Want to use your skills in media and communications to play a vital role in making clean water, decent toilets and good hygiene normal for everyone everywhere? Do you have a nose for a good news story and great writing skills, and are you full of creative ideas and passionate about making a difference to people’s lives around the world?
Join WaterAid as a Senior Media Officer to help us 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. On top of that, you’ll be joining a 2020 Great Place to Work® award-winning organisation.
The media team is part of WaterAid’s award-winning Communications and Fundraising Directorate, advising on media relations strategy, leading interaction with the UK and international media, and supporting country programmes and members with their press work.
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, key policy and advocacy moments, fundraising appeals and UK events. 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 ensure clean water, basic sanitation and good hygiene for all.
This is a full-time role, which may require some working from home while we transition back to normal working style. International travel may be required in the future.
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. Applications will close 23:59 on 17/10/2021. Availability for interviews is required w/c 18/10/2021. Applications will be reviewed on an on-going basis.
In this role, you will drive, develop and implement proactive and reactive media strategies 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.
You will also:
* Advise WaterAid staff up to the Chief Executive.
* Build and maintain excellent relationships with relevant journalists.
* 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.
* Write copy as required for print and web outlets, in-house or external.
* 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.
* Monitor and evaluate media coverage and make recommendations to managers.
* Join the 24/7 on-call rota.
To be successful, you will need:
* Proven experience of working in a busy press office or as a journalist.
* Experience of liaising with journalists of all levels
* Proven ability to devise and implement proactive campaigns or equivalent high-profile work as a journalist.
* Creativity and tenacity.
* Excellent command of written English to produce high quality media material.
* Excellent understanding and working knowledge of online media
* Ability to handle multiple projects and a variety of work simultaneously
Salary: £33,300 – £35,000 subject to experience with excellent benefits
- 36 days’ holiday (including 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
Additional Information:
WaterAid is currently located at Canary Wharf, London and this will be your location and contract base. Due to current restrictions on office capacity the majority of our staff are working from home. All aspects of this including how we are supporting homeworking and the office transition will be discussed at the interview stage with you.
We are unable to provide sponsorship for this post. In order to apply for this post, you must be able to demonstrate your eligibility to work in the UK.
WaterAid is committed to ensuring that wherever we work in the world there is no tolerance for the abuse of power, privilege or trust. WaterAid reinforces a culture of zero tolerance towards any form of inappropriate behaviour, abuse, harassment, or exploitation of any kind. The safeguarding of our beneficiaries, staff, volunteers and anyone working on our behalf, is our top priority and we take our responsibilities extremely seriously. All staff and volunteers are required to share in this commitment through our Global Code of Conduct. We will conduct the most appropriate pre-employment references and checks to ensure high standards are maintained.
WaterAid is an equal opportunities, disability-confident employer and committed to achieving the highest standards of diversity, fairness and equality. Should you have a disability and require any additional support, please contact us at [email protected].
