Reporting to: Debbie McVitty, Editor
Based: fully remote, with monthly visits to London and occasional travel within the UK
About Wonkhe
Founded in 2011, Wonkhe is the home of the higher education debate, leading the national conversation about higher education policy and universities in the UK.
We supply critical intelligence and information services to the higher education sector through our daily email briefings, publish articles from a diverse range of voices on Wonkhe.com, and build connections across our community of higher education professionals through our public and private events. We also have a thriving community of students’ union subscribers and we work with a wide range of partner organisations that share our goals and support our work.
We are a small, driven team, working at a fast pace, that values autonomy, creativity and quality. Our readers trust the analysis and information we provide, and use it to inform their thinking and professional lives in higher education. We all have a big commitment to the success of universities, and we expect everyone in the team to share that goal.
The role
The editorial assistant is central to the smooth operation and delivery of Wonkhe’s editorial work. They ensure an efficient flow of intelligence for the editorial team through actively building networks and contacts with comms and press offices, and support the production of email briefings, our weekly podcast The Wonkhe Show, articles on the site, and events. There is significant scope for personal development within the role, depending on the interests and aspirations of the postholder.
The postholder will need to be prepared to start work early (6-6.30am) four days a week to support the production of the Daily briefing, which goes out at 8.00am every day. Other than this, work patterns can be flexible and we provide full support and technology for working remotely.
Person specification
We are looking for someone who is highly organised, with strong attention to detail, comfortable working without close supervision, and keen to build your career and networks in higher education and/or media and communications. If you are ready to learn and thrive in a fast-paced environment where standards are high, we want to hear from you. You will need:
- A keen interest in higher education policy, politics, and universities
- Knowledge of and interest in digital and social media
- Ability to organise and manage a diverse workload, prioritise tasks, and reliably produce to tight deadlines
- A self-starter, comfortable with working remotely and flexibly to support the wider team
- Developed communication skills, with excellent written English
- Able to network, collaborate and build relationships inside and outside organisations
- Meticulous in producing high quality work, with strong attention to detail
- Digital and IT literate, with an openness to mastering unfamiliar systems
Job description
Running and maintaining Wonkhe’s intelligence grid. You will develop relationships in the sector, keep a close eye on happenings in the UK government and devolved administrations and hunt down numerous sources to find out what’s going on in higher education to help keep us ahead of the curve.
A leading role in Wonkhe’s email briefings. You will lead on the inclusion of vital content in the Wonkhe Daily Tuesday-Friday, especially Parliamentary content (including written questions), news and media roundup and the day’s agenda. You will also provide assistance in the production of our flagship email briefing, Wonkhe Mondays.
Supporting all Wonkhe editorial activity. You will support the commissioning, editing and writing of Wonkhe articles, liaising with contributors, undertaking research and managing the publication of content to the website. You will write a weekly briefing for our SU subscribers.
Podcast. You will support the production of The Wonkhe Show, briefing guests on the issues of the week and lining up other content as required.
Driving our social media presence. You will work with the team on maintaining and growing our social media channels and use these to engage our community, extend our reach and connect wonks to our leading content.
Other activity as required… Wonkhe is a small team and so there’s always an opportunity to get involved and pitch in.
To apply email samantha@wonkhe.com with a CV and covering letter setting out how you meet the person specification for the role no later than 09.00am on Monday 11 October.
Interviews will be held on Friday 15 October and will be held remotely. If you have any questions about the role please contact debbie@wonkhe.com.