Education And Engagement Officer, Wales Gene Park

Job Purpose
Support the University within Wales Gene Park (WGP) genetics/genomics education & engagement, carrying out supporting work, providing advice, guidance and support, and leading projects within this area.
Duties and Responsibilities
Key Duties

• Provide professional advice and guidance on Wales Gene Park Education & Engagement processes and procedures to internal and external customers, using judgement and creativity to suggest the most appropriate course of action where appropriate, and ensuring complex and conceptual issues are understood
• Investigate and analyse specific issues within genetics/genomics education & engagement, creating recommendation reports, supported by advances within the field
• Ensure that the provision of the Wales Gene Park genetics/genomics education & engagement is delivered to the institution, proactively changing the delivery according to customer requirements
• Collaborate with others in order to make recommendations for developments of established processes and procedures
• Establish working relationships with key contacts, developing appropriate communication links with the University’s Schools/Directorates and outside bodies as required
• Create specific working groups from colleagues across the University to achieve Wales Gene Park Education & Engagement objectives
• Supervise specific project teams on an occasional basis to accomplish key objectives
• Develop and deliver training within genetics/genomics education & engagement
• Undertake a variety of administrative duties to support the department
• Instruct and guide other employees across the University within genetics/genomics education & engagement as required

Specific Duties

• Work with the Senior Education & Engagement Officer, Education & Engagement Manager (Wales Gene Park Education & Engagement staff), clinicians, academics and other professionals in the development of initiatives to engage a range of audiences with genetics/genomics and to deliver the WGP Education & Engagement programme
• Identify a range of audiences amongst specific professional, educational & patient groups and the wider public and, in conjunction with the WGP Education & Engagement staff, develop and deliver events that promote further engagement with genetics/genomics
• Identify new and innovative ways of engaging with specific audiences and to assist with applying for funding to run specific projects as required
• Communicate genetics information effectively and professionally with a wide range of audiences both orally and in writing and to deliver effective presentations
• Contribute content for reports, newsletters, leaflets and grant applications associated with the WGP Education & Engagement Programme and assist with circulation
• Assist with maintaining and further developing the WGP communications databases and assist with developing and circulating marketing material via these contacts
• Assist with the development of web content promoting the education & engagement programme and help ensure that the WGP website is kept up to date
• Help identify involvement opportunities for patients/public and follow up on these opportunities, feeding this information back for inclusion in WGP reports
• To deliver and attend events across Wales, some of which will take place in the evenings and at weekends and will require overnight stays away from Cardiff

General Duties

• Ensure that an understanding of the importance of confidentiality is applied when undertaking all duties
• Abide by University policies on Health and Safety and Equality and Diversity
• Perform other duties occasionally which are not included above, but which will be consistent with the role

Essential Criteria
Qualifications and Education
1. Degree/NVQ 4 or equivalent qualification in Biological Science
Knowledge, Skills and Experience
2. Evidence of strong interpersonal skills coupled with the ability and experience required to work with a wide range of audiences (i.e. health professionals, students, patients, and the public)
3. Good knowledge and experience of working within science communication and a sound understanding of genetics/genomics with excellent presentation skills and experience of authoring content, ensuring accurate and effective dissemination of this information to the various target audiences
4. Ability to assist with operational planning and implementation of project activities, and to set up standard office systems and procedures; proficiency in common IT packages including all MS Office applications, together with a good understanding of, and ability to use, social media tools
Customer Service, Communication and Team Working
5. Evidence of ability to assimilate, analyse and convey conceptually detailed and complex information in a clear, effective, accurate manner, in both oral and written form, ensuring that content is suitable for the intended audience
6. Excellent organisational ability with a willingness to work flexibly (some events will take place at weekends/in the evening and across Wales)
7. Creative thinker, able to identify opportunities to develop new initiatives to engage various audiences to increase the reach of the Wales Gene Park, and evidence of ability to explore customers’ needs and adapt the service accordingly to ensure a quality service is delivered
Planning, Analysis and Problem Solving
8. Evidence of solving expansive problems using initiative and creativity; ability to identify and propose practical solutions and provide advice and recommendations; experience of producing reports on, and analysing, activities delivered
9. Ability to identify opportunities to develop new initiatives, adjusting work and planning as new projects develop, to engage various audiences and to increase the reach of the Wales Gene Park
10. Evidence of ability to work unsupervised, independently and collaboratively, coupled with as part of a team, to deadlines and with a close attention to detail; the ability to be proactive, flexible, and adaptable in approach, planning and setting priorities for own work and that of others, while working on different projects simultaneously, and monitoring progress
Desirable Criteria
11. Possession of a full driving licence
12. Fluency in Welsh, written and oral
13. Science Communication qualification
14. Experience of working in Higher Education and/or Healthcare environment

The post holder will be required to be flexible as some events are held in the evenings and at weekends. The Wales Gene Park programme covers the whole of Wales, so the successful candidate must be willing to travel in order to deliver events. This may involve occasional overnight stays away from Cardiff.
How we will support you in performing in this role –
There are some things that you must have before you can start this role (see ‘Essential Criteria’), but other things can be developed either through training, or just by general on-the-job experience. We want to support and develop you once you have started in the role using a combination of the following to get the best out of you:
1. Regular one-to-ones with your manager
2. An experienced and supportive team around you
3. Supporting you through job-relevant training and development that you may require
4. A mentoring scheme
IMPORTANT: Evidencing Criteria
It is School of Medicine's policy to use the person specification as a key tool for short-listing. Candidates should evidence that they meet ALL of the essential criteria as well as, where relevant, the desirable. As part of the application process you will be asked to provide this evidence via a supporting statement.
Please ensure when submitting this document / attaching it to your application profile you name it with the vacancy reference number, in this instance for this post, 17976BR.
If candidates do not provide written evidence of meeting all of the essential criteria then their application will not be progressed. The School of Medicine welcome the submission of CVs to accompany evidence of the job-based criteria.

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