£32,500 - £37,000 • Blue Cross UK • London
Application Deadline: 1 April 2025
Department: Fundraising, Comms & Engagement
Location: London
Compensation: £32,500 - £37,000 / year
Description
Contract: 12 Month FTC, full time, 35 hours over 5 days
Location: London, Hybrid (2 days a week in the office)
Salary: £32,500 - £37,000 per annum + London Weighting Allowance (LWA) £3,954
Closing Date: Tuesday 1 April 2025
Interview Date: w/c 7 April 2025
Are you passionate about using the media to make a difference? We're looking for a Media Officer to help raise the profile of Blue Cross on a full-time, 12 month fixed term basis.
More about the role
In this role, you will play a key part in protecting and enhancing our reputation, working closely with the media, content, and social teams to ensure a consistent and compelling message. You will also support the Head of Media in forward planning, helping to grow the impact of our media work and increase PR best practice across the organisation.
This is an exciting opportunity for a proactive and creative media professional who thrives in a fast-paced environment and wants to contribute to a cause that changes lives.
Key Responsibilities
- Working with the Head of Media in forward planning and the media strategy
- Spotting news stories internally and externally, developing them and targeting the relevant media
- Championing the brand purpose internally and in the narrative of all external PR work
- Identifying opportunities to respond to breaking news agendas and pet welfare issues
- Responding to multiple enquiries from the media effectively and to deadline
- Working closely with closely with colleagues, including the Executive Team, Senior Managers, volunteers and supporters to maximise the impact of stories across traditional PR channels, digital and social media
- Liaising with rehoming centres, veterinary teams, shops, fundraising, education and other teams to identify stories and educate on media best practice
- Develop a strong and impactful network of relationships with journalists
About you
As the Media Officer, you will be comfortable working independently, you will guide internal teams on media best practices while managing multiple projects and priorities. You will be creative, highly motivated, and passionate about the impact of media work, with strong planning skills and an understanding of evaluation, digital integration, and broader marketing strategies.
A natural communicator, you will engage effectively with stakeholders at all levels—both within the charity and with external agencies—ensuring media opportunities align with our organisation's aims. You will handle a variety of internal requests while championing the objectives of the media team.
As a team player, you will support colleagues beyond your immediate remit, staying calm under pressure and adapting to shifting deadlines. At the same time, you will maintain a strategic approach, balancing short-term media needs with long-term planning to enhance brand awareness and maximise impact.
Essential Qualifications, Skills, and Experience
- Experience in an inhouse media relations role, PR agency or journalism position.
- Proven track record or quickly spotting and reacting to breaking news opportunities, and developing and pitching national news stories
- Experience of contributing to and coming up with creative ideas in the planning and delivery of national PR campaigns
- Excellent news writing and communications skills
- Building rapport and productive relationships with external and internal stakeholders to maximise impact on PR campaigns and media interviews
- Management of photo calls and directing film crews
- Experience of creating briefs and briefing and training media spokespeople
- Utilising celebrity involvement to secure media coverage
- Experience of integrating social media and digital opportunities within PR activity
- Ability to demonstrate understanding and apply our Blue Cross values.
Desirable Qualifications, Skills, and Experience
- Experience of reputation management
- Experience of managing external agencies
- Previous experience working in the charity sector
- Experience of integrating social media and digital opportunities within PR activity
- Knowledge of animal welfare issues and Blue Cross competitors in the sector
How to apply
Click the apply button below and complete the online application process before the closing date on Tuesday 1 April 2025.
We reserve the right to close this vacancy early should we receive an overwhelming response.
Blue Cross benefits
Our people are the most important part of delivering our purpose. If it weren't for their amazing efforts and commitment, we wouldn't be able to make the difference that we do today. In return, we want to provide you with the best working environment we can.
With a wide range of perks aimed at enhancing your life both inside and outside of work, you'll
thrive in a supportive and rewarding environment.
Our generous benefits package includes:
- 38 days per year, increasing to 43 with service (including bank holidays). For part-time roles, holiday entitlement is calculated pro-rata.
- Pension scheme with enhanced employer contribution
- Life assurance
- Unlimited access to an employee assistance programme
- Programmes for physical and mental wellbeing support
- Free access to GP via MetLife
- Recognition scheme
- Annual volunteer days
- Claim for professional fees
- Charity worker discounts across a variety of retailers.
We want you to feel valued and supported throughout your career with us. For more details on our benefits and to see how we invest in our team, visit the 'Why Work for Us' page on our website.
To read more about the benefits Blue Cross has to offer, please visit the 'why work for us' page on our website.