Job summary
The Media and Campaigns Officer is the first point of contact into the communications team for all media enquiries during the press office's core office hours of Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm. This involves responding to the high volume of daily enquiries from national and local journalists and requests for interviews from broadcast and print media.
Enquiries range from requests for information about incidents to more complex and sensitive corporate issues - ranging from reputational issues to large incidents. The post holder will need to be able to take a judgment on how to proceed with these enquiries. In some cases the post holder will need to provide detailed and effective analysis and comparison of options for bids to a senior team member. The officer will also handle complex media enquiries independently from the point the bid is received to completion. This includes providing analysis and evaluation of their projects.
As well as reactive media handling the Media and Campaigns Officer will play a key role in proactive work, including pitching stories directly to journalists and planning and delivering campaigns that support the Service's strategy. The post holder will help identify opportunities and develop ideas for stories and social media content to promote the work of the Service and its staff through both traditional and digital channels
Main duties of the job
Act as point of contact for media calls on the press desk during core hours- which will involve analytical and judgement skills in knowing how to respond to media requests in a timely and professional manner. This requires persuasive communication and effective negotiating skills.
Proactively build and develop relationships and key contacts with journalists and producers and brief colleagues and journalists. The post holder will use these relationships to pitch media stories and opportunities -including to national media editors - which support the Trust's strategy and key goals.
Write news releases for local, regional, national, international and trade press on complex, challenging and sensitive topics. This includes on the Service's reputation, patient care, inquests and inquiries and operational stories such as delays in reaching patients.
Support the media team by coordinating arrangements for media interviews and overseeing interviews when required.
Demonstrate empathy, confidence and resilience when dealing with occasional difficult phone conversations with the media, patients, the public and colleagues. As the first point of contact for the communications team the post holder will also handle complex calls, including from journalists asking detailed questions. This will involve maintaining patient consent and confidentiality while carrying out an informative, professional and efficient 'press desk' function.
About us
Our strategy 2023-2028 outlines how we plan to achieve this, and is centred upon three missions focused on:
- Our care- delivering outstanding emergency and urgent care whenever and wherever needed.
- Our organisation- being an increasingly inclusive, well-led and highly skilled organisation people are proud to work for.
- Our London- using our unique pan-London position to contribute to improving the health of the capital.
To achieve these three missions we have set ourselves 50 commitments to deliver over the next five years. In developing these ambitious commitments, we have engaged extensively both inside our organisation, with our partners and with our patients, and we have analysed population trends and horizon scanned the future.
Job description
Job responsibilities
The post holder will contribute to the successful overall performance of the London Ambulance Service as the first port of call for media enquiries as part of the press desk function.
The post holder will be able to be persuasive and motivational and have effective negotiating skills in balancing competing complex media bids and sensitive corporate reputational media enquiries. These highly complex media enquiries will require the post holder to inform and explain difficult reputational and sensitive corporate issues and incidents.
Receiving calls from patients, family members and other members of the public will require the post holder to demonstrate high levels of empathy.
As well as reactive media handling the Media and Campaigns Officer will play a key role in proactive media work and campaigns aligned with the Services corporate objectives, including pitching stories directly to journalists.
The post holder will participate in the out-of-hours on-call rota for media calls outside normal working hours. This will require them to work independently - making judgement calls on difficult and sometimes highly complex and sensitive issues themselves - and be confident in briefing colleagues as appropriate. This will include developing and issuing communications output for large incidents overnight and on weekends.
While on call they may need to speak to ambulance crews at the scene of large incidents and absorb complex information. They will be confident in sharing relevant information to journalists, without breaching consent and confidentiality policies.
The post holder may also be sent to the scene of a major incident to provide communications support.
The post holder will help identify opportunities and develop ideas for stories and social media content to promote the work of the Service and its staff through traditional and digital channels. This might include joining ambulance crews on ride outs and call handlers in the control rooms to source material to support the Services communications goals.
The post holder will need to take a corporate view and work flexibly to support the whole of the communications team and to deliver its objectives. They will confidently challenge and rebut inaccurate media articles, manage tight deadlines as part of a busy press office, manage their own workload accordingly and work independently.
Job description
Job responsibilities
The post holder will contribute to the successful overall performance of the London Ambulance Service as the first port of call for media enquiries as part of the press desk function.
The post holder will be able to be persuasive and motivational and have effective negotiating skills in balancing competing complex media bids and sensitive corporate reputational media enquiries. These highly complex media enquiries will require the post holder to inform and explain difficult reputational and sensitive corporate issues and incidents.
Receiving calls from patients, family members and other members of the public will require the post holder to demonstrate high levels of empathy.
As well as reactive media handling the Media and Campaigns Officer will play a key role in proactive media work and campaigns aligned with the Services corporate objectives, including pitching stories directly to journalists.
The post holder will participate in the out-of-hours on-call rota for media calls outside normal working hours. This will require them to work independently - making judgement calls on difficult and sometimes highly complex and sensitive issues themselves - and be confident in briefing colleagues as appropriate. This will include developing and issuing communications output for large incidents overnight and on weekends.
While on call they may need to speak to ambulance crews at the scene of large incidents and absorb complex information. They will be confident in sharing relevant information to journalists, without breaching consent and confidentiality policies.
The post holder may also be sent to the scene of a major incident to provide communications support.
The post holder will help identify opportunities and develop ideas for stories and social media content to promote the work of the Service and its staff through traditional and digital channels. This might include joining ambulance crews on ride outs and call handlers in the control rooms to source material to support the Services communications goals.
The post holder will need to take a corporate view and work flexibly to support the whole of the communications team and to deliver its objectives. They will confidently challenge and rebut inaccurate media articles, manage tight deadlines as part of a busy press office, manage their own workload accordingly and work independently.
Person Specification
Qualifications, accreditations, education
Essential
- Educated to degree level or equivalent level of theoretical knowledge, preferably in communications field
Desirable
- Membership of an appropriate professional body such as the Chartered Institute of Public Relations
Experience
Essential
- Proven experience of working in a busy press office
- Proven experience of supporting implementing and evaluating public relations campaigns to support corporate/local initiatives
- Confidence liaising with a wide range of media - national, local and trade - sometimes on complex, sensitive corporate operational and political issues, whilst maintaining confidentiality
Knowledge and Skills
Essential
- Demonstrate self-motivation when working unsupervised and managing own workload and, as a team player, motivate others and encourage them to deliver a quality service
- Demonstrate a good knowledge and understanding of the media
- Experience building and maintaining good working relationships with a range of media contacts
- Strong written and communications skills and experience writing press releases
Desirable
- Experience writing news releases for local, regional, national, international and trade
- Experience in developing relationships with key contacts and journalists
Personal abilities
Essential
- Apply keyboard skills including use of Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint, as well as email and internet experience
- Positive attitude towards learning and development, demonstrated by a record of continuing professional development
- Able to work to tight deadlines as part of a busy press office and manage their own workload accordingly and work independently
Person Specification
Qualifications, accreditations, education
Essential
- Educated to degree level or equivalent level of theoretical knowledge, preferably in communications field
Desirable
- Membership of an appropriate professional body such as the Chartered Institute of Public Relations
Experience
Essential
- Proven experience of working in a busy press office
- Proven experience of supporting implementing and evaluating public relations campaigns to support corporate/local initiatives
- Confidence liaising with a wide range of media - national, local and trade - sometimes on complex, sensitive corporate operational and political issues, whilst maintaining confidentiality
Knowledge and Skills
Essential
- Demonstrate self-motivation when working unsupervised and managing own workload and, as a team player, motivate others and encourage them to deliver a quality service
- Demonstrate a good knowledge and understanding of the media
- Experience building and maintaining good working relationships with a range of media contacts
- Strong written and communications skills and experience writing press releases
Desirable
- Experience writing news releases for local, regional, national, international and trade
- Experience in developing relationships with key contacts and journalists
Personal abilities
Essential
- Apply keyboard skills including use of Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint, as well as email and internet experience
- Positive attitude towards learning and development, demonstrated by a record of continuing professional development
- Able to work to tight deadlines as part of a busy press office and manage their own workload accordingly and work independently
Disclosure and Barring Service Check
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.
Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).
From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).
Additional information
Disclosure and Barring Service Check
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.
Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).
From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).
