Press Officer

Job Title: Press Officer

Career Stream: Professional

Career Level: Professional 3

Department: External Affairs

Job Family: Communications

Job Sub-Family: Multi-Discipline

Start Date: ASAP

Location: London, United Kingdom (Hybrid or Remote)

Duration: Permanent

Reports To: Director of Communications

LoE: Full time

Salary Range: P3 (£34,200 – £42,700)

About Internews:

Internews works to ensure access to trusted, quality news and information that empowers people to have a voice in their future and to live healthy, secure, and rewarding lives. We envision a world where everyone can communicate freely with anyone, anywhere, and exchange the news and information they need to shape their communities and the world.

For 35 years and in more than 100 countries, we have worked with our local partners to build hundreds of sustainable organizations, strengthened the capacity of thousands of media professionals, human rights activists, and information entrepreneurs, and reached millions of people with quality, local information, improving lives and building lasting change. On issues ranging from health and the environment to conflict and governance, Internews has developed approaches that harness the power of media and information to create positive change.

Internews is a charity operating internationally, with administrative centres in California, Washington DC, London, and Paris as well as regional hubs in Nairobi, Kiev and Bangkok. Formed in 1982, Internews currently has offices in Africa, Asia, Europe, the Middle East, Latin America and North America.

Our Commitment to Fostering a Culture of Belonging:

We are an organization of dynamic, mission-driven individuals who are passionate about our core values and about supporting positive change in the world. We pride ourselves on our commitment to innovation and flexibility. We believe that diverse teams are strong teams and work to support an ethic of belonging, dignity, and justice for all people. Our current team includes a mix of genders, parents and non-parents, and people of multiple races, nationalities, ages, sexual orientations and socioeconomic backgrounds. We are an EEO employer and encourage candidates of all races, genders, ages, orientations, ethnicities, and national origins to apply, and welcome those with alternative backgrounds and experiences.

About the Role:

Internews seeks a Press Officer to elevate the organization’s public profile through print, broadcast, and digital media and to support event-related communications. The ideal candidate has experience in executing media relations strategies in the non-profit and/or corporate sector. They will develop and fortify relations with members of the press, create compelling content (op-eds, press releases, talking points, etc.) to further elevate Internews’ thought leadership, and manage publicity of Internews-led initiatives and events on third-party media platforms. The position will also help support events that seek to elevate Internews’ profile. This position will be part of the External Affairs Team, under the supervision of the Director of Communications, and working in parallel with a Digital Content Editor, Graphic Designer, and Program Associate.

Logistics:

Internews has headquarters in London and Washington, DC and supports a hybrid workforce with staff working remotely, or partially remote. This position may be fully remote, or partially remote or in-office for candidates based in the London or Washington, DC area.

Key Responsibilities:

• Monitoring the news cycle to identify opportunities to insert Internews’ insights and perspective into the conversation.
• Develop and maintain professional relationships with members of the press who cover journalism, media freedom, mis- and disinformation, and other topics that are relevant to Internews.
• Develop written content that showcases Internews’ work, impact, and insights in a compelling way, including opinion pieces, letters to the editor, press releases, and talking points.
• Pitch Internews experts for interviews, media appearances, and speaking opportunities on third-party media platforms.
• Manage publicity and secure the participation of members of the press in Internews events, panels, fundraisers, and other gatherings.
• Monitor Internews’ media analytics and regularly report performance to the Director of Communications and the Vice President of External Affairs.
• Manage the Internews events calendar.
• Support teams representing Internews at events (especially events in Europe) by helping with supportive communications, such as social media, talking points, and various logistics.
• I n all duties, an understanding of and demonstrated commitment to upholding Internews’ Core Values .

Requirements:

• 4+ years of experience in communications-related roles, including media relations.
• Background in supporting events a plus.
• Outstanding writing and editing skills, and experience applying them to produce brand-aligned communications products and activities that drive a clear organizational message.
• Experience managing media relations and garnering press coverage.
• Skilled at working collaboratively with leaders and experts across an organization.
• Experience working in an international context, including with colleagues with different cultural and linguistic backgrounds.
• Extraordinary attention to detail.
• Optimism, a sense of humor, and excitement at elevating underrepresented voices from across the globe.
• Professional-level fluency in English; multi-lingual candidates preferred.

Candidates must submit a succinct covering letter of no more than 2-pages explaining how they satisfy the requirements of the person speciation in addition to a CV highlighting relevant experience. The successful candidate will also be asked to provide three professional referees, one of whom must be from their most recent employer.

The above noted job description is not intended to describe, in detail, all the tasks that may be assigned but rather to give the job holder a general sense of the responsibilities and expectations of his/her position. As the nature of business demands change so, too, may the essential functions of this position.

This position will be located in the London, United Kingdom; therefore, a successful applicant must be present in the UK for the duration of the assignment and obtain the Right to Work in the UK in order to commence their employment.