Kaitohutohu Pāpāho | Communications Adviser

• Are you looking for a fixed-term, part-time role until December 2024?
• Do you have experience in producing high-quality written communications for a range of audiences?
• Can you build strong relationships and are comfortable working with people at all levels of an organisation?

Mō Te Herenga Waka - About Our University

Te Herenga Waka - Victoria University of Wellington is a global-civic university with our marae at our heart. This iho draws off our heritage and is further defined by our tūrangawaewae, in particular Wellington, Aotearoa, and the Asia-Pacific, all of which are expressed in our position as Aotearoa New Zealand's globally ranked capital city university.

Kōrero mō te tūranga - About the role

Te Herenga Waka - Victoria University of Wellington is currently recruiting a Kaitohutohu Pāpāho - Communications Adviser, Students on a fixed-term, part-time contract. If you’re a communications professional looking for a change of pace or looking to dip your toes back into the workforce with a part-time position, let’s talk.

You’ll be joining a team focused on supporting the best outcomes possible for students’ experience. To that end you’ll turn your hand to promoting the services and support available to students into digestible portions that students of all background will find helpful in their journey with Te Herenga Waka - Victoria University of Wellington on the most relevant channel/s.

This is a backfill role to cover for a team member participating in a fixed-term, part-time secondment. But you won’t be picking up the work left-over, you’ll be taking ownership of a section of student focussed comms work. You’ll co-ordinate our fortnightly student newsletter, trouble shoot areas of confusion and anxiety for students, promote wellbeing and inclusion initiatives, and work on student centric university wide projects.

On any given day there will be web pages to refine, digital display screen content to manage, communication plans to write, and relationships to build with staff and students from across the University. You’ll make connections with staff from our services, other comms specialists (like the social media team) and participate in the give and take of support work across our student facing spaces. Most importantly, you’ll turn your skills in communication to translating ‘university speak’ into a student-friendly voice and build and implement comms plans that start from the point of student-need.

The role is 0.6 FTE, and the allocation of hours and days worked is negotiable. The team is based on the Kelburn campus.

Ō pūmanawa - About you

To achieve the goals of this role, you will:

• Be a people person who loves to help and great at building relationships that lead others to trust your integrity and your support of their work.
• Enjoy figuring out the core message and finding exactly the right way to share it.
• Be organised and proactive, have a good risk radar, and be willing to make innovative suggestions.
• Be comfortable working with people at all different levels of an organisation.
• Be openminded and focused on diversity, with a passion for accessible communication.
• Be familiar with Te Tiriti o Waitangi, and how it applies in a university setting.
• Be able to take an assigned project and manage it from inception to review and be capable of working both independently and with other members of the team.

You’ll be pulled in a lot of very interesting directions! From social media support to editing critical emails from senior staff, there will be many things to take your attention. Knowing how to prioritise and ask good questions will be important to your success.

It would be a great bonus if you had some experience with email software like campaign monitor, and/or experience with design software, translating words into visual messages and the production of visual media pieces like digital posters, flyers, or other publications. But no worries if you don’t, as long as you have the ability and enthusiasm to pick up new skills.

Ētahi kōrero hai āwhina i a koe - Why you should join our team

We are a collaborative, creative team focused on doing our part to create a wellbeing-enhancing environment for students at Te Herenga Waka - Victoria University of Wellington. We offer learning and development programmes across a suite of areas. This is a fantastic opportunity for someone who wants to take their communications skills into an inclusive, non-commercial environment.

Role Description

Close Date for Vacancy: 06 May 2024. We can only consider applicants who are citizens or residents of New Zealand or Australia or on a current working visa. Applications will be reviewed as they are received and may progress with suitable applicants prior to the application closing date.

Contact Details for Vacancy: If you have any questions regarding this role please get in touch with Karena Moffat (karena.moffat@vuw.ac.nz). But applicants should follow all steps listed below.

Important - Application Steps and information

Download and complete the University Application Form, please include the position title and reference number (Communications Adviser Students, 1293). Then, please combine your cover letter, CV and the University Application Form into a single file (preferably in pdf format). Click Apply and follow the process to enter your contact details and attach your combined file (CV, cover letter and the University application form) using the “CV/Resume” button.

If you are unable to combine your documents or have further supporting documents, please email these to erecruit@vuw.ac.nz stating the reference number and position title from the advert in the subject line.