• Country: UK
• Vacancies No: N/A
  
• Salary: N/A 
• No of Jobs: N/A
  
• Education: N/A 
• Experience: N/A
  
• Gender: Both

KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES

Generating and maintain strategic IRC UK messaging and planning

● Work alongside global communications colleagues, Policy & Advocacy colleagues and UK Fundraisers to develop appropriate messaging on key proactive and reactive issue areas across the scope of IRC’s work.

● Collaborate with Digital colleagues to ensure pro/reactive message accuracy and cut through calls to action that engage audiences for proactive campaigns and news cycle opportunities.

● Feed into the development of the UK communications strategy and ensure media plans contribute to its goals

● Ensure that the UK media team contributes to other team’s business objectives, leading to the inclusion of UK advocacy, policy, AMU and fundraising asks in the strategic comms plan and in the UK media material produced.

● Work with digital and UK entertainment relations colleagues for co-ordination of communications activities

Generating coverage

● Pro-actively promote the IRC’s work, with particular focus on UK top-tier, regional and local outlets and in accordance with the UK Communications team’s strategy and objectives.

● Develop communications plans, collaborate on cut-through policy/research products, write, review, edit and manage team to disseminate press releases, statements, op eds and briefings in conjunction with country staff and policy and advocacy colleagues.

● Lead on supporting and preparing spokespeople, board members, luminaries and other representatives for media interviews and programme visits across the organisation.

● Contribute to the development of content for distribution on IRC channels, and work closely with the wider communications team to ensure to successful development of topical and engaging outputs to showcase the IRC’s global work to UK audiences.

● Respond to journalist enquiries in a timely manner to meet external deadlines; provide background information, arrange interviews and facilitate visits as required.

● Build expertise on current and potential issues in the humanitarian NGO arena through research and monitoring of national media, and competitors and in liaison with US colleagues.

● Be flexible as to working hours, in particular when unforeseen circumstances arise which require speedy responsiveness to media enquiries.

● Provide surge support to global media team in emergencies.

● Willingness to travel, often at short notice.

Team Management / Stakeholder engagement

● Ensure colleagues across departments are successfully alerted to important news coverage, news alerts and opportunities.

● Manage the Communications Officers

● Manage any interns when required.

● Ensure the media monitoring system is accurately reporting coverage and media contacts lists are up to date.

External Relationship development

● Identify and build relationships with key journalists and media outlets in UK covering issues relevant to the IRC, across print, broadcast, online and social media.

● Represent IRC externally and build close relationships with press counterparts within partner organisations, other NGOs and statutory donors that lead to opportunities to promote IRC in the media and among target audiences.

●  Explore opportunities for media partnerships that can raise the profile of the IRC in target the UK. –

PERSON SPECIFICATION

Essential

Experience

● Experience as a journalist or media professional.

● Strong professional experience in communications, international affairs or related field. 

● Experience / knowledge of developing and implementing PR / Media strategies with an international, ideally humanitarian, or development focus.

● Experience / knowledge of online and other tools for monitoring media coverage.

Skills and knowledge

● Creative thinker who can identify opportunities and collaborate internally to produce external products that cut through into media and meet strategic IRC UK objectives.

● Good contacts with key UK journalists and media outlets, and knowledge and ability to develop relationships quickly.

● Excellent writing, editing and proofreading skills; adept at writing clean, engaging, jargon-free copy for a range of channels.

● Strong communication and interpersonal skills and the ability to establish positive working relationships with colleagues in the EU and overseas.

● Good organisational and time management skills and the ability to work to deadlines, prioritise and multi-task in a fast paced environment.

● Proactive approach to problem solving to meet journalist and organisational demands.

Desirable:

● Knowledge of key debates in the UK and Europe around international development, aid and refugee issues.

● Experience of dealing with media enquiries into crisis or sensitive issues.

● Experience of organising international media visits to projects in order to facilitate reporting on key issues.

● Experience of conducting media relations and communications opportunities in developing countries and sensitive contexts.

● Experience of acting as a spokesperson for an organisation.

● Experience working with digital teams and across digital campaigns.

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