Senior Media Officer

Senior Media Officer

Contract:
12 Months Fixed Term Contract, Full-time, 35 hours per week

Salary:
£39,358 – £41,325 per annum with excellent benefits

Location:
London, UK

Hybrid Working:
A minimum of 40% of working time is spent face to face, either in London office, or as a result of external engagement or travel for WaterAid. WaterAid is located at Canary Wharf, London and this will be your location and contract base.

About WaterAid:

From delivering proactive data-driven stories on the global water crisis, to creating impactful media stunts and campaigns and responding to breaking news such as flooding events and disease outbreaks, the role of a Senior Media Officer at WaterAid is varied and exciting.

If you have sound news judgement, a creative approach to PR, excellent writing skills and are passionate about making a difference to people’s lives across the globe, this could be the role for you. Join WaterAid as a Senior Media Officer to change normal for millions of people so they can unlock their potential, break free from poverty and change their lives for good.

This role will be pivotal in delivering high impact, high profile UK and global media coverage for upcoming priority advocacy moments and public engagement campaigns, as well as supporting the day to day running of a reactive press office function.

About the Team:

To support an exciting and busy time in the WaterAid UK communications team, we are seeking an experienced Senior Press Officer to join our team on a 12 month contract. This role will involve close collaboration with our UK teams, country and regional offices, as well as managing relationships with external partners and stakeholders.

This is a full-time, Monday to Friday role. You will be expected to take part in our out of hours press office rota approx. every 8 weeks, and international may be required from time to time.

About the Role:

You will ideally have newsroom or busy press office or agency experience, work well under pressure, and be full of creative media ideas. As a news driven, creative and ambitious Senior Media Officer, you will lead on a wide range of media activities including timely statements, ground-breaking research reports, fundraising appeals and events, and key policy and advocacy moments.

You will also work on projects with celebrity ambassadors, corporate partners and staff from across WaterAid’s global federation – all in support of WaterAid’s mission to change normal for millions of people living without water, decent toilets and good hygiene so they can unlock their potential, break free from poverty and change their lives for good.

You will drive, develop and implement proactive and reactive media strategies, use your warm media contacts and build new contacts to achieve organisational communications objectives, including increasing awareness of the global water and sanitation crisis as well as our work around the world and our policy, fundraising and campaigning activities.

Specific responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

• Write audience centric media strategies for advocacy research and reports and campaigns, with political and public stakeholders in mind.
• Build and ensure effective media relations by establishing and nurturing relationships with key journalists and media outlets, maintaining media lists using relevant media databases.
• Ensure a responsive, agile news desk and respond to enquiries on the key issues we work on.
• Draft and distribute first class media materials, including press releases, media messages, statements, op-eds and thought leadership pieces, and lines against enquiry.
• Integrate media activity across communications and the wider communications and fundraising directorate to ensure media work is impactful and supports wider strategic objectives.
• Advise WaterAid staff up to the Chief Executive using your media expertise.
• Build on and maintain excellent relationships with teams across the organisation and in countries where we work.
• Help drive WaterAid’s online media work and engage with bloggers, online journalists and social media influencers.
• Evaluate and report back on key campaigns to the team and rest of the organisation
• Brief journalists on and off the record, arrange radio and TV interviews where necessary and brief staff in preparation.
• Join the 24/7 on-call rota

About You:

• Proven experience in media relations, working in a busy press office, agency or as a journalist.
• Experience of working in a large, matrix organisation
• Experience of liaising with journalists of all levels
• Strong understanding of the UK and global media landscape, with an excellent nose for a story and established relationships with key journalists and media outlets for major UK and global titles.
• Proven experience in launching policy and research reports and data-driven stories to the media
• Proven experience on working on public engagement and supporter focused media
• Excellent command of written English and editing skills, with the ability to craft compelling media materials and media messages at the highest quality
• Experience in developing and executing media strategies and securing impactful coverage.
• To have initiative, deadline driven, strong project management skills, able to work autonomously while contributing to a high performing team
• Willing to travel within and outside of the UK infrequently on travel to further media objectives.
• Creativity and tenacity.
• Ability to handle multiple projects and a variety of work simultaneously

Although not essential, we also prefer you to have:

• Experience running events with media audiences or attendance, including organising press events/press conferences.
• Experience of working on international issues including development, rights or humanitarian.
• Good understanding of social media
• Experience of working with corporate partners

Closing date
: Applications will close 23:59 on Wednesday 20th November, 2024
. Availability for interview is required week commencing Monday 25th November 2024.

How to Apply
: To see the full job pack, please click ‘Apply’. Please apply by submitting your CV and a cover letter into one document in either Word Document or PDF format.

Pre-employment screening:
In order to apply for this post, you must be able to demonstrate your eligibility to work in the UK. All our vacancies require a basic Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check to comply with our Safer Recruitment policy.

Our Benefits:

• 36 days’ holiday (including 8 Bank Holidays)
• Option to buy an extra 5 days annual leave
• We offer a generous pension plan with employer contribution of up to 10%
• Wide range of flexible and agile-working arrangement
• Season Ticket Loan
• Free annual eye tests
• Pay as You Give charitable giving scheme
• Enhanced Maternity and Adoption/Surrogacy pay, Shared Parental Leave and Paternity Leave
• Sabbaticals
• Volunteer Day

Our Commitment

Our People Promise:

We will work with passion and focus to ensure safe and sustainable water, toilets and hygiene are available to everyone, everywhere. WaterAid is a place of purpose – where people have a real commitment and shared responsibility for the impact we have. We are a global community with diverse backgrounds and perspectives, motivated by inspiring, stimulating work. We are determined to put the wellbeing of our people first, to be a place where people feel safe and able to contribute their voice and truly live our values.

Equal opportunities:

We are an equal opportunity, disability-confident employer and are dedicated to achieving the highest standards of diversity, equity and inclusion. We welcome applications from people of all backgrounds, beliefs, customs, traditions and ways of life. This includes, but is not limited to, race, gender, disability, age, sexual orientation, religion, national or social origin, health status, and economic or social situation.

Safeguarding:

We are also committed to protecting everyone we come into contact with. We have a zero-tolerance approach to abuse of power, privilege or trust across our global work, and any form of inappropriate behaviour, discrimination, abuse, bullying, harassment, or exploitation. Safeguarding the people and communities we work with, our staff, volunteers and anyone working on our behalf is our top priority, and we take our responsibilities extremely seriously.