Senior research communications officer - #192739

Job Advert

Senior research communications officer

12 month fixed term contract – maternity cover

Contracted to our Peterborough office with the flexibility for hybrid working

Salary £29,000 - £34,000 Depending On Experience

Full time 37.5 hours per week

Be a part of an energetic and vibrant team who are driven by the desire to improve the lives of people living with kidney disease. Our vision is the day when everyone lives free from kidney disease.

Kidney disease affects one in ten people in the UK, yet it still doesn’t get the attention it deserves. At Kidney Research UK we are determined to change that. In this role, we are looking for an experienced senior research communications officer to help us drive increased engagement with our research across all audiences.

You will play a key role in bringing the research we fund and the partnerships we develop to life, telling our story in accurate and engaging way and raising the profile of Kidney Research UK.

You will work with colleagues across the charity, to develop, lead and deliver communications plans to support specific areas of our work, including partnerships with other medical charities and industry, and key strategic projects being led by Kidney Research UK.

You will build relationships with the researchers we fund to help create a sense of community, develop an in-depth knowledge about our research portfolio and encourage our research community to engage and work with us.

The successful candidate will be educated to degree level in life sciences with experience in a communications role in a health, medical, patient or research-related organisation.

If you’re ready to help us grow and strengthen our scientific communications, we’d love to hear from you.

If you are interested in the position, please complete the online application form and submit together with your CV.

We are committed to providing equal opportunities for everyone and encourage applications from all sections of the community.

Closing date: Monday 6 July 2026. We may extend the closing date, however, please apply as soon as possible.

Preliminary telephone interviews will be held on Friday 10 July 2026 and Wednesday 15 July 2026.

In-person interviews will be held in Peterborough on Monday 20 or Wednesday 22 July 2026.

No agencies please.

Department

Communications

Contract type

Fixed Term Contract

Hours

Full Time: 37.5 hours per week

Salary

£29,000 - £34,000 depending on experience

Benefits

We want all our employees to feel valued and engaged, and are committed to offering a positive working culture along with a good work-life balance. As well as ensuring we pay our employees fairly, we offer the following benefits:

• LOCATION
  
  

Our main office is set in the city centre, a short walk from the bus and train station, with direct services from Cambridge, Norwich, Birmingham, Leicester, Leeds, Liverpool, York, Newcastle and Edinburgh. London King’s Cross is just 45 minutes away. The building is adjacent to the A15, just a few minutes from the A1 and direct connections to the national road network. Cyclists also benefit from Peterborough’s Green Wheel, a network of routes in and around the city, providing safe links to all areas.

• FLEXIBLE WORKING Flexible working hours with start and finish times around core hours of 9.30 – 4.30.
• ANNUAL LEAVE All full time employees start with paid bank holidays plus another 26 days holiday, increasing with every year of service to a maximum of 31. This is calculated on a pro rata basis for part time employees. Employees have the option to "buy" or “sell” up to one-week annual leave, in a pre-set window prior to the start of the holiday year
• PENSION The charity makes a generous contribution of 6% to a group pension plan. Employees will need to contribute a minimum of 2%, to meet the current pension regulations. All employees are enrolled in the pension scheme as soon as they join the charity, regardless of their salary levels, whether they are on a permanent or fixed-term contract.
• PARENTAL LEAVE We comply fully with all legislation with relation to maternity, paternity, adoption and shared parental leave.
• SICK PAY Charity sickness benefit is available once an employee has worked with us for three months and equates to 2 weeks full pay, 2 weeks half pay in any rolling 52 week period. After one year’s service, this rises to 4 weeks full pay and 4 weeks half pay, and after two years to 8 weeks full pay and 8 weeks half pay.
• DEATH IN SERVICE Covers all employees after three months’ service, whether on permanent or fixed-term contract, and pays four times salary in the event of death while employed. The cover is provided up to your 65th birthday or the state pensionable age, whichever is greater.
• EMPLOYEE ASSISTANCE PROGRAMME A confidential email or phone line available to all employees who need support, advice or counselling with respect to work and non-work related issues.
• BIKE LOAN SCHEME We offer an interest free loan for employees who wish to purchase a bicycle, whether for travel to and from work or to enter an event for the charity.
• CYCLE2WORK SCHEME Through a salary sacrifice scheme, we offer a tax efficient way of purchasing a bicycle, for travel to and from work, where the cost is paid over 12 months.
• EYECARE We offer to cover the cost for eye tests and help towards glasses where these are required for computer work (in line with legislation).
• LEARNING AND DEVELOPMENT We offer a variety of webinars and training courses so that employees can develop and reach their full potential. There are regular sessions for knowledge sharing across the charity and opportunities to get involved in events, research visits and volunteering activities.
• PRIVATE MEDICAL INSURANCE All staff can choose to opt in to the private medical insurance, arranged and paid for by the charity, which includes dental and optical cover. Staff can include their partner and / or children at their own expense
• DISCOUNT PORTAL All employees can take advantage of free access to discounted Cards and Vouchers for top retailers.
• INTEREST FREE LOAN We offer an interest free loan scheme for all staff. Employees can borrow up to £1,000, which will be deducted over a 12-month period from your net salary (similar to a season ticket loan), but without the need to specify what the loan is for.
  
  

Closing date for applications

6th July, 2026

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Snr_Research_Comms_Officer_Job_Pack_June2026.pdf

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