PR Officer - ref. l15191223
PR Officer
£32,448 - £34,912 pa
City of London E1 8QS and we are a hybrid working organisation
This role is offered on a hybrid contract giving you the opportunity to also work from home three days a week.
Purpose of Role
As a PR Officer, you will play an important role in planning and delivering creative national and regional PR strategies for Comic Relief’s partnerships and fundraising campaign while leading the efficient running of Comic Relief’s busy Press Office.
You will work across a broad and exciting range of projects and strategic campaigns throughout the year that combine the worlds of entertainment, sport, and charity. This will include Red Nose Day, Sport Relief and winter fundraising initiatives, bespoke events and activations, as well as working with some of Comic Relief’s high-profile partners and well-known brands.These wide ranging, creative and exciting campaigns will drive income, awareness, and brand consideration at a time when the charity gets set to celebrate its 40th anniversary in 2025.
You will need to have a good understanding of the UK media landscape; feel confident in approaching journalists with new ideas; have experience of gaining media coverage at both a national and regional level; and experience of monitoring PR coverage and campaigns.
Running Comic Relief’s busy Press Office alongside proactive PR campaigns is a responsibility shared by every member of the PR team. You will be required to take a leading role in the efficient running of the Press Office, which can include handling media enquiries as well as contributing and editing internal comms updates.
We are looking for an enthusiastic, highly organised communicator, brimming with ideas and initiative, who is used to working as part of a small but busy team.
Key responsibilities:
Assist the planning and delivery of creative national and regional PR strategies that feed into, and support, the charity’s strategic objectives to drive income and raise awareness of the positive impact of Comic Relief and the work of its funded partners in the UK and around the world
Help to develop new ideas, content, and stories to secure media coverage for national and regional digital platforms, print and broadcast media
Set up media interviews, write briefing materials and attend interviews when required (this may require travel around the UK on occasion)
Own projects from planning through to evaluation with support of your line manager
Establish, develop and maintain strong and collaborative relationships with key internal and external stakeholders. This could include internal colleagues, partners, journalists, producers, talent publicists and colleagues from organisations that receive funding from Comic Relief
Work closely with external partners and organisations where appropriate to help maximise their involvement with Comic Relief – this might be PR agencies or partner PR/Media teams
Draft and edit high quality, compelling written materials and ensure sign off on all materials, including press releases, interview briefing documents, lines against enquiry and spokespeople quotes
Work with Comic Relief funded partners, and the people they support, to show the positive impact donations make. This may involve setting up and managing visits with journalists, influencers, and celebrity supporters
Take a leading role in the day-to-day running of an efficient Press Office alongside the wider team. This includes responding to media enquiries, ensuring a smooth process from start to finish by working with teams across the organisation to draft responses; uploading press releases to the website; drafting internal updates; using our media database platform to create targeted media lists; using CRM systems to support relationship management
Implement and lead all Press Office processes including the morning press update for internal stakeholders; monitoring our general media enquiries inbox and phone; using our media monitoring platforms to monitor, save and evaluate coverage; compiling coverage reports
Be flexible and support the PR team with ad hoc tasks as directed, such as delivering PR events; attending shoots to gather media assets; researching and pitching stories to mediaPerson specification
Essential criteria
Demonstrable experience of working in PR / Media roles
Experience as a PR Officer or similar in house or an Account Executive or similar in a PR agency
Proven experience of working on national and regional PR campaigns
An ability to develop and deliver fresh creative ideas that generate media coverage
Strong organisational skills
Excellent writer with attention to detail
Good media relations and confidence approaching journalists with ideas
Good experience managing and prioritising multiple projects to strict deadlines even when faced with challenges
Good understanding of the changing PR landscape across national and regional UK media
Excellent communication skills
A commitment to Comic Relief and its core values and a strong team player
Desirable criteriaUnderstanding of PR evaluation methods
Experience of working with talent/influencers
Good negotiator with strong influencing skills
Perks and benefits:
· Flexible working hours
· Work from home option
· Life Insurance
· Wellness programs
· Employee Assistance Programme
· Enhanced maternity and paternity leave
· Paid emergency leave
· Sabbatical Opportunities
· Professional development
· Mentoring/coaching
· Paid volunteer days
· Payroll giving
· Salary sacrifice
· Team social events
· Extracurricular clubs
· Cycle to work scheme
· Free fruit
To apply please visit our website via the link and apply online.
Closing: 4:54pm, 25th Sep 2024 BST
Don’t meet every single requirement? Studies have shown that women and people of colour are less likely to apply to jobs unless they meet every single qualification. At Comic Relief we are dedicated to building a diverse, inclusive, and authentic workplace, so if you’re excited about this role but your past experience doesn’t align perfectly with every qualification in the job description, we encourage you to apply anyways.You may be just the right candidate for this or other roles.
Why work at Comic Relief
There are lots of good reasons to join us at Comic Relief. You can read more about our employee benefits, such as our commitment to flexible and hybrid working. We ask staff to come to the office twice a week, normally on agreed team days, so that we can do all those things that are difficult to do online.Our office is based in Whitechapel, London,
There are lots of opportunities to develop your skills and experience at Comic Relief, including opportunities to become a Mental Health First Aider or to participate in our Employee Network Groups that focus on making Comic Relief a more inclusive place to work.
Disability Confident Employer
As part of the Disability Confident scheme, we take positive action by providing first-round interviews to candidates who have a registered disability, provided they meet the minimum criteria for the role, as demonstrated on their CV and application questions.