Communications & Digital Content Lead - National Recognition Of Prior Learning In Higher Education Project

Technological Higher Education Association (THEA)

Dublin

National Recognition of Prior Learning in Higher Education Project. Communications & Digital Content Lead (3.5 year contract approx.) Project Overview. The Technological Higher Education Association (THEA), together with the Irish Universities Association, Dublin, secured funding for a major project and now invite applications for the full-time contract position of Communications & Digital Content Lead to support the roll out of the National Recognition of Prior Learning in Higher Education Project. This is a new, first-of-its-kind four-year €6.9 million project, funded through the Higher Education Authority’s Human Capital Initiative and encompasses 19 publicly funded higher education institutions. Our goal is to make the recognition of prior learning an integral and vibrant part of higher education, ramping up lifelong learning opportunities to enterprise and learners nationwide, and streamlining RPL policies, processes, and systems across the sector. This joined-up sectoral approach, underpinned by extensive engagement with enterprise and proactive promotion of RPL at national and local level, will assist 6,000 admissions on the basis of RPL annually by the end of project. Building on existing good practice within Ireland, at European level and internationally the project will: • Develop Communications Campaigns & Events to raise awareness of RPL (including its benefits and uses) and promote it as an effective pathway to and through higher education. • Design and develop a National Online Platform to provide centralized information and resources to diverse audiences interested in RPL, including higher education staff, learners, and potential learners, enterprise, and the general public; • Create and implement a National Recognition of Prior Learning Framework to support coherency and consistency within and across participating HEIs; • Develop a National RPL Dataset to monitor and report on progress and inform policy. • Engage Enterprise Partners to identify RPL opportunities and inform project activity. • Expand Communities of RPL Practice in HEIs and support consistency through the provision of practical tools, materials and resources and training. About the Role. Reporting to the Project Manager, this post offers an excellent opportunity for the right candidate interested in playing a pivotal role in a project with transformative potential for individual learners and the higher education sector as a whole. Communications is a central strand of the project’s work and is a crucial enabling factor for all project outcomes. The postholder will act as the main communications liaison for the RPL project. Working closely with the Project Manager and Research Lead, the AMBITION RPL team and the Heads of Communication in THEA and IUA, the successful candidate will be responsible for leading the development and implementation of a communications plan for internal project and external audiences to raise awareness and understanding of RPL and promote it as a pathway to and through higher education. In collaboration with HEI partners, the successful candidate will also work to embed the promotion of RPL as an effective pathway to and through higher education across the sector. Primary Responsibilities. 1. Digital and Social Media Management & Content Generation (Raising Awareness & Understanding. • Develop and implement a communications plan for the project which addresses internal and external stakeholder requirements. • Own and manage the RPL brand across all platforms – digital and traditional. • Identify audience requirements and execute integrated digital campaigns across web and social platforms to build awareness of RPL and promote it as a pathway to and through higher education. • Create innovative and effective content for all social and traditional channels and the web, regularly identifying and testing innovative approaches to maximise engagement. • Manage the digital and social content calendar to support the project team and overall objectives of the project working groups. • Co-ordinate the design and development of www.priorlearning.ie. • Co-ordinate the design and organisation of numerous events, meetings, outreach, and promotional activities annually. • Generate content and manage the content schedule for the project’s social media output, website, and other digital and traditional channels as they come on stream (e.g. blogs, YouTube, etc.) • Utilise design tools such as Canva and Adobe Creative Suite to create eye-catching and impactful visual assets, including infographics and data visualisations for dissemination to HEI partners and across digital/social media platforms. • Liaise with the project leads and other stakeholders to identify and harness storytelling opportunities which offer an authentic insight into the lives of HE staff, enterprise, learners and other RPL beneficiaries. • Monitor trends in social media applications and help research and deliver on new tactics to engage with new and existing audiences. 2. Capacity Building & Mainstreaming (Promoting RPL as an effective HE Pathway. • Work with HEI Project Leads and Communications Officers to co-ordinate the design and dissemination of promotional and marketing RPL resources for learners and enterprise. • Promote the sharing of learning across the sector with regard to promoting and marketing RPL. • Co-ordinate the ongoing communication and dissemination of project progress, outputs, and outcomes to internal and external stakeholders. • Measure the effectiveness of digital/social and traditional engagement strategies, channels and campaigns and report on this regularly to the Project Manager, groups, and stakeholders. 3. Other Duties. • Communicate the impact and achievements of the project. • Manage the communications budget. • Participate actively in weekly project team meetings. • Support general project planning, management, performance reporting and other aspects of project and budget administration as required. Candidate Requirements. • A level 8 degree in a relevant field or equivalent experience. • At least three years’ experience in a communications, marketing, or promotional role, with specific experience of co-ordinating digital/social media and building engagement. • Strong copywriting and written skills, with proven experience creating and editing content for social, digital, and traditional media. • Strong work ethic and excellent organisational skills, an ability to deal with competing demands and prioritise workload in order to meet constant deadlines and targets. • Collaborative approach and track record of building good working relationships at all levels of operation. • Excellent multimedia, design, and photo-editing skills (e.g. Canva, Photoshop, etc.) • Experience creating and placing traditional marketing assets. • Experience of co-ordinating events/meetings, etc,. • Ability to work as part of a busy team with multiple work streams in a dynamic environment. • Positive, creative problem-solver, and a can-do attitude. • Ability to manage a budget and work within its parameters. Contract Terms. This is a full-time, contract post to 1st March 2025 which offers an excellent career opportunity for a pro-active and dynamic professional. A secondment arrangement for existing public-sector employees may be possible, subject to concluding an appropriate agreement between THEA and the candidate’s current employer. The salary range for this post is €40,000-€60,000, commensurate with experience. Location of Post. This is ordinarily at the offices of the THEA (with a high degree of flexibility), in line with public health guidelines in relation to the COVID-19 pandemic. The post will involve travel nationally and occasional international travel to participate or present at events and conferences, when possible. Application Process. Please forward a detailed but concise CV and covering letter by Sunday 19 December to margaret.coen@thea.ie . Shortlisting will take place in early January and shortlisted candidates will be invited to interview (online) during week beginning 24 January 2022. Informal enquiries are welcome and can be made to grace.edge@thea.ie.

864 days ago