Press and Media Manager

Location: Central London

Salary: £40,000 – 50,000 plus benefits

A leading global think tank Institute on international conflict and geopolitical trends is seeking a Press and Media Manager. The Institute is international in its composition, perspective and reach and provides objective facts and independent analysis for its core audiences in government, the private sector, and the expert and opinion-formed communities.  Summits convened by them facilitate intergovernmental consultations, while its research helps companies to understand political risk and its publications shape the international strategic debate.

The Institute is seeking to appoint an experienced Press and Media Manager with a proven track record in global press and key relationship management.

This is a newly created position reporting into the Head of Global Communications Engagement and your primary responsibility will be to proactively build and manage the Institute’s media activity and database and react to media enquiries.

The successful candidate will be able to work effectively as part of a team and establish strong internal and external relationships. They must be collaborative, able to multi-skill and work at speed. The position will suit a person with an interest in current and international affairs.

Principal Duties and Responsibilities:

Proactively build and manage the Institute’s media database

• Identify key journalists of strategic importance to the Institute, build strong and productive relationships with these, create opportunities for regular media briefings or editorial boards with research staff, which lead to prominent media coverage for the Institute across its three audiences: the expert community, Government and businesses.
• Produce and maintain an up-to-date tiered media target list and media relations plan.
• Evaluate on an ongoing basis the quality of the press list, the strength of relations and act where needed.
• Ensure that key journalists in ‘new media’ are also represented on the database.

Produce press releases:

• Work with the Communications Department’s Copy Editor & Website Coordinator to write and produce impactful press releases that amplify the reach of the Institute’s activities, services and products to its three audiences: the expert community, Government and business. 

Coordinate media interviews:

• Proactively use the Institute’s media database to seek appropriate opportunities for media exposure
• Coordinate these opportunities with the Institute’s researchers.

Media planning and Press Corps briefings

• Produce activity plans for launches and events with clear targets and objectives.
• Evaluate impact of press coverage of all activities.
• Ensure wide press coverage for the Institute’s launches and Dialogues, actively building the press lists for the Dialogues.
• Facilitate media interviews with ministerial and senior delegates at Dialogues.

• Manage press registrations.
• Design and deliver media training and pre-interview briefings to staff.  Evaluate the impact of the training.
• Develop key messages and brief researchers sufficiently ahead of interviews. Identify risks, conduct practice interviews if needed.
• Contribute to stronger media awareness across the Institute, promoting and explaining the team’s approach and sharing success stories.
• Manage the press inbox and ensure that replies are prompt and accurate.
• Provide Sector scanning by following relevant external debates to identify opportunities and risks for the Institute.

Key skills

• Tertiary education with demonstrable press and media experience delivered at manager level.
• Plan and support strategic approaches, objectives and targets
• Internal and external relationship management
• Excellent writing skills
• Research skills
• Ability to Influence and persuade
• Good forward planning and organisational skills
• Proven experience in designing and delivering media In-house training
• Teamworking