Press and PR Manager (Maternity Cover)

We are a multi-award winning, creative and innovative organisation, with high ambition in the fundraising and communications arena. The Press and PR Manager is responsible for creating and delivering media strategies to meet War Child’s fundraising and advocacy objectives while safeguarding our reputation. You will report directly to the Head of Fundraising Engagement and play a pivotal role in planning for and executing the core PR activity for the organisation, as well as overseeing the day to day running of the War Child press office. You will play an important part in executing our brand narrative around children affected by conflict within the media space and how War Child are supporting them with power and impact. You will also act as brand guardian, ensuring that communications across the organisation are consistent and in-line with our guidelines.

If you share our values and believe that children’s lives should not be torn apart by war, we want to hear from you.

About us

War Child, the specialist charity for children affected by conflict. For more than two decades we’ve delivering high-impact programmes that are rebuilding lives across Afghanistan, Iraq, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Central African Republic and Yemen. We understand children’s needs, respect their rights, and put them at the centre of the solution – from reintegrating children formerly associated with armed groups and armed forces (CAAFAG) in the Central African Republic to reuniting children with their families in Afghanistan. We look forward to a world in which the lives of children are no longer torn apart by war. This is a vision that can only be realised through the collective actions of children themselves, communities and their leaders, organisations like War Child, governments and key decision makers.

Child safeguarding and Adults at Risk

Our work with children and at-risk adults to keep them safe is the most important thing we do. We are committed to the safeguarding of children and vulnerable adults in all areas of our work. We have zero tolerance for any behaviours and practices that puts children and/or vulnerable adults at risk of abuse and/or harm.

Your role

The Press and PR Manager is responsible for managing War Child’s press office function, overseeing reactive and proactive PR activity day to day, and leading on the PR planning and outputs that support our priority objectives of raising income and advocating for change. You will also be our brand guardian, with the support of our Communications and Content Manager, to ensure that all communications are brand compliant and consistent.

You’ll have a great eye for detail, work well under pressure and be full of creative media ideas. You will be an exceptionally strong writer and will lead on the creation of all press materials to enhance our profile, reputation, influence and brand.

The Press and PR Manager will work with teams across the organisation to maximise the potential of all PR opportunities that target a range of audiences across our roster of public facing events and activations. You will have responsibility to ensure that our PR plans and materials are impactful, distinctive, emotive and drives supporters to donate or to take action.

You will report directly to the Head of Fundraising Engagement and play a pivotal role in our fundraising and advocacy goals.

Your responsibilities

• Developing PR strategies for key fundraising campaigns and work with digital and fundraising colleagues to agree tactics, process and objectives
• Managing and overseeing the day-to-day press office function, scanning the daily news agenda for opportunities and threats, identifying press leads and responding to press enquiries
• Creating briefing notes, media releases, comments and other media materials
• Crafting and executing individual press plans for campaigns and projects as part of a project team across fundraising and advocacy that will help to deliver on objectives – including identifying media targets, creating media lists, press release drafting and undertaking media sell-ins
• Crafting effective messaging for press materials that are tailored our varying target audiences – eg. Regular givers, music ticket buyers etc and those who are value-exchange driven and not necessarily always cause-led.
• Acting as Brand guardian for War Child – ensuring that all PR activity, materials and project focussed communications adhere to brand guidelines
• Build relationships and manage external PR agencies to ensure they are maximising expertise and connections to generate the most impactful media coverage to secure campaign objectives
• Using knowledge of the work and by collaborating with fundraising colleagues set ambitions KPIs for fundraising and coverage objectives around numbers of pieces, key messages and income generated
• Creating meaningful and beneficial relationships with key media targets to maximise coverage opportunities
• Working with War Child Ambassadors and Advocates and key external stakeholders on press opportunities, developing messaging and briefings
• Helping to translate media stories into web news stories and social content to help grow our audience
• Contributing to crisis communications plans and help spot and manage reputational risk
• Maintaining our media database and media clippings service
• Developing regular PR reporting, and coverage metrics
• Keeping abreast of sector trends and use this insight to inform and improve our PR activities
• covering out of hours press phone
• Leading on sourcing and coordinating relevant media appearance training for WCUK staff
• Contribute to creating a culture committed to the safeguarding of children and adults and compliant to WCUK’s Child Safeguarding and Adults at Risk Policies.

As we are a small, yet busy team, other duties may occasionally also include:

• Supporting the team in crafting engaging and effective copy for a range of projects, activations, and campaigns for a range of communications channels
• Supporting the Digital Marketing Executive with community management on our social media channels
• Supporting the team in covering for Communications colleagues during periods of leave or during particularly busy times

These duties provide a framework for the role and should not be regarded as a definitive list. Other reasonable duties may be required consistent with the grade of the role.

You are

• Experienced creating content for and pitching to journalists and editors, and closely following the news agenda
• Excellent writer with experience writing press releases, op-eds and media plans
• Results-focused and able to set and reach targets and KPIs
• Experienced in working in a similar media facing role and confident in managing a press office and journalist liaison
• Someone who comes with a strong press contacts book
• Experienced in creating effective and thorough PR plans to meet objectives
• Someone with a creative flair who can come up with new PR ideas to elevate and maximise on all opportunities
• Experienced in working across advocacy campaigns
• Clear communicator and confident presenting ideas in senior level meetings with high-level stakeholders for example senior editors at media outlets, CEOs and senior staff at our corporate partners, Global Ambassadors etc with the ability to build internal and external relationships and generate trust
• An excellent communicator, copywriter and proof-reader with great interpersonal skills
• A natural relationship builder who can create long-lasting and beneficial media relationships
• Knowledgeable about the media landscape for international development with good contacts
• Able to manage and prioritise multiple tasks and requests and respond flexibly as urgency requires
• Able to keep up with trends/developments in the PR arena to bring fresh ideas to the table and help us cut through the noise
• Able to work out of hours, when necessary, in a crisis comms situation
• Experienced using media tools e.g. Gorkana, Cision etc
• Keen eye for brand consistency and brand-building through effective PR and communications