Job Application

Role: News and Media Specialist
Contract Authority: Medicines & Healthcare products Regulatory Agency
Contract Length: 6 months (Provisionally)
Location: Canary Wharf

Role Purpose

• Handle the Agency's profile and reputation on high profile, sensitive and day-to-day news and issues affecting the organisation and its remit confidently with the media and social media, responding to media enquiries as well as promoting, explaining and justifying its scientific expertise and wider contribution to public health and science nationally and globally.
• Implement and deliver effective news and issues management strategies at pace, developing and nurturing media and social media contacts, responding quickly and accurately to breaking or negative news stories to limit potentially damaging coverage and drive the Agency's reputation, evaluating outcomes and results.

Key responsibilities and results areas

• Implement, deliver and evaluate news and issues management strategies that supports the business priorities and culture change set out in the Agency's delivery plan and play an active part in the communications account management work

• Anticipate and monitor key news and media issues in a timely manner and provide news and issues management communications advice to all Agency staff as well as write, edit and publish content to style for our websites, using a content management system

• Produce high-quality handling plans that includes reactive lines to take, press notices, potential risks, core scripts, briefings and Q&As and considers the use of shareable social media content, ensuring work aligns and integrates with strategic communications priorities and narratives

• Develop, build and nurture professional relationships with journalists and social media influencers based on honesty, authority and credibility and stay up to date on media/social media trends

• Act as an Agency spokesperson, appropriately briefing media on issues, arranging media broadcast interviews as required, and participate in a 24-hour media on-call rota.

• Good knowledge and experience of working in a busy press office/media environment in a large, complex, expert organisation, including, ability to plan and react to fast-breaking news stories

• Experience of evaluating traditional media content and social media to assess performance and inform business decisions

• A good understanding of what drives reputation, with a demonstrable experience of delivering successful news and media strategies to deliver business objectives

If you are a News and Media Specialist seeking a new opportunity, please apply now.

Reference: 72325

Hafsa Akram