PR and Policy Officer

The Countryside Restoration Trust (CRT) is a champion of biodiversity, restoring farming landscapes and woodlands for wildlife. Through education and engagement, we inspire the wider countryside community to understand and appreciate the importance of wildlife to farming, food, the natural environment and wellbeing.

This role will create a PR strategy to promote the CRT, increasing knowledge and credibility – and then implement it. This will involve using a range of appropriate methods (press releases, features, web copy, media briefings, spokespeople events) to achieve maximum positive coverage of the CRT.

The ideal candidate will be an excellent communicator who can write for a range of different channels and audiences. This person will be responsible for managing the CRTs reputation amongst new audiences, and they must be prepared to talk to the media, presenting detailed wildlife statistics with an air of authority.

Core Responsibilities

• Create a PR strategy to promote the CRT, increasing knowledge and credibility proactively
• Write and distribute appropriate press releases to widely publicise the work of the CRT, ensuring consistency of language, branding and messaging through all media
• Research print media, including specialist academic journals, to identify those that will take editorial contributions and ‘thought pieces’ and supply well-written copy accordingly
• Keep on top of all relevant policy announcements, briefing all CRT staff and tenant farmers on issues
• Manage the CRT Policy Forum and publicise our response to government announcements. This is especially important will the role out of ELMS
• Take full responsibility for collating and publicing our wildlife monitoring statistics, including creating a annual impact report
• Create relationships with similar like-minded charities and organisations in order to add more credibility
• Establish and maintain a library for press cuttings and media exposure
• Build and maintain regular contact with journalists and media companies across all platforms, including specialist press, journals and bloggers.
• To use a range of appropriate methods (press releases, features, web copy, media briefings, spokespeople events) to achieve maximum positive coverage of the CRT
• Deal with breaking news and arranging the CRT response to it as part of routine media management
• Deliver regular publicity campaigns focusing on conservation, fundraising or farming
• Invite members of the media world to the CRT properties to showcase the fantastic work that we do
• Regularity attend networking events to promote the work of the CRT
• Writing and publishing website content, including news articles and blog posts
• Use Twitter and LinkedIn to promote the CRT message to relevant parties, by commenting on posts
• Apply SEO knowledge to the website copy, including keyword research and meta-descriptions
• Seek newsworthy stories from all areas of the CRT, including Education, Conservation, Farming, Wildlife Monitoring etc.
• Assisting at events as required

Interested candidates should send a CV and a cover letter of approximately two pages, outlining how your background, skills, qualifications and experience make you the perfect candidate for this position.

Shortlisted candidates will be invited to attend an online interview and should be expected to do an exercise first to prove their abilities.

Closing date for applications is: 8 April 2022.