Senior Media Officer

Job description

Job responsibilities

Job Summary

The Senior Media Officer will form a key part of the media team in providing a proactive, professional, 24/7 media relations and issuesmanagement service, which includes proactive and reactive media work and updating of the Trusts X feed, and providing both counsel andoperational support to staff at all levels across the Trust.

This post will have specific responsibility for leading media work in support of our 3 charity brands, Guys & St Thomas Charity, Evelina LondonChildrens Charity and Guys Cancer Charity, demonstrating the impact of charitable support, and contributing to the overall success of ourcharitys fundraising activity. The post holder will:

• Develop key relationships within the organisation to source proactive opportunities to promote and enhance the Trusts reputation withall media audiences. Ensure media activity supports the Trusts corporate objectives, clinical and fundraising priority areas,organisational values and promotes its position as one of the worlds leading providers of health care, professional education andacademic research
• Deliver media coverage to support major fundraising and awareness campaigns at the Trust, initiatives and events to maximise impact
• Play a key role in generating coverage and raising the profile of the three charity brands
• Identify opportunities to demonstrate the impact that philanthropic support, individual donors, and the support of Guys & St ThomasCharity, Evelina London Childrens Charity and Guys Cancer Charity makes to the work of the Trust
• Support the launch of fundraising campaigns by identifying patient and staff case studies, delivering timely Trust sign-off on requiredcollateral, supporting photography and videography requirements and proof-reading marketing materials
• Maintain an understanding of the national news agenda and use this to identify opportunities to promote and enhance the Trustsreputation
• Maintain the Trusts X account on a day to day basis and work with the wider communications team to forward plan social contentand activity in line with the Trusts corporate objectives and key clinical and fundraising priority areas
• Inspire trust and confidence internally and externally in the expertise and professionalism of the communications department
• Play a vital role within the team, providing a first point of contact for journalists, writing for Trust publications, prioritising a busyworkload and acting on their own initiative. Promote key messages and ensure their application across all channels, including socialmedia
• Supporting and chaperoning filming and photography on Trust sites, including for fundraising campaigns.

Key relationships

Developing key relationships and networks within the department, across the Trust, the three charities and Kings Health Partnersand with external stakeholders, are essential to the successful delivery of duties and responsibilities.

Internal

• Director of Communications
• Colleagues in the central communications department, as well as Evelina London and Heart, lung and critical care communicationscolleagues
• Guys & St Thomas Charity, Evelina London Childrens Charity and Guys Cancer Charity communications colleagues and fundraisingteam
• Trust Executives and Directors
• Trust Chairman and Non-Executive Directors
• Clinical Directors, Heads of Nursing and General Managers
• Site Nurse Practitioners
• Trust charity engagement team
• Security team
• Corporate departments leads and staff
• Information Governance lead
• Kings Health Partners

External

• Local and London media contacts
• Charity trade media
• National media health specialists
• Specialist media, including medical, nursing, scientific and management publications
• Fundraisers, including patients and former patients and their families
• NHS England (national and London)
• Department of Health and Social Care
• Local Integrated Care Boards
• MPs, local authorities and the GLA

Duties and responsibilities

Professional

Work closely with our three charities to raise the profile of the Trust and the three charity fundraising brands, benefiting fundraising efforts by helping to raise awareness of the work of our hospitals and community services, how they can be supported and the impact this philanthropic support has.

Manage a wide range of media enquiries, liaise with colleagues to produce media statements, set up interviews with and brief appropriate Truststaff, and oversee filming on site.

Establish good working relationships with journalists to enhance the Trusts reputation, ensuring media enquiries are managed promptly andprofessionally, developing stories and promoting case studies to support this.

Contribute news items to corporate publications and multimedia channels working closely with colleagues in the department and ensuring they are briefed as necessary on media activities and initiatives.

Produce press releases and promote new developments and fundraising initiatives to relevant media.

Play an active role in discussions with charity colleagues where appropriate including attending team meetings, regular catch-upswith key contacts, hot-desking and participating in forward planning exercises.

Contribute to the day to day management of the Trust X account and develop a forward planner of social media content and events.

Support events and VIP and ministerial visits, often at short notice, liaising with staff and managing any media on site.

Provide regular feedback to Trust and Charity colleagues on coverage achieved for fundraising priorities.

Participate, with colleagues, in a rota to manage day to day media enquiries and X posts ensuring this activity enhances the reputation ofthe Trust.

Participate in the out-of-hours on-call rota for media calls outside normal working hours, briefing colleagues as appropriate. This may involveattending one of our hospital sites at short notice to co-ordinate media work relating to a fundraising event, major incident or any other incidents that require handling on site.

Build contacts with staff to contribute to the successful delivery of the Trusts media strategy and support fundraising priorities.

Support the media and wider communications approach to the management of any celebrity supporters of Trust charities.

Ensure that patient confidentiality is protected at all times. Provide advice and support to patients, their relatives and representatives involved inmedia enquiries or seeking media contact.

Collect and catalogue Trust appearances in the media, in particular those linked to fundraising and philanthropy.

Work with the Charity fundraising team, to ensure compliance with the fundraising regulators code of practice.

Person Specification

Qualifications / Education

Essential

• Educated to degree level (or equivalent experience)
• Evidence of continued learning/development
• Excellent IT skills

Desirable

• Post graduate communications qualification

Experience

Essential

• Demonstrable experience of developing story and campaign ideas
• Experience of implementation of media relations policy
• Experience of media relations
• Proven experience of creating opportunities and working collaboratively with internal and external partners
• Influencing and persuasion skills

Desirable

• Experience of working in the NHS
• Experience working in a complex organisation
• Experience of crisis management
• Fundraising or charity communications experience

Skills

Essential

• Ability to command the confidence of colleagues and staff
• Ability to think and plan and to prioritise work programmes in the face of competing demands
• Ability to manage and deliver to deadlines within resources
• Excellent written and oral communication skills
• A good understanding of the NHS and the changing environment
• Demonstrable utilisation of all media channels - print, broadcast and digital
• Evidence of ability to deliver against targets
• Excellent numerical, verbal and critical reasoning
• Effective negotiation and influencing skills
• Able to provide and receive highly complex, sensitive or contentious information
• Knowledge of Contensis or similar content management system

Desirable

• Understanding of the current health policy developments

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.

Certificate of Sponsorship

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).

Employer details

Employer name

Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust

Address

St Thomas' Hospital

Westminster Bridge Road

London

SE1 7EH

Employer's website

https://www.guysandstthomas.nhs.uk/careers/careers.aspx (Opens in a new tab)