Senior Media Relations Manager - 10 month FTC

About the job

Are you looking for a new challenge? To help tell our story we need to deliver communications activity that showcases the positive impact of roads investment, and increases awareness about how to travel safely on our roads.

As a Senior Media Relations Manager in the Press Office, you will be responsible for protecting, building and enhancing the reputation of National Highways by providing strategic direction to the team, communications advice to the organisation, liaising with the media, and delivering a proactive and reactive media relations service.

You should be an experienced communicator with a strong news sense and excellent judgement. Previous experience of leading teams and working in a Press Office or PR agency is essential.

This is a hybrid role requiring two days per week in either our Birmingham, Nottingham, Manchester, Leeds, Bristol, Bedford or Guildford offices. The remaining days can be worked remotely. Some travel will also be required occasionally for team meetings or to facilitate media events.

You will also be required to participate in an out of hours duty rota for which you will receive additional pay.

This is a fixed term contract for 10 months, with potential for an extension.

Your key responsibilities will be:

• Providing leadership and line management to a small team of Media Relations Managers.
• Responding to media enquiries and briefing spokespeople, maintaining effective forward planning, and delivering and managing media events/activities.
• Working on high profile and often complex issues that will require you to use your specialist expertise to achieve balanced and accurate coverage for National Highways.
• Providing strategic communications advice to the organisation, developing and implementing communications plans, and coordinating activity to target both the mainstream media and non-news media.
• Developing relationships with colleagues across the business and journalists, as well as the Department for Transport and other external stakeholders, to protect and enhance the reputation of National Highways.
• Using insight and evaluation to identify trends, issues and opportunities for engagement, ensuring that the most appropriate communication solutions and channels are being used.

About you

• A strategic thinker with strong political awareness.
• Experience of working with teams across an organisation to engage with the public and stakeholders through a programme of media activity.
• Track record of effective leadership, experience in managing teams, and developing and implementing communication strategies.
• Ability to produce and manage the delivery of creative and impactful communications activity.
• Experience of working with the media, producing high quality written material, and delivering media briefings.

To apply, please submit your CV and a cover letter detailing your experience and how you meet the criteria for this role. Please also specify in the cover letter your preferred office location.

About us

Here at National Highways, we manage and improve England's motorways and major A roads, helping our customers have safer, smoother and more reliable journeys. Our priorities are safety, customers and delivery, and at the core of this, are our values of passion, integrity, safety, teamwork and ownership.

The Customer, Strategy, and Communications directorate is essential to National Highways. We guide the direction of the strategic road network, helping the company deliver economic and social benefits by meeting the needs of our customers, clients, and fulfilling regulatory requirements. As the central hub within National Highways, we provide the corporate strategic planning function for the organisation.

External candidates will be offered a starting salary at the lower end of the pay scale, while current employees will be appointed in accordance with our established pay policy.

We are committed to creating a diverse environment and welcome applicants from all backgrounds.