Salary: £29,000 – £34,000 depending on experience
Hours: Full time, 37.5 hours per week
Contract: Fixed term contract – 12 months (maternity cover)
Benefits: We want all our employees to feel valued and engaged and are committed to offering a positive working culture along with a good work-life balance. As well as ensuring we pay our employees fairly, we offer the following benefits: Flexible working, Generous annual leave, Private Medical Insurance, including dental and optical, Pension Scheme, Sick Pay, Death in Service, Employee Assistance Programme, Bike Loan Scheme, Cycle2Work Scheme, Eyecare, Discount Portal.
Be a part of an energetic and vibrant team who are driven by the desire to improve the lives of people living with kidney disease. Our vision is the day when everyone lives free from kidney disease.
Kidney disease affects one in ten people in the UK, yet it still doesn't get the attention it deserves. At Kidney Research UK we are determined to change that. In this role, we are looking for an experienced senior research communications officer to help us drive increased engagement with our research across all audiences.
The Role
· Play a key role in bringing the research we fund and the partnerships we develop to life, telling our story in an accurate and engaging way and raising the profile of Kidney Research UK
· Work with colleagues across the charity to develop, lead and deliver communications plans to support specific areas of our work, including partnerships with other medical charities and industry, and key strategic projects being led by Kidney Research UK
· Build relationships with the researchers we fund to help create a sense of community, develop an in-depth knowledge about our research portfolio and encourage our research community to engage and work with us
What We're Looking For
· Educated to degree level in life sciences
· Experience in a communications role in a health, medical, patient or research-related organisation
If you're ready to help us grow and strengthen our scientific communications, we'd love to hear from you. Please complete the online application form and submit together with your CV.
We are committed to providing equal opportunities for everyone and encourage applications from all sections of the community.
About Kidney Research UK:
Kidney Research UK is the leading charity in the UK focused on funding research into the prevention, treatment and management of kidney disease. Our vision is the day when everyone lives free from kidney disease and for more than 60 years the research, we fund has been making an impact. But kidney disease is increasing as are the factors contributing to it, such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease and obesity, making our work more essential than ever.
At Kidney Research UK we work with clinicians and scientists across the UK, funding and facilitating research into all areas of kidney disease. We collaborate with partners across the public, private and third sectors to prevent kidney disease and drive innovation to transform treatments.
Over the last ten years we have invested more than £71 million into research. We lobby governments and decision makers to change policy and practice to ensure that the estimated 7.2 million people living with all stages of kidney disease in the UK have access to the most effective care and treatment, and to make kidney disease a priority.
Most importantly, we also work closely with patients, ensuring their voice is heard and is at the centre of everything we do, from deciding which research to invest in to how we plan our priorities and our work across the charity.
Those patient contributions are vital, always helping us and our partners to understand what life is like with kidney disease, always ensuring we see the patient behind the treatment and always reminding us that behind every statistic and every number is a person – the patients and the carers who inspire our mission and push us forward to make a difference and change the future of kidney disease.
Closing date: Monday 6 July 2026. We may extend the closing date, however, please apply as soon as possible.
Preliminary telephone interviews will be held on 10 and 15 July 2026. In-person interviews will be held in Peterborough on 20 or 22 July 2026.
No agencies please.
You may have experience in the following: Research Communications Officer, Science Communications Officer, Health Communications Officer, Medical Communications Officer, Communications Manager, PR and Communications Officer, Research Engagement Officer, Science Writer, Health Writer, Charity Communications Officer, Content and Communications Officer, Charity, Charities, Third Sector, Not for Profit, NFP, etc.
REF-229 462
The Digital Communications Officer will play a key role in sharing BTO’s stories with a wide audience via digital projects. The postholder will plan, film, edit, and publish short-form videos across different platforms, including BTO’s YouTube, social media accounts and website. They will manage the image library and develop a video library, coordinate film shoots across the organisation, and train and support BTO staff and volunteers with video projects to achieve the Digital Communications Strategy.
The successful applicant will have excellent videography skills, with proven experience in the production and editing of video content, knowledge of video editing software Adobe Premiere Pro or equivalent, and a good understanding of social media platforms, particularly YouTube. They will display an understanding of legal and ethical considerations in digital communications, such as copyright, and show a commitment to increasing equity, diversity, and inclusion. They will have a passion for nature with good knowledge of British birds and wider natural history, with the ability to translate BTO science into compelling videos for a range of audiences.
This position is based at our HQ in Thetford, Norfolk, although you will be able to work from home part of the time on a hybrid working regime and flexible start and finish times can also be accommodated to ensure a good work-life balance.
You can read the full role description by clicking on the role description under 'supporting documents' in the job details on our careers page. Please contact us if you are not sure if you meet all the criteria for the role and would like to discuss the role in more detail.
Please note that, if you are the successful candidate, you will be required to provide documentary evidence of your right to live and work in the UK. Unfortunately, we are not able to offer visa sponsorship at this time.
WHAT WE OFFER
- £33,954 per annum
- Annual Leave: 25 days per year (plus bank holidays), increasing with service to 26 days after 5 years, 28 days after 10 years, and 30 days after 15 years.
- Paid 'journey days' (up to 2 days) to staff who travel on holiday by land or sea instead of flying.
- Annual team away days
- Life assurance (four times salary)
- 11% employer pension contribution
- Employee Assistance Programme
- Enhanced sick pay
- Enhanced Family leave- Maternity, Adoption, and Shared Parental Leave, 12 weeks at full pay. Paternity and Partner leave, 4 weeks at full pay.
- Health cash plan which enables staff to claim back some healthcare expenses.
- Retail discounts through MyLifestyle.
- Cycling friendly employer- gold accredited
- Cycle to work scheme- spread the cost of purchasing a new bike and save money
- Discounts on: BTO books, Bird care from Vine House Farm (10% discount on orders placed on the website) and Opticron (15% off)
- Free access to BTO training courses
- Flexible working
- Free eye tests and a contribution of £49 towards prescription glasses for VDU use only.
- Free car parking
- Effective job evaluation policy that recognises where staff increase their level of responsibility over time
- Coaching and mentoring scheme
- Staff groups and forums, creating a positive and welcoming culture to work in.
Closing date for receipt of applications is 23:59 on Sunday 5th July and Interviews will be held in Thetford on Tuesday 21st July. If you have any questions, please contact us.
If you have a disability or long-term illness that otherwise prevents you from meeting any of the essential criteria, please contact us to discuss whether a reasonable adjustment could be made.
As users of the disability confident scheme, we guarantee to interview all disabled applicants who meet the essential criteria for the vacancy.
We recognise that candidates from minority ethnic groups are under-represented in our organisation, and that there are often additional barriers present for people from these groups when applying for roles in the charity sector and beyond. We are committed to taking positive action to expand the diversity of our staff team, and if you meet the essential criteria for a role and are from a minority ethnic background, you'll be guaranteed a first stage interview.
In cases where we receive a very high volume of applications, we may need to limit the number of Guaranteed Interview Scheme candidates progressing to interview.
Charity No. 216652 (E&W); SC039193 (Scotland)