PR Manager

Closing Date: 7 July 2024

Ref 6760

Save the Children UK's PR Manager is an exciting role working to deliver media campaigns that have real impact.

• Do you have experience working in a busy, high-pressure Press Office, Public Relations agency or in-house?
• Do you have experience developing and executing PR strategies, including across multiple media platforms and involving different stakeholders?
• Do you have a track record of successfully obtaining media coverage in a variety of outlets for PR initiatives?
• Are you an excellent communicator with negotiation skills and the ability to adapt to different audiences?
• Do you have a commitment to Save the Children mission, values and approach (includes child focus, equal opportunities)?

If the answers to these questions are yes, we would love to hear from you!

Note:

To avoid disappointment, you are advised to submit your application as soon as possible as we reserve the right to close the vacancy early if a high volume of applications are received. This is to ensure that we can manage application levels whilst maintaining a positive candidate experience. Unfortunately once a vacancy has closed, we are unable to consider further applications.

About Us

Save the Children UK believes every child deserves a future. In the UK and around the world, we work every day to give children a healthy start in life, the opportunity to learn and protection from harm. When crisis strikes, and children are most vulnerable, we are always among the first to respond and the last to leave. We ensure children's unique needs are met and their voices are heard. We deliver lasting results for millions of children, including those hardest to reach.

Job Purpose

Reporting to our PR Lead, the PR Manager will play a crucial role raising the profile of Save the Children UK amongst key target audiences, by developing and delivering projects that command media attention and coverage.

As a key member of the PR, Artists & Broadcast team, the appointee will apply their experience working with the media to shape major income- and influence-generating campaigns and build our brand.

You will also work alongside a wide spectrum of internal and external stakeholders, including high-profile ambassadors, influencers and corporate partners.

As a rights-based organisation, we are committed to anti-racism and actively opposed systemic oppression of any form. You will support our commitment to celebrate diversity, challenge inequality, and build an inclusive environment for every one of our employees so we can better represent the children we protect.

The PR Manager's key duties will be:

Strategy and Project Management

Work closely with team members in other departments within Save the Children to provide excellent PR support to develop and execute creative ways to deliver on Save the Children's objectives. Delivery to include:

• Brand – Build high profile and positive perceptions of Save the Children and its cause across all audiences via PR. Communicate our brand promise and build understanding with the public and opinion formers, demonstrating the depth, scale, impact and complexity of our work.

• Campaigns – Provide PR support to deliver across high–profile moments across Save the Children's major campaigns such as Christmas Jumper Day in order to achieve mass audience engagement.
• Compelling storytelling - Engage audiences through impactful child-centric stories, championing children's voices in order to empower the communities we work with.
• Reputation management – Support the wider team to protect Save the Children's reputation and identify issues relating to corporate risk management.

Delivering Media Coverage

• Develop and execute mass-market PR plans that amplify key strategic campaigns and initiatives across the calendar year, including brand, fundraising and advocacy priorities.
• Identify and maximise opportunities to generate reactive media coverage, responding effectively to external events, news and the cultural conversation.
• Write, co-ordinate and issue media releases, statements, briefing materials and Q&As, including for high-profile spokespeople and corporate partners, if required.
• Plan, manage and participate in overseas and UK trips to Save the Children programmes for the purpose of generating coverage and content – including hosting journalists and high-profile supporters.
• Commission and manage multimedia crews and organise PR shoots, with the purpose of generating world-class film and photography content that commands media attention.
• Develop and nurture close working relationships with journalists (especially those on features, women's, lifestyle, showbiz outlets) across print, digital and broadcast media - including a diverse range of outlets beyond mainstream media.
• Leverage social media and new technologies develop digital-first PR campaigns, including influencer activations.
• Represent Save the Children as spokesperson externally, networking and building relationships that support brand building activity in the media.
• Take part in the on-call and out of hours media rota. This will see you handling media enquiries and proactively pushing out stories on the weekend and out of hours during the week.
• Support PR Leads and Head of PR, Artists and Broadcast as required in the smooth-running of the team, including chairing meetings and carrying out administrative tasks.

About you

To be successful in this role, it is important that you have: 

• Experience working in a busy, high-pressure Press Office, Public Relations agency or in-house.
• Experience developing and executing PR strategies, including across multiple media platforms and involving different stakeholders.
• Excellent personal contacts with journalists, PR and Marketing professionals.
• A track record of success in obtaining media coverage in a variety of outlets for PR initiatives, backed up by portfolio of coverage.
• Outstanding ability to pitch stories to key external contacts and senior media professionals.
• Willingness to travel within the UK and overseas, often at short notice.

Abilities:

• Exceptional organisational skills, including ability to juggle short-term projects with longer-term ones.
• Sound strategic thinking and planning skills, including ability to manage time effectively and set deadlines.
• Excellent communication and negotiation skills with the ability to express self clearly, persuasively and a cohesive way and tailor communications to different audiences.
• Demonstrated ability to meet deadlines and make decisions on what to prioritise when working under pressure on a number of projects.
• Excellent writing skills – including writing compelling press releases, features and comment pieces.
• Commitment to Save the Children mission, values and approach (includes child focus, equal opportunities).

Closing date: Midnight Sunday 7th July

Please note: To avoid disappointment, you are advised to submit your application as soon as possible as we reserve the right to close the vacancy early if a high volume of applications are received. This is to ensure that we can manage application levels whilst maintaining a positive candidate experience. Unfortunately once a vacancy has closed, we are unable to consider further applications.

Ways of Working:

The majority of our roles can be performed remotely in the UK, but there are likely to be times when you will be required to come to your contracted office (up to 2-4 days per month or 6-8 days per quarter).  This will be agreed with your Line Manager and team and is intended to be time spent on collaborating with colleagues and relationship building. 

Please note: travel costs to your contracted office will be at your own expense. 

Flexible Working - We are happy to discuss flexible working options at interview.

Commitment to Diversity & Inclusion: 

Save the Children UK believes in a world that is fair, inclusive and equitable where all children have the opportunity to change their world. We apply this to our workforce and we are committed to developing and supporting a diverse, equitable, and inclusive organisation where all employees have a sense of belonging and feel that they can be "Free to Be Me". We are not looking for just one type of person - we want to recruit people who can add fresh perspectives, innovative ideas or challenge that disrupts the risk of group think. 

We are especially interested in people whose childhood experiences - of life on a low income, of migration, of being in a racialised community, of the care system, of being LGBT+ or in an LGBT+ family or living with (or with someone with) a disability - help us to see things we might otherwise miss. Whatever your story is we want to hear it because we know that different voices, ideas, perspectives and knowledge, working together will enable us to better the lives of children around the world. This is the reason why we are all here.