- Job title: Digital Content and Communications Officer
- Job Type: Permanent, Monday-Friday, 8am-5pm
- Salary: £28,000 - £32,000 per annum (£31,894-£36,451 if the full pension flex benefit is utilised)
- Department: Communications
- Reporting to: Head of Communications
- Location: Highgate, London
- Start: ASAP
- Closing Date: 27 February 2026 at 9:00 am
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This new position will play a vital role in the Communications team, building strong links across all three schools to gather engaging content and forge positive collaboration. The role offers a broad exposure across the marketing and communications function, making it an excellent opportunity for someone looking to build their skills and develop professionally.
The DepartmentThe Communications team at Highgate School works to support and enhance school objectives through strategic communications that engage a wide range of stakeholders. As a creative and collaborative team, we take a positive, problem-solving approach to every challenge, pooling our skills for maximum impact.
Shaping an authentic narrative that reflects the energy, curiosity and kindness of our school community is at the heart of the Communications vision. Through our social media channels, news stories, blog series, videos and photography, and school magazine the Highgate Journal, we endeavour to showcase the expertise, thoughtfulness and individuality of our staff and pupils, offering a deeper, more personal glimpse of life at Highgate.
"Highgate has allowed me to experience things I never would have dreamt to experience, meet people so unique I never would have approached them if I hadn't been in the same class as them, and given me a positive outlook on a future that is both wide open, and full of opportunity. Thank you, Highgate!,"
- A bursary recipient, class of 2022
Job Description
Main Responsibilities Content Creation- Act as the school's 'roving reporter' to produce essential content for Highgate's marketing and communications work. To include attending events, gathering staff and pupil quotes, writing reports, (ranging from short-form social media posts to longer news stories, articles and blogs) and deputising for the school photographer/videographer when needed.
- Contribute to editorial planning sessions for news, blogs, award entries, press editorial and the Highgate Journal magazine, to establish a consistent and compelling narrative that promotes key messages and staff expertise.
- Together with the Marketing and Communications Specialist monitor the Admissions calendar, helping to plan and generate targeted content to engage prospective parents at key times throughout the cycle.
- Upload and monitor content on Highgate's social media platforms, website and staff intranet.
- Produce written content for the school magazine, Highgate Journal - contributing to editorial planning, interviewing staff and pupils, shaping content into a variety of news and longform articles and sourcing suitable images.
- With support from the Head of Communications, prepare engaging copy for pitching and placing press editorial and preparing award entries - working with internal stakeholders to source ideas and fact check.
Digital Communications- Compile news highlights for the parent e-newsletter 'Highnotes' each term.
- Monitor daily educational news for coverage and issues of interest to the school. Download articles to circulate to key staff.
- Work closely with the Website and Digital Content Manager to keep the school's digital platforms up to date and relevant, including the website, Parent Portal and staff intranet. Liaise with internal stakeholders on a regular basis to fact-check /update copy and images.
- Support the Marketing and Communications Specialist and Commercial Team to promote the Mallinson Sports Centre holiday camps.
- Upload weekly content onto the digital screens around school (including lunch menus, society talks, pastoral and wellbeing information, etc).
Photography & Filming- Work with our school Filmmaker and Photographer to identify photo and film opportunities throughout the year that capture a sense of school life and complements written content. Support with school photography and film shoot preparations.
- Undertake in-house training to enhance photography/filming skills and deputise for the school Filmmaker and Photographer when required. Learning how to use the department cameras, vary style according to the demands of the event (news, blogs, features, socials), and adhering to the school's photography policy.
- Shortlist suitable photos and video for social media, news stories, blogs and magazine articles, helping to resize images.
Department Support- Work with the Marketing and Communications Specialist to conduct market research - profiling competitor schools, noting brand comparisons and developing a full picture of feeder schools.
- Help to maintain a clear and up-to-date filing system for the digital assets library (photos, videos, graphics).
- Administering parent permissions for photo/film use in line with the school's photo/film policy of safeguarding pupil imagery.
- Maintain a digital archive of press cuttings, liaising with the school Archive to share records.
- Support the smooth running of the Communications department, ordering stationary, preparing meeting minutes, among other things.
- Contribute ideas to communications planning sessions, with a creative, forward thinking and collaborative approach.
Person Specification
- Criteria
- How will these be tested or verified?
- Qualifications/ Professional Bodies
- Essential
- Degree level academic qualification.
- Experience
- Desirable
- Experience of working in an educational setting or working with young people.
- Experience of working in a marketing, communications or PR environment.
- Practical experience of using digital applications for communications.
- Skills/Knowledge
- Essential
- Excellent written and oral communication skills, able to quickly digest ideas and initiatives and translate into engaging copy.
- Ability to vary tone and style depending on the format.
Desirable
- An understanding of and affinity for the independent schools market.
- Knowledge and understanding of the educational landscape and topical issues.
- An eye for compelling imagery, with an interest to develop photographic & film skills (in-house guidance provided).
- Personal Attributes
- Essential
- Professional, approachable manner, able to relate to all members of the school community.
- Proactive and highly motivated, able to initiate opportunities.
- Organised and able to juggle a range of tasks and competing priorities.
- Creative and open minded, with excellent problem-solving skills.
- Confident working with children and young people.
BenefitsLocation | Highgate Village, adjacent to Hampstead Heath, with quaint shops and easy connections across London.
Pension | AVIVA workplace pension scheme offered with a generous 26% employer contribution, with the ability to flex up to 16% of this as additional non-pensionable salary, employees contribute a minimum of 5%.
Personal development | Comprehensive induction support for new staff. Focus on continued professional development for all employees.
Leisure facilities | Free access, at stipulated times, to our sports facilities, including a fitness suite and swimming pool (recently refurbished).
Lunch | A complimentary lunch.
Help with sustainable travel | Access to the Cycle to Work Scheme and a Season Ticket Loan scheme for public transport.
Family-friendly policies | Highgate appreciates that employees sometimes have family commitments so we try to be as supportive as possible, for example with enhanced maternity pay (8 weeks' full pay, then 10 weeks' half pay) and paid dependant leave.
Working at HighgateA culture of community, kindness and belongingHighgate is a caring, open-minded community, where we promote kindness, empathy and friendship. Everyone who works and studies with us deserves to feel they are part of a welcoming environment that enables them to be themselves and to thrive as individuals.
Our community extends beyond the school, through partnerships, charity work and our commitment to equality, inclusion and sustainability. All members of our school community are encouraged to look outwards and play an active role.
Following a visit from the Independent Schools Inspectorate (ISI) in September 2024 to assess Highgate's regulatory compliance and school standards, we are pleased to share the inspection findings, which reports compliance in all five areas and a 'significant strength' in our teaching expertise.
Staff wellbeingHighgate is committed to staff wellbeing, which we promote by encouraging a strong work-life balance; trying our best to support flexible working requests; providing a nutritious complimentary lunch in the dining hall; and offering access to sporting facilities including our recently renovated swimming pool.
The Staff Wellbeing Committee, with representatives across the School, meets regularly to drive forward initiatives, and a selection of staff have been trained as Mental-Health First Aiders.
We encourage an open culture throughout our school, with regular staff surveys, action committees and opportunities to feedback. We strive for continual learning and improvement, and staff training and development is paramount. There are opportunities to participate in the wider life of our school, such as taking part in trips or societies and getting involved in partnership projects.
More details about working at Highgate can be found here:
Work with us Aims + Ethos
A fun, collaborative and forward-thinking environment with a real sense of community
- Philippa Studd, Junior School Principal
Charitable work and sustainabilityAs an independent school, we want to use our position as a charity effectively: to make high-quality education accessible to as many children as possible - through our bursary programme at Highgate and through our work with local state schools. We have partnerships with over 60 state schools across 7 London boroughs, and we are the principal educational sponsor for London Academy of Excellence, Tottenham - an academically-selective state sixth form in a community where such opportunities are lacking.
Alongside this, our staff and pupils undertake charitable activities throughout the year. These range from staff giving up their time to neighbourhood schools and charitable organisations, focused fundraising campaigns, to pupils undertaking community work in the local area or further afield.
As a school, we have a central role to play in educating our pupils, staff and parents about the importance of environmental sustainability. We are taking positive action to adapt our operational performance to tackle the negative effects of climate change. We encourage all our staff to reflect upon their personal and professional practices, to support our environmental agenda and to make positive changes wherever possible.
Application procedure- Closing Date: 27th February 2026
- 1st Interview: w/c 2nd March 2026
- 2nd Interview: 17th + 18th March 2026
Contact: The Recruitment Team is happy to answer any questions about this post.
Early Application: Applications will be considered 'as and when' received and we may close the vacancy if we appoint before the closing date.
Apply here
InclusionWe know that more diverse teams are stronger teams, and that the more inclusive we are, the more our staff and pupils will feel a sense of belonging and will thrive. To enable us to make reasonable adjustments, please let us know of any disabilities (including neuro-divergence) when you submit your application.
SafeguardingAs this role will have regular unsupervised contact with children you must, if appointed, comply with Highgate's Safeguarding Policy and Staff Code of Conduct. If in the course of carrying out the duties of the post the post holder becomes aware of any actual or potential risks to the safety and welfare of our pupils, these concerns must be reported immediately in accordance with the Safeguarding Policy. If whilst in the post, Highgate becomes aware of any safeguarding concerns to staff, pupils or the community; these will need to be followed up in line with the safeguarding policy and code of conduct which is underpinned by KCSE and other legislation. These concerns may need to be shared with other agencies. A copy of these policies will accompany all offers of employment. Training will also be provided to all staff to support Safeguarding practice.
Please read before you applyHighgate is committed to the safeguarding and welfare of children and applicants must be willing to undergo child protection screening appropriate to this post, including checks with past employers, the Disclosure and Barring Service and overseas police check if necessary. Candidates from overseas must provide information about their past conduct, for example, by providing documents issued by overseas teaching authorities. DBS Privacy Policies
Please note that this role is 'exempt' from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and therefore, you are required to declare any convictions, cautions, reprimands and final warnings that are not 'protected' (i.e. filtered out) as defined by the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (as amended in 2013). Shortlisted candidates will be asked to provide details of all unspent convictions and those that would not be filtered, prior to the date of the interview. DBS Code of Practice
In accordance with the latest guidance from KCSIE, we shall be conducting online searches on any candidates who are shortlisted.