Head of Marketing Communications & PR (FTC 9-12 Months)

Would you like to help support the creation of global impact from world-leading University research? Are you interested in joining a team of outstanding people working to bring great Oxford ideas to life? Do you have experience in being a senior leader in Marketing Communications and PR and proactively contributing to broader activities that support the business?

With one foot in academia and the other in industry, Oxford University Innovation’s professionals undertake a wide variety of tasks, from licensing university ideas, and finding investment for spinout companies, to setting up social enterprises and supporting student entrepreneurship. University innovation is the magic behind the scenes that turns ideas born in a university into companies and technologies that look to have a positive and transformative economic and societal impact on the wider world.

Due to urgency of this role, we can only consider candidates who are immediately available or on 1 months notice.

The Opportunity

An exciting opportunity has arisen for an exceptional Head of Marketing Communications and PR (FTC 9-12 months) who will be responsible for the short-, medium- and long-term planning, development, and implementation of strategies for OUI’s marketing communications. The role will involve providing day-to-day leadership to a team and be pivotal in supporting broader engagement activities, both internally and externally.

The key responsibilities of the role include:

• Leading and inspiring the team to ensure they are highly motivated, skilled and developing professionally
• Ownership of internal communications
• Developing strong relationships of influence with senior and high-profile stakeholders both internally within OUI and the University and externally
• Network and Engagement Management

About You:

Reporting to the Chief Executive Officer, the successful candidate will have significant experience in marketing communications and PR and in working in a senior leadership position contributing to wider business strategy and activity. Particularly desirable is the ability to balance strategic focus and operational delivery and the ability to focus messaging in a complex environment. OUI is looking for an exceptional candidate who has the ability to act with wisdom, diplomacy, integrity and sound commercial judgement.

The successful candidate will also need to demonstrate proven ability in:

• Providing great leadership, being open and energetic and with the ability to motivate, inspire and develop teams to achieve world class performance.
• Working in partnership with colleagues with tact and tenacity.
• Working effectively with key senior stakeholders both internally and externally, influencing them and, where appropriate, showing creativity and resilience in strategic business situations.
• Having broad-based senior management experience which will enable you to work effectively with specialist functions and experts from outside your professional discipline.

Our commitment to Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion

Oxford University Innovation is an Equal Opportunities Employer and is committed to fostering an inclusive culture which promotes equality, values diversity and maintains a supportive working, learning and social environment, in which the rights and dignity of all its staff are respected, and where everyone can be themselves and are empowered to reach their full potential. This commitment is linked to and reinforces the OUI values of integrity, collaboration, and empowerment. We actively encourage applications from people of all backgrounds and cultures. OUI is accredited with the Investors in People Gold status.

Our approach to hybrid and flexible working

We believe that our employees are our most valuable asset, and we are committed to attracting and retaining the very best talent. We also appreciate that the UK workforce is becoming increasingly diverse and includes a high percentage of parents and individuals with caring responsibilities, as well as those whose interests and aspirations impact on their time. We recognise the importance of helping our employees balance their work and home lives by offering flexible working arrangements that enable them to balance their work commitments with other priorities. This includes hybrid working and flexible working.

How to apply:

If you are interested in applying for this role, please fill out the application form using the link below, and send together with a copy of your CV and covering letter to Charlotte Farnworth at.

Information about the benefits and working life at OUI can be found here: OUI Careers.

The deadline for applications is 25th of March at 12pm. You will need to submit an application form and covering letter, along with your CV to be considered.

Salary for this role is commensurate with experience and is likely to be in the range of £80,000 - £90,000. Due to the high volume of applications, we will do our best to respond to everyone, but unfortunately, we may not be able to provide feedback to all applicants.