Strategic Communications Specialist in Harwell

At the Satellite Applications Catapult, our mission is to grow the UK economy by supporting companies to accelerate the invention and adoption of space data and technology. The Strategic Communications Specialist (Events Specialism) is a delivery-focused role supporting the development and execution of strategic communications campaigns across the organisation. Working closely with, and reporting directly to, the Strategic Communications Manager, the role will contribute to shaping and delivering communications activity that strengthens the Catapult’s influence across government, industry, academia and other audiences. The role has a particular specialism in events, with approximately 50% of time focused on the planning and delivery of events as part of wider strategic communications campaigns. These events will be used deliberately to support narrative, thought‑leadership, stakeholder engagement and influence, rather than as standalone activity. This is an excellent opportunity for a strong communications practitioner who is confident delivering high-quality activity, enjoys working across multiple campaigns, and wants to develop deeper strategic communications capability with a clear pathway for progression.

Key Responsibilities:

• Strategic Communications Delivery
  • Support the delivery of strategic communications plans for priority interventions, working closely with the Strategic Communications Manager.
  • Translate strategic objectives, messages and target audiences into clear, practical communications outputs.
  • Contribute to the delivery of thought‑leadership campaigns through coordinated activity across content, events, stakeholder engagement and digital channels.
  • Draft and coordinate a range of communications outputs, including briefing notes, campaign materials, event‑related content and stakeholder communications.
  • Ensure activity is aligned with agreed narratives, messaging frameworks and campaign objectives.
• Events Delivery (c. 50% of role)
  • Plan and deliver a portfolio of events that form a core part of strategic communications campaigns, including stakeholder roundtables, workshops, briefings and selected third‑party events.
  • Support the delivery of organisation‑owned conferences and larger events.
  • Manage end‑to‑end event delivery activity, including logistics, suppliers, budgets, risk management and on‑the‑day coordination.
  • Work with internal experts and external partners to shape agendas, speaker line‑ups and event formats that support communications objectives.
  • Ensure events are tightly integrated with wider communications activity, including follow‑up content, stakeholder engagement and evaluation.
• Stakeholder Engagement and Collaboration
  • Work collaboratively with colleagues across the organisation to deliver joined‑up communications and events activity.
  • Support engagement with priority external stakeholders through well‑designed communications and convening activity.
  • Coordinate inputs from internal teams to support effective delivery and ensure clarity of roles and responsibilities.
• Evaluation and Continuous Improvement
  • Capture feedback and learning from communications activity and events.
  • Support reporting on outputs and outcomes against agreed objectives.
  • Use insight and evaluation to inform improvements to future campaigns and delivery approaches.

Essential Skills and Experience Required:

• At least 5 years’ experience in a communications, public affairs, events or stakeholder engagement role.
• Demonstrable experience planning and delivering events, workshops or similar engagement activity.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to tailor messages for different audiences.
• Excellent organisational skills and attention to detail, with the ability to manage multiple workstreams concurrently.
• Experience working with suppliers and managing logistics and budgets at an appropriate scale.
• Confidence working with a range of internal and external stakeholders.
• Ability to work calmly and effectively under pressure and to tight deadlines.
• Delivery‑focused, proactive and well‑organised.
• Comfortable working at pace across multiple priorities.
• Collaborative and collegiate, with a willingness to take responsibility.
• Curious and keen to develop strategic communications expertise alongside hands‑on delivery.

Desirable:

• Experience working in innovation, science, technology, public policy or adjacent sectors.
• Experience supporting thought‑leadership, policy engagement or reputation‑building campaigns.
• Understanding of the UK innovation ecosystem and stakeholder landscape.

About us & how we work:

• We care – for our people, our partners, and our planet.
• We connect – and engage with people and ideas.
• We learn – and grow, as people and as an industry.

Underpinning this is our belief in great teams. Our combined efforts will always deliver outcomes beyond that of any individual, providing we are honest through debate, experiment and reflect, and create shared resolutions in support of our purpose. Live these values, work to our principles, take ownership to deliver, and we are certain you will thrive with us.

This job description sets out the skills and experience we think are needed to be able to perform in this job. If you believe you can deliver in this role then we want to hear from you.

We offer a hybrid policy which is designed around collaboration, one ‘anchor’ day per week working with your direct team and another flexible day per week to be spent collaborating or working with other colleagues.

Important notice for applicants: We use tools to detect plagiarism and the use of AI or chatbots for applicant answers. If plagiarism, AI use (such as ChatGPT) or similar software are found to have been used in your application you will not be considered for this or future roles within the Satellite Applications Catapult.

At Satellite Applications Catapult, we're committed to fostering an inclusive and diverse workforce. We welcome candidates from all corners of the globe, but due to legal and logistical considerations, we want to be transparent about the potential visa‑related challenges that could arise. Our ability to offer sponsorship will depend on the level of interest for our roles and salary level. If you need any additional support during the application process, please do reach out and connect. We also invite you to share feedback via Applied. Please note that we offer study support (at our discretion) and on the job training will be provided.