Communications Officer

As a Communications Officer, you will help people understand important information by creating clear, engaging content and sharing key messages with different audiences. You will use your communication skills to build relationships, tell stories, and keep staff, partners, and the public informed and connected.

Communications Officer is also known as Public Relations Officer, Communications and Engagement Officer, Marketing Officer.

Role Characteristics

Create clear, engaging content for websites, newsletters, social media, and other communication channels
Build relationships with staff, partners, service users, community groups, and the media
Gather stories, case studies, and feedback to share the impact of services and initiatives
Monitor communication activity and identify ways to improve audience engagement
Develop and deliver communication plans to support different projects, services, and priorities
Explain complex information in a way that different audiences can easily understand

Skills

Active listening
Attention to detail
Communication
Creative thinking
Public speaking
Written communication

Day in the life

Watch this video to learn more about the work of a Communications Officer

Routes into this role

Here are some example routes that can lead into this role.

GCSEs

BTEC, T-Level or A-Levels

Undergraduate degree

Degree apprenticeship

Foundation degree

How to become

To become a Communications Officer, you will typically need a degree in Communications, Public Relations, Journalism, English, Marketing, Media, or a related subject. There are many ways to access university level education and you can explore lots of current opportunities in the section below.

You might:

Study A Levels, BTECs, or T Levels. Useful subjects might include English Language, English Literature, Media Studies, Business Studies, or Digital Production. Explore some current opportunities below.
Complete an Access to Higher Education course, a college course designed for adults who want to access higher education but do not have the traditional requirements like A Levels.
Complete a Foundation Year, a year-long university course designed to prepare you for studying Communications, Public Relations, Journalism, Media, or English if you do not have the required qualifications or grades to go straight into a degree.

You will then be ready to study at university level. This can include:

Studying an undergraduate degree in Communications, Public Relations, Media, Marketing, or a related subject.
Complete a Degree Apprenticeship and gain experience in the workplace while also studying a degree level qualification.

Alongside education, you may also want to build some relevant work or voluntary experience in student media, community organisations, social media, hosting events, or working in customer-facing roles and think about developing your written communication, relationship-building, and organisation skills.

Where can this role lead

From your role as a Communications Officer, you could specialise in community engagement and public information roles such as a Community Fundraiser, Community Champions, Community Development Support Worker, or Health Trainer, helping people understand important information and make positive decisions about their health and wellbeing.

Your communication, relationship-building, and stakeholder engagement skills would also translate well into sideways moves such as Marketing Officer, Care Navigator, Employment Advisor, or Social Prescriber, where clearly communicating information and supporting people to access services are key parts of the role.

Progression might look like moving into leadership positions such as Project Manager or Head of Communications, taking responsibility for larger programmes of work or managing the work of a team.