Senior Media Officer

Sightsavers implements projects in over 30 countries in Africa and South Asia working to eliminate avoidable blindness and promote the rights of people with disabilities.

Job title: Senior Media Officer – Inclusion

Salary: £31,557 to £37,126 depending on experience

Location: UK remote – with occasional travel to Haywards Heath, when required

Contract: Permanent

Sightsavers is a global organisation that works to eliminate avoidable blindness and promote the rights of people with disabilities. Our vision is of a world where no one is blind from avoidable causes, and where people with disabilities participate equally in society.

We’re looking for an experienced Senior Media Officer to secure high-impact media coverage of our disability rights campaigns and projects.

This role will see you lead media campaigns that play a pivotal role in Sightsavers’ Equal World campaign. Using voices of campaigners from the countries we work in your work will help influence policy to improve the lives of people with disabilities. This year is particularly exciting as we launch Equal World at a country-level in Zimbabwe.

In addition, you will promote Sightsavers’ inclusion programmes, which ensure people with disabilities, of all ages and genders, everywhere can access health, education, and employment without fear of stigma or discrimination.

Deliver and develop a media plan to support the inclusion communication strategy, working within a framework of organisational communication objectives. This includes:

• Identifying proactive editorial opportunities and trending conversations to raise the profile of Sightsavers with key audiences through relevant media.
• Researching and developing story ideas about inclusion programmes and the issues which drive them.

External and internal stakeholder management

• Sit on the crisis communications team and help manage incidents and issues that pose a reputational risk to Sightsavers
• Maintain good relationships with key stakeholders with Sightsavers and at our partner organisations for productive, mutually beneficial partnerships.

The principal accountabilities are not meant to be an exhaustive list of tasks. The need for flexibility is required and the job holder is expected to carry out any other related duties that are within the employee’s skills and abilities whenever reasonably instructed.

• Demonstrable experience of working in a policy or campaigns focussed media role for several years.
• Excellent knowledge of national and international media and social media.
• Ability to pitch international/development stories to the consumer, national and international media.
• Good understanding of international development and health, preferably including inclusion related issues.
• Strong communication skills, both written and verbal, with the ability to tailor messages to different audiences and platforms.
• A collaborative, tenacious, and committed approach, with the ability to work well within a team and with external stakeholders.
• A willingness to travel occasionally to Sightsavers programme countries, as required.

This is a varied role, please read the full job description for further details. As an equal opportunity employer, we actively encourage applications from all sections of the community. Sightsavers is a Disability Confident Leader and qualified people with a disability are particularly encouraged to apply.

Candidates are welcome to demonstrate their ability to match the person specification by expanding on how their experience, training and/or qualifications might have provided them with the knowledge or skills required for the role. Successful candidates will be appointed on merit.

To apply for this exciting opportunity, please complete an application via our recruitment portal. We are particularly interested in learning of your motivations for applying. Please note that there will be an expectation that you can visit our modern and collaborative offices in Haywards Heath.

As an equal opportunity employer, we actively encourage applications from all sections of the community. Sightsavers is a Disability Confident Leader and qualified people with a disability are particularly encouraged to apply.

Sightsavers is an employer that does not tolerate any form of harassment and has zero tolerance for sexual exploitation and abuse. All potential candidates will be subjected to rigorous background checks and controls.

In line with its commitment to safe programming and recruitment, Sightsavers participates in the inter-agency Misconduct Disclosure Scheme (MDS) administered by the Steering Committee for Humanitarian Response. Through collaboration with other MDS members, Sightsavers aims to ensure that there are no sexual exploitation, abuse or harassment issues relating to potential new hires and that we can respond systematically to checks from fellow MDS members. This ensures our work is accountable, delivered to a high standard and supports safeguarding across the development and humanitarian fields.