Our vision is of a world where no one is blind from avoidable causes and where visually impaired people participate equally in society. Each year, we improve the lives of millions of people in the poorest parts of the world.
Sightsavers has a fantastic opportunity for a committed, collaborative and experienced Senior Media & PR Officer to join our dynamic and busy media team during an exciting period of growth in our work, ensuring people with disabilities are included in development as well as combatting avoidable blindness and neglected tropical diseases.
Salary: Local terms and conditions apply
Location: Sightsavers Country Office location (further details available here) **
Contract: Two year Fixed Term Contract (with the possibility of extension)
About the role
As Senior Media & PR Officer you will report to the Head of Media and sit within Sightsavers’ wider media team. This challenging and exciting role will raise the profile of, and build the reputation of, Sightsavers’ inclusion work through engaging and compelling media outreach, delivering high impact coverage across a range of international and national media outlets.
You will be responsible for leading targeted international media campaigns to support the Equal World campaign which influences global policy to improve the lives of people with disabilities. The role also involves promoting Sightsavers inclusion programmes which ensure people with disabilities everywhere can access health, education and employment without fear of stigma or discrimination. This is a varied role and will involve:
· Identifying proactive editorial opportunities and trending conversations to raise the profile of Sightsavers with key audiences through national, international, and specialist media.
· Working closely with internal teams to identify where media can add value to meet objectives and strategic goals
· Supporting the campaign to meet its objectives with targeted media that influences decision-makers
· Researching and developing story ideas and communication plans about our inclusion programmes and the issues which drive them
· Writing media materials including press releases, pitches and blogs
· Identifying key audiences and maintaining relationships with journalists and bloggers
· Supporting the running of the press office
· Supporting with reactive media relations and media issues that pose a reputational risk to Sightsavers
· Establishing relationships with disability organisations and our international teams
About you
You should have a passion for news and a proven track record of delivering effective high-profile media campaigns. You will have the ability to sell international development stories to the consumer, national and international media and be proactive in generating media coverage. You should be happy working in a fast-paced environment with the ability to make quick decisions. Creative flair and excellent communication skills are essential.
With significant experience working as a media officer, within policy or a campaigns role, the successful candidate will be comfortable implementing proactive PR and editorial opportunities to captivate our existing supporters and donors whilst reaching new audiences. Experience of working with media outlets is desirable as you will be required to utilise these opportunities to promote our organisation, this includes establishing and maintaining these relationships with journalists and bloggers across the globe.
The ideal candidate will have great attention to detail and strong communication skills. You will have excellent writing and presentation skills, not just to our internal clients, but also to our external audiences. Proven experience in a similar role is an advantage, as is understanding of international development and health, preferably including inclusion related issues. You will also have sound knowledge of Windows based applications and be proficient in multimedia content gathering and production. When it’s possible to do so, this role may require occasional overseas travel; perhaps one or two visits per year (each around one week’s duration)
To find out more about this involved role, please read the job description.
How to apply
Next steps
To apply for this role, please complete an application via our recruitment portal. We are particularly interested in learning of your motivations for applying. Please follow this link to apply
Local terms and conditions apply to non-UK locations and can be confirmed prior to interview. Please note that for a UK-based role, there will be an expectation that you can occasionally visit our offices in Haywards Heath, West Sussex (RH16 3BW)
Closing date: 14 March 2021
We anticipate that remote interviews will take place at the end of March 2021 and the evaluation process will include the submission of a written piece
