Media Officer

Contract: Permanent 

Salary: £38,613- £41,852 p.a. (Inc London Weighting) 

Hours of work: Full time/35 hours per week 

Location: London Office/ Hybrid 

We reserve the right to close this vacancy early if we receive sufficient applications for the role. Therefore, if you are interested, please submit your application as early as possible. 

Who we are 

CAFOD is a leading international development agency in England & Wales and is a member of the Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC). 

CAFOD is part of one of the world’s largest aid networks (Caritas Internationalis) which has a presence in 193 countries and is the official aid agency of the Catholic Church in England and Wales. We work through Catholic and secular organisations to reach people of all faiths and none, and in places that others can’t. 

About the role 

This is the perfect role for a press officer with great news judgement, who is proactive about hunting out media opportunities, and tenacious about seeing ideas through until coverage appears.  

You’ll be comfortable pitching to a range of producers, journalists and editors, will have a sense of what makes a good broadcast spokesperson, and be confident helping colleagues to prepare for media opportunities. International development experience is not essential, but you’ll be able to show a strong interest in our work and be passionate about helping deliver our mission. 

We are looking for a creative go-getter with lots of ideas about how to secure media coverage for our work. You should be able to write well and build relationships with a wide range of people around the world. In return, you’ll be given room to flourish and supported to raise the profile of CAFOD, and will also have the chance to work on humanitarian appeals launched by the Disasters Emergency Committee.  

Essential criteria for the role will include:  

• Experience of securing media and PR coverage 

• Experience working with digital teams, to ensure a “digital first” approach to media  

• Experience turning complicated issues into newsworthy stories  

• Experience coming up with your own ideas to generate media coverage 

• Experience creating captivating and inspiring content 

• A passion for international development and the values of CAFOD 

Safeguarding 

All CAFOD staff share the responsibility to promote and maintain a strong safeguarding culture, including identifying the key actions they should take given their role and responsibilities.  

Why Choose CAFOD?  

 At CAFOD we value our employees and are committed to offering a healthy work–life balance and promoting the well-being of our employees.  

Hybrid working with at least 40% of your time in the London Office.  

As well as the exciting opportunities this role presents, we also offer great benefits, some of which are below.  

• 34 days holiday (20 days annual leave, 8 bank holidays and 6 closure days)  

• Additional 10 days annual leave purchase scheme  

• Enhanced Pension (6% - 17.5% contribution)  

• Cycle to work scheme and season ticket loan  

• Enhanced Maternity, paternity and adoption pay  

• Enhanced Sick pay & income protection  

• Life Assurance x 3 annual salary  

• Employee Assistance Programme  

 We offer all our employees learning and development opportunities, we provide training, coaching and mentoring to support your development in various aspects of our work.  

CAFOD is committed to being an anti-racist organisation and we are keen to increase the diversity of our teams. We are particularly keen to seek out applications from people of Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic backgrounds.  

There's room for everyone: Catholics and non-Catholics; people of all faiths and none. We employ people of all ages and ethnicities in all corners of the world. The result? A friendly and open-minded organisation.  

Safeguarding for Children and Vulnerable Adults  

CAFOD recognises the personal dignity and rights of children and vulnerable adults, towards whom it has a special responsibility and a duty of care and respect.  CAFOD, and all its staff and volunteers, undertake to do all in our power to create a safe environment for children, young people and vulnerable adults and to prevent their physical, sexual or emotional abuse.  CAFOD is committed to acting at all times in the best interests of children and vulnerable adults, seeing these interests as paramount.  Any candidate offered a job with CAFOD will be expected to adhere to CAFOD’s Safeguarding policy and sign CAFOD’s Code of Behaviour as an appendix to their contract of employment and agree to conduct themselves in accordance with the provisions of these documents.   

All offers of employment will be subject to satisfactory references, and appropriate screening checks can include criminal records and terrorism finance checks. CAFOD also participates in the Inter Agency Misconduct Disclosure Scheme. In line with this Scheme, we will request information from job applicants’ previous employers about any findings of sexual exploitation, sexual abuse and/or sexual harassment during employment, or incidents under investigation when the applicant left employment. By submitting an application, the job applicant confirms their understanding of, and consent to, these recruitment procedures.