Communications and Digital Content Industrial Placement

Communications and Digital Content Industrial Placement

Every day is different in communications: one day you will be managing social media platforms and proofreading reports. Next, you could be filming interviews in science facilities or creating a media release celebrating success!

We promote the purpose and impact of our science and technology, we manage the organisation's reputation and we engage with colleagues internally.

This position will be based in the communications team at STFC’s Daresbury Laboratory, enabling the graduate to gain experience in both external and internal communications. You will also work as part of the wider communications team, so you can expect time in all of our offices in Daresbury, Edinburgh and Didcot.

Brief overview of the scheme

STFC’s incredibly diverse range of placements allows you to work alongside world-leading engineers, scientists, and technicians in highly collaborative environments. With an STFC Industrial Placement, you will become a critical member of the team in which you will be exposed to exciting projects and challenges from the start.

We’ll provide challenges that match your skills, and each placement is a unique opportunity to pursue your career interests. You will be supported every step of the way by our dedicated Early Careers Development Team who will also ensure you benefit from a range of personal development opportunities.

STFC offers a benefits package crafted to provide an excellent work/life balance including 30 days’ annual leave, 10.5 public and privilege days, Christmas closure and flexible working hours. For more information on our full list of benefits, please visit here.

About the role and a summary of key duties & responsibilities

This placement offers the opportunity to actively support projects across UKRI by providing general communications assistance to the external communications team, including media support, social media planning and content creation, public and stakeholder engagement, and the development of digital content and communications strategies.

Key Responsibilities:

• Responsible for producing digital materials for use across a range of platforms, including video, photography and audio files.
• Working with the Social Media Manager to promote STFC materials across different platforms and encourage traffic between them and the STFC website.
• Providing content for real-time use at STFC events, such as live social media and pictures.
• Written content for use on a variety of platforms.
• Contributing to the events and visits and to the directorate and STFC-wide initiatives and committees.
• Assisting with the monitoring of social media channels.
• Assisting with the creation of social media evaluation reports.
• Writing online articles that follow a campaign theme and are targeted at specific audiences.
• Providing technical skills and support for the production of a regular staff e-newsletter.
• General business support to all parts of communications, including being part of a rota for the monitoring of group inboxes.
• Supporting the Internal Communications team with content creation and event support as required

To apply for this placement, we are looking for the following:

Essential:

• Currently enrolled on an undergraduate degree course and returning to university/studies to complete your undergraduate degree following the placement (S)
• Are required or have requested to take an industrial placement year (S)
• Have the right to live and work in the UK for the duration of the placement (S)
• Able to commence employment in summer 2026 (S)
• Experience writing for different platforms (e.g. social media, articles, reports, etc) (S&I)
• Social media / digital communications experience (S&I)
• Organisational skills (S&I)
• A willingness to learn new skills (S&I)

Desirable:

• Experience of principles and practice of customer care (S&I)
• Event organisation (I)

Employee Benefits:

• 30 days holiday (in addition to 10.5 bank holidays and privilege days).
• Flexible working hours.
• An excellent defined average salary pension scheme.
• Easily accessible public transport links/ free parking.
• Excellent learning and development opportunities.
• Cycle to work scheme.

As this job does not fulfil the UK Government minimum criterion for obtaining sponsored migrant worker status we will be unable to apply for sponsorship for anyone not eligible to work in the UK. At interview, all shortlisted candidates are required to bring with them identification documents and original documents that prove they hold or can obtain the right to work in the UK.

Application Guidance

Please note that we can only accept a maximum of 2 applications per candidate.Part of our application process involves submitting your CV and a cover letter. Your cover letter should address your suitability for the opportunity based how you meet each essential criteria stated in this advert.

Please note that we hold the right to close this vacancy early if a sufficient number of applications have been received.

We ask some of the biggest questions in the universe, to answer some of the biggest challenges in the world. Together, our scientists, technologists, engineers and business support team explore the unknown across every field you could think of. And they turn what they find into work that changes the world around us.

What could you achieve with the world-leading facilities and experts of one of Europe's largest research organisations by your side? Join us and discover what's possible!

How we support EDI in the workforce

At UKRI, we believe that everyone has a right to be treated with dignity and respect, and to be provided with equal opportunities to thrive and succeed in an environment that enables them to do so. We also value diversity of thought and experience within inclusive groups, organisations and the wider community.

Disability Confident Employer

As users of the disability confident scheme, we guarantee to interview all applicants with a disability who opt into the disability confident scheme and meet the minimum criteria for the role. We will ensure that individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and to receive other benefits and privileges of employment. Please contact us to request accommodation.

How to apply

Online applications only preferred for this role. Please submit a CV and covering letter which clearly outlines how you fulfil the criteria specified along with your motivation for UKRI and the role. Ensure that the job reference number is included in the filename description of each document uploaded. Note that failure to address the above criteria or submit an application without a covering letter may result in the application not being considered. Assessment will only be based upon the content of your submitted covering letter and CV and not the ‘experience’ section of the application.

UKRI seeks to ensure it creates and maintains a system of openness, fairness and inclusion – a collaborative, trusted environment, which is attractive to and accessible to everyone who is interested in developing their career with us.

The role holder will be required to have the appropriate level of security screening/vetting required for the role. UKRI reserves the right to run or re-run security clearance as required during the course of employment.

About the Team

The Science and Technology Facilities Council is a world-leading multi-disciplinary science organisation where curiosity-driven, blue-skies thinking meets practical, application-led science and engineering. Our goal is to deliver economic, societal, scientific and international benefits to the UK and its people – and more broadly to the world.

One of Europe’s largest research organisations, we’re trusted to support, enable and undertake cutting-edge projects in an amazing diversity of fields. Through world-class facilities and people, we’re driving ground-breaking advances in science, engineering, computing and technology. Our research seeks to understand the Universe from the largest astronomical scales to the tiniest constituents of matter, yet creates impact on a very tangible, human scale.

How to apply

To apply for this role and to find out more, please click on the apply button. Please note that applications may close before the application deadline, so apply early to avoid disappointment.