Description
Job Purpose
- Protect and enhance the companies corporate reputation in the UK through the development and delivery of media relations activities.
- Provide an effective and proactive corporate and UK media relations service, ensuring consistency of message and positioning in line with the media relations strategy, and effective handling of external media issues and crisis communications
- To develop good working relationships with key regional, national and international business/financial and trade journalists, and implement proactive media opportunities to increase knowledge and understanding of the business
Key Accountabilities
- Act as lead communications officer for the companies System Operator role, working with the relevant business partner and other colleagues in Corporate Affairs
- Provide an effective and proactive media relations service ensuring consistency of message and positioning in line with the global media relations strategy, and effective handling of external media issues and crisis communications
- Develop good working relationships with key regional, national and international business/financial and trade journalists, and implement proactive media opportunities to increase knowledge and understanding of the business.
- Proactively identify and develop media/PR opportunities to enhance opportunities with key media, in conjunction with internal contacts and the company's PR advisers and group-wide strategic priorities
- Work as part an integrated campaigns team to provide effective external communication on key ('Shape the Debate') topics
- Provide support to all media relations activity as required. Contribute effectively to crisis management, incident and media handling. This to include participation in the 24/7 duty press officer rota and providing support management on crisis communications and risk management procedures
- Advise and liaise with colleagues across the business to develop media position statements, Q&As and other supporting materials on a wide range of issues, offering media counsel as needed
- Work closely with colleagues from other teams in Corporate Affairs and executive directors/senior managers to develop key messages and identify and pre-empt media interest around events such as announcements, external presentations and seminars
- Support the System Operator in securing positive coverage for key publications (eg Future Energy Scenarios) that reaches key industry stakeholders
- Identify and manage arrangements for director briefings with key journalists, including producing briefing documents prior to interviews, feedback to directors and media team, post-interview, as appropriate
- Ensure social media is used effectively as part of media relations to deliver key external messages to important stakeholders
Knowledge, Experience and Technical Know How
- Working knowledge and two/three years' experience of in-house media relations and/or journalism experience, and ability to convey company key messages to both expert and lay audiences
- Ability to provide media relations counsel and guidance, while influencing a wide range of internal and external audiences, including senior leadership
- Tactically astute, with demonstrable knowledge of appropriate media relations tools and techniques, including digital and social media
- Understanding of the media and corporate press office activities, with a good working knowledge of media relations, ideally within a utility and with robust experience of crisis and media management
- Excellent team player and ability to work closely and appropriately within a small media relations team, and develop relationships with colleagues across the business
- Ability to manage media communications programmes and outsourced activities, with demonstrable ability to take ownership of multiple projects with a clear focus on customer delivery
- Demonstrable understanding of the press office environment and role of corporate business in that relationship
- Ability to interact with and influence a wide range of internal and external stakeholders
- Good level of networking, influencing and negotiation skills, with a range of external media and stakeholders and at senior levels internally
- Recognized as a credible and knowledgeable within their subject matter and can build collaborative networks across multiple geographies and sites.
- Experience in using social media as part of an effective communications strategy
- Authoritative and emotionally intelligent; able to challenge and influence at senior levels across a large, complex organisation
- High level of interpersonal skills are required due to the exposure to high profile and senior stakeholders, media or members of the public during issues, incidents or disasters.
- Articulate and persuasive communicator
- Good understanding of IT office systems
- Excellent written and oral communication skills