Senior Public Affairs Officer

Salary

Grade 6 £42,254 - £50,253 per annum

Contractual hours

Basis

Full Time

Job category/type

Professional Services

Date posted

10/06/2026

Job reference

REQ000564

Marketing & Student Recruitment

Paisley Campus (with travel to other campuses as necessary) Fixed Term: 12 months "This role may be eligible for visa sponsorship under the Skilled Worker visa route. If requiring visa sponsorship, the successful applicant will also need to meet a range of individual criteria to satisfy Home Office requirements. If the role is offered on a part-time basis, this might also affect eligibility Applicants are encouraged to individually assess whether they may be eligible for visa sponsorship prior to applying. More information on eligibility can be found on the Government website." THE POST – Senior Public Affairs Officer

The University of West of Scotland has an exciting opportunity to join the Marketing and Student Recruitment team as a Senior Public Affairs Officer on a 12-month fixed term basis.

As Senior Public Affairs Officer, you will develop and deliver projects and programmes and build relationships to inform and influence local, regional and national policymakers, and protect and enhance the University’s reputation. The post-holder will play an essential role in increasing UWS’s influence on public policy and discourse

The successful applicant will engage – and build productive and effective relationships – with key target stakeholders and partners. They will work with the wider Communications team and engage with colleagues across the institution to deliver the University’s Strategy 2030. As well as this, they will develop a plan of strategic stakeholder communications activities aligned to – and in support of – the University’s overall mission, objectives and strategy.

The successful candidate should have the following:

• Educated to degree level or equivalent, or at least two years of experience in a public affairs role.

• Proven track record of successful project management, delivery and evaluation of public affairs campaigns.
• Proficient in reputation management.
• Experience in a public affairs and/or policy-based environment.
• Skilled in producing briefings for internal and external stakeholders.
• An understanding of establishing and managing effective relationships with external stakeholders.

• Previous experience of working with national, regional or local government partners to deliver activities or projects.

The University of the West of Scotland is one of Scotland’s largest and most dynamic modern universities. Our reach across the country, together with our London campus, means that UWS is a significant force in global knowledge creation, innovation, and a leading provider of undergraduate, postgraduate and research degree education. Our degrees provide students with a transformational experience; equipping them with highly sought-after graduate skills that set them up for global success in world-leading sectors, industries and businesses.

With cutting-edge courses, modern pedagogy and practical knowledge, we enable our students and staff to experience the joy of learning, teaching, research and innovation, and apply their knowledge for the benefit of others.

UWS is officially ranked by Times Higher Education in the top 200 universities worldwide under 50 years old (2024 Young University Rankings)

Our professional services teams are the backbone of UWS, providing robust and innovative solutions to support the vast range of work across learning and teaching, and research and innovation. You will join a supportive and dedicated team, playing a key role in a range of work that will help drive forward our ambition to deliver world-leading research, and graduates who will design, shape and build a new future.

We offer our staff a caring and supportive environment, across five campuses, and a competitive benefits package which includes:

• 24 days of annual leave, plus a further 12 days for public/university holidays
• An additional days leave on your birthday
• Defined benefit contribution pension scheme (including death in service benefits upon joining the scheme
• A flexible approach to working pattern and work-life balance
• Employee discount scheme across 3,500 retailers
• Fitness facilities across our campuses
• Access to a range of health and wellbeing resources, including occupational health, physiotherapy and access to our Employee Assistance Programme
• Professional, career and research development opportunities.

1 st Stage Introductory Call: Week commencing Monday 13 th July

2 nd Stage Interview Date: Wednesday 22 nd July

Please note that the appointment will be made on the first point of the salary scale (unless by exception, where evidence would need to be provided).

The University reserves the right to shorten/extend the closing date of any position where a high/low volume of suitable applications are received. Therefore, if you are interested in this role, an early application would be encouraged.

You can find out more about how the University uses your personal data as part of the recruitment process by looking at the UWS HR Applicant Privacy Notice at www.uws.ac.uk

UWS are committed signatories to the Armed Forces Covenant.

UWS is committed to equality and diversity and welcomes applications from underrepresented groups.

UWS is a “Disability Confident” employer.

University of the West of Scotland is a registered Scottish charity, no. SC002520