CAMPAIGN COMMUNICATIONS OFFICER

CAMPAIGN COMMUNICATIONS
OFFICER
(Job Reference: DO26002)

About
Magdalen

Magdalen College, founded in 1458, is one
of the largest and most beau(cid:2462)ful of the
colleges of the University of Oxford, set
in 100 acres of grounds which include the
Deer Park and Addison’s riverside walk.

Our community includes nearly 400
undergraduates, over 280 graduate
students, 75 Governing Body Fellows,
and some 140 non-academic sta(cid:64), as
well as over 9,400 alumni from all over
the world. For more than 500 years it
has been the home of poli(cid:2462)cians, poets,
scien(cid:2462)sts, adventurers, entrepreneurs,
and 10 Nobel laureates, as well as being a
choral founda(cid:2462)on with an interna(cid:2462)onally-
renowned choir.

The College, in conjunc(cid:2462)on with the
University, provides a world-class
educa(cid:2462)on through small-group tutorials
and academic supervision, and facilitates
research of the highest interna(cid:2462)onal
quality. Magdalen provides an outstanding
collegial experience for all members of its
community, with (cid:67)rst-rate facili(cid:2462)es and
a rich tradi(cid:2462)on of cultural and spor(cid:2462)ng
ac(cid:2462)vi(cid:2462)es. Equality of opportunity is
paramount: students are admi(cid:130)ed based
on their academic poten(cid:2462)al, while students
with limited (cid:67)nancial means are supported
by the Oxford Bursaries scheme and the
College’s generous Student Support Fund.

As a registered charity, the College’s funds
and endowment are managed to realise
its charitable aims and deliver its academic
and heritage missions. The College’s

largest single asset is the Oxford Science
Park, which provides an ongoing source of
income.

Over the next decade, Magdalen’s strategic
goals will be:

1. the pursuit of academic excellence,

broadly de(cid:67)ned

2. fostering a welcoming, inclusive, and

cohesive community

3. making a substan(cid:2462)al contribu(cid:2462)on to the

public good.

We shall con(cid:2462)nue to treasure the unique
beauty and tradi(cid:2462)ons of Magdalen,
whilst ensuring that the College provides
a sustainable and forward-looking
environment, supports individual needs,
and enables all those who live, work and
study at Magdalen to thrive.

Our speci(cid:67)c objec(cid:2462)ves include a
substan(cid:2462)al increase in the number of
graduate students, with funding for
those who need it; growing our (cid:89)agship
Access & Outreach programme; and some
transforma(cid:2462)onal building projects including
the provision of upgraded accommoda(cid:2462)on
for undergraduates, and a new café in the
heart of the College.

This appointment comes at an exci(cid:2462)ng
(cid:2462)me in the College’s long, dis(cid:2462)nguished
history with Magdalen’s biggest fundraising
campaign to date underway.

The Team

Magdalen’s social media enjoys one of the
highest levels of alumni engagement across
the collegiate University and increases the
College’s global reach.

The College’s approach to fundraising is
founded on high levels of posi(cid:2462)ve alumni
engagement in order to a(cid:130)ract, steward,
and maintain support from donors and
prospec(cid:2462)ve donors.

The College has a long-established
Development Office with a team of nine
(not including the Communications Team),
making it one of the larger Development
Offices in Oxford.

The successful candidate will report to the
Development Manager, and will work
alongside the Director of Development,
the Deputy Director of Development &
Head of Alumni Engagement, the Alumni
Engagement Manager, the Data &
Analytics Manager, the Alumni
Engagement Coordinator, the
Development Coordinator, and
the Development Trainee. While each
member has specific responsibilities, it is a
friendly “all hands on deck” office where
considerable teamwork is encouraged and
expected.

Magdalen has a highly engaged pool of
over 9,400 alumni spread across the world,
and concentrated in the UK and North
America. Development and alumni
relations at Magdalen has the full support
and engagement of the President and
wider Fellowship of the College.

Magdalen’s Development Office is
responsible for engaging alumni through a
variety of events, communications,
philanthropic participation and
volunteering opportunities. Around 1,200
of the College’s alumni make donations to
the College each year, while around 1,400
alumni attended at least one event last
year.

The Post

Overview of the role

Magdalen College is seeking to recruit a
highly motivated, creative and versatile
Campaign Communications Officer to join
the Development Team. This new role
comes at one of the most exciting times in
the College’s history with Magdalen’s
biggest fundraising campaign to date
underway, which includes a landmark new
quad for undergraduates, a new café in the
heart of the College, and the launch of
several new scholarships, alongside ongoing
fundraising priorities including the boat
club, Choir, and Access & Outreach.

The Campaign  Communications Officer will
play a central role in the success of this
ambitious campaign, delivering a wide range
of fundraising initiatives, writing compelling
fundraising copy for emails, direct mail and
marketing materials, and contributing
creatively to social media and video
content.

This role offers an exciting opportunity for
someone looking to advance a career in
fundraising or communications within the
higher education sector while gaining
hands-on experience in delivering a
high-profile capital campaign. While a
fundraising background is desirable, we
welcome applicants with transferable
marketing or communications skills.

The Campaign Communications Officer
must have excellent writing skills, and an
enthusiasm for fundraising. They will need
to be proactive and creative, able to work
both independently and in collaboration
with colleagues, and to manage varied
workloads to ensure the smooth running
of campaign activities.

This is a full-time two-year fixed-term
position with hybrid working options
available. The post-holder may occasionally
be expected to attend events in the
evenings and at weekends, for which time
off in lieu will be given.

Reporting
The Campaign Communications Officer will
report to the Development Manager. They
will work closely with other members of the
Development team.

• Contribute to the Development O(cid:76)ce’s
overall fundraising objec(cid:2462)ves by working
with fundraising colleagues to facilitate
the progression of mass appeal donors
into a pipeline of prospec(cid:2462)ve major and
legacy donors.

Donor rela(cid:2462)ons and stewardship

• Ensure all relevant fundraising

informa(cid:2462)on is updated on the College’s
website, including dona(cid:2462)on pages,
project updates and donor recogni(cid:2462)on.

• Work alongside the Data & Analy(cid:2462)cs
Manager to maintain accurate records
and ensure dona(cid:2462)ons are appropriately
matched with naming opportuni(cid:2462)es for
the building campaign.

Gi(cid:91) processing

• Work alongside the Development
Trainee to ensure all donations are
processed accurately, ensuring the end-
to-end completion of all donations
received.

• Cross-check, prepare and send all formal
acknowledgement letters for donations
and respond to various payment and
pledge-related enquiries. Communicate
the progress of donations to the
Development team on a weekly basis.
Any other tasks, duties and
responsibilities not listed above which
can reasonably be expected to be
performed or undertaken by a Campaign
Communications Officer, as required by
the Development Manager, to ensure
the department can operate an efficient
service at all times.

Responsibili(cid:2462)es

Campaign communica(cid:2462)ons and
fundraising

• Help to plan and deliver the multi-

channel mass fundraising for the capital
campaign via email, direct mail, website
and social media.

• Produce compelling copy and images for
fundraising communications, including
collaborating with the Communications
Team to produce video content for the
campaign, and liaising with internal and
external stakeholders (students, alumni
and staff).

• Assist with the delivery of a giving day

and related communications.
• Deliver the regular calendar of

fundraising communications for ongoing
fundraising priorities, such as Access and
Outreach, the Boat Club, the Choir and
the Student Opportunity Fund.

• Produce the annual hard copy Impact
Report: including identifying and
interviewing students for impact stories,
drafting copy, selecting images, working
with the designer on the layout, and
liaising with the printer and mailing house

• Contribute creatively to campaign

storytelling and communications, helping
to communicate the impact of
philanthropy to alumni and donors.
• Work regularly with the Development
Manager on the project management,
planning and execution of the campaign,
ensuring timelines and deadlines are
followed.

• With the support of the Data & Analytics
Manager, create segmented mailing lists
for audience-specific appeals via the
Development and Alumni Relations
System (DARS).

Person
Specification

Essen(cid:2462)al
•  Good general level of educa(cid:2462)on, ideally at degree level or equivalent
•  Demonstrable experience working in a similar role or excellent track record in

communica(cid:2462)ons and marke(cid:2462)ng.

•  Enthusiasm for fundraising and ability to inspire and mo(cid:2462)vate philanthropic giving.
•  Excellent wri(cid:130)en and spoken communica(cid:2462)on skills, including delivering the right

message to the right audience at the right (cid:2462)me and in the right way.

•  Accurate grammar, spelling and punctua(cid:2462)on.
•  Able to work calmly under pressure and able to priori(cid:2462)se and manage varied

workloads.

•  Strong IT skills, par(cid:2462)cularly Microso(cid:91) O(cid:76)ce (including Word, Excel, PowerPoint).
•  High personal and professional standards, a strong work ethic, impeccable a(cid:130)en(cid:2462)on

to detail and a sense of responsibility.

•  Understanding of alumni and College expecta(cid:2462)ons, including maintaining

con(cid:67)den(cid:2462)ality and ac(cid:2462)ng with discre(cid:2462)on.

•  Able to work on own ini(cid:2462)a(cid:2462)ve whilst also being willing to consult, seek advice,
receive feedback, adjust working methods and work e(cid:64)ec(cid:2462)vely within a team.

Desirable

•  Understanding of and familiarity with Oxford University and the collegiate system
•  Experience with CRM databases such as DARS
•  Understanding of GDPR and its compliance requirements

Salary and Bene(cid:67)ts

The salary will be £33,951 - £39,906 per annum (Grade 6 of the College Uni(cid:67)ed Pay Scale),
depending on skills and experience, plus Oxford Loca(cid:2462)on Allowance of £1,730 per annum.
We will also consider applica(cid:2462)ons from candidates with less direct experience on the scale
£30,378 – £35,608 per annum (Grade 5 of the College Uni(cid:67)ed Pay Scale), plus Oxford
Loca(cid:2462)on Allowance of £1,730 per annum.

Bene(cid:67)ts include:

•  Membership of contributory pension scheme
•  Free lunches in College
•  Car parking may be available
•  Use of sports facili(cid:2462)es
•  Op(cid:2462)onal contributory Healthcare Scheme
•  Bus pass purchase scheme
•  Holiday en(cid:2462)tlement is 30 days per annum plus bank holidays. Some restric(cid:2462)ons
may apply when holiday cannot be taken to ensure the smooth running of the
Development O(cid:76)ce. Some set days holiday must be taken when the College is
closed over Christmas.

•  The College provides for maternity leave on a basis that exceeds the statutory

provisions. This is a day one en(cid:2462)tlement and there is no qualifying period, women
are eligible for 26 weeks’ maternity leave on full pay, followed by 13 weeks of
leave on Statutory Maternity Pay (SMP) and 13 weeks of unpaid maternity leave.
Arrangements for Adop(cid:2462)on Leave, Shared Parental Leave, and Paternity Leave are
also in place. Magdalen College has a priority claim in the University nurseries.

Hours of work

37.5 hours per week, Monday to Friday. The hours of work will generally be 09.00 to
17.30. There will be a need to work some evenings or weekends at events, for which (cid:2462)me
will be given in lieu. Hybrid working available.

Applica(cid:2462)ons

The College is commi(cid:130)ed to maintaining a working, learning and social environment in
which the rights and dignity of all sta(cid:64), students and visitors are respected. We welcome
applica(cid:2462)ons from individuals from all backgrounds, including those under-represented
within higher educa(cid:2462)on. Recruitment, and progression within employment, will be
determined according to personal merit and the du(cid:2462)es and requirements of the post. In all
cases, the ability to perform the job will be the primary considera(cid:2462)on.

Please complete the College applica(cid:2462)on form and send it, together with the recruitment
monitoring form, (both of which can be found on our website at h(cid:130)p://www.magd.ox.ac.
uk/job-vacancies/) to Human Resources, Magdalen College, Oxford, OX1 4AU or human.
resources@magd.ox.ac.uk. The closing date for applica(cid:2462)ons is noon Monday 20th April
2026.  If you do not wish the College to contact your referees at this stage, please make
this clear in your applica(cid:2462)on.

All data supplied by applicants will be used only for the purposes of determining their suitability for the post and will be held in accord-
ance with the principles of the Data Protec(cid:2462)on Act 2018 and the College’s Data Protec(cid:2462)on Policy which can be found at:

h(cid:130)p://www.magd.ox.ac.uk/other-policies/data-protec(cid:2462)on/.