Visa sponsorship may be available for a successful candidate for this position.

About the University: Northeastern University London (NU London) is a prestigious higher education institution based in the heart of London and is part of Northeastern University’s global campus network. Overlooking the River Thames near Tower Bridge, NU London offers academically challenging educational programmes designed to inspire innovative thinking, encourage interdisciplinary study, and provide global experiences. The bright and modern campus offers award winning, contemporary facilities for students and staff including state of the art audio visual technology in its teaching and meeting spaces.

Choose NU London: As well as the exciting opportunities this role presents, the University supports staff maintaining a good work/life balance, your health and wellness are of utmost importance to us, and our offerings encompass: 25 days annual leave, plus 8 bank holidays and winter break holidays (normally 2 days between Christmas and New Year). Access to personalised Continuous Professional Development (CPD) plans and opportunities. Support with private medical insurance. Eye test reimbursement. Cycle Scheme vouchers. 24/7 employee assistance/ support via our Employee Assistance Programme. Access to deals and discounts for food & shopping in the local area.

Application process: Applications should be made by 00:00 on the job posting's end date (if applicable). Participation in the equal opportunities section is encouraged, but voluntary. Applications must include a covering letter of no more than one page that addresses the criteria for the role and a full curriculum vitae. The panel will be shortlisting for this position on a rolling basis so please apply as soon as possible. We reserve the right to close this post before the closing date if we receive a large number of applications. Please note all employees of Northeastern University London are required to undergo at least a basic DBS check. Our organisation acknowledges the duty of care to safeguard, protect and promote the welfare of our students and staff, and is committed to ensuring safeguarding practice reflects statutory responsibilities, government guidance and complies with best practice and Ofsted requirements. You must adhere to the above if you are offered a role with NU London. For staff’s own wellbeing, for part time roles, the expectation is if you have multiple roles, they should not exceed full time (37.5 hours per week), and for full time roles, the expectation is that this will be your only role (apart from intermittent roles). Applications are welcome from all sections of the community and will be judged on merit alone. We welcome applications from all underrepresented groups, including the Global Majority. Candidates must be able to demonstrate their eligibility to work in the UK in accordance with the Immigration, Asylum and Nationality Act 2006.