Media Relations Consultant

Overview

Promote and protect the reputation of the business as part of the External Communications team. You’ll play a key role in supporting the media team with reactive issues management, coordinating input and approvals from across the bank on a range of challenging issues. This role offers exposure as you coordinate the delivery of a proactive press office calendar of stories to deliver a regular drumbeat of positive media coverage.Responsibilities

As a Media Relations Consultant, participate in the development and delivery of large-scale creative consumer media campaigns.Manage the reporting rhythm on a monthly, quarterly and annual basis, working with the external and internal communications and insights teams.Create and maintain an annual calendar of press office stories, based on the annual communications strategy and business priorities, and pitch/place stories in national and regional media, while building a personal network of media contacts.Coordinate quarterly horizon scanning meetings with the business units and the wider communications team to validate and update the communications strategy and brainstorm new ideas for the communications calendar.Ensure timely escalation of issues to senior communications colleagues and coordinate the preparation of holding positions and internal briefings.Produce first drafts of proactive media materials and reactive media positions, and coordinate input and approvals from communications leaders and the relevant business units.Contribute to the development and delivery of multi-channel consumer media campaigns, working with the central campaigns team and PR agencies.Look for opportunities to incorporate more digital elements into traditional media strategies to support reach, engagement and SEO.Represent the External Communications team on incident or project groups as needed and take part in the out-of-hours rota for press officers.Qualifications

Ability to understand personal finance product information and data, and translate them into simple and effective communications. Strong concise writing skills, with attention to spelling, punctuation, and grammar.Experience of data visualisation to support content development and reporting.Understand how social media can be used to inform and amplify media and SEO campaigns.Working knowledge of IT programmes and media databases, with experience dealing with national and regional media and existing journalist relationships.Experience of pitching and placing media coverage through a range of tactics, including newsjacking, press releases, op-eds, data-driven insights, case studies and events.Digital-first mindset with an interest in experimenting and evolving communications.Experience of tracking KPIs and producing regular reports for the business.Experience of working with consumer-facing financial services brands and media.Strong organisational skills, with the ability to multi-task, juggle priorities and deliver on deadlines under pressure.Excellent interpersonal skills, with a proactive approach to building networks internally across the bank and externally with ..... full job details .....