Job Title:  Senior Press Officer

Salary: £29,00 (£17,400 pro rata) (0.6 role)

Contract Type: Permanent, Part time (Wednesday to Friday)

Location: London, Holborn

About us 

RCS is a professional membership organisation and registered charity, which exists to advance patient care. We support over 25,000 members in the UK and internationally by improving their skills and knowledge, facilitating research and developing policy and guidance.

About the role

The Royal College of Surgeons of England (RCS) is a high profile health commentator, regularly in the national news. An outstanding Senior Press Officer is required to work in our fast-paced press office, helping run it to the highest standard. This is a job share role, working Wednesday to Friday.

This is a demanding but fascinating role in a supportive and friendly team, with lots of opportunity to devise and implement your own ideas.  

Responsibilities

• Be first point of contact for incoming media enquiries. Provide accurate, timely and appropriate responses, briefing journalists in line with RCS’s key messages and priorities.
• Research, write and distribute press releases, features, letters and other editorial material. 
• Draft articles, quotes and opinion pieces on behalf of RCS spokespeople
• Brief, support and prepare RCS spokespeople for media interviews.
• Act as the press lead for key projects such as RCS guidance and campaigns, devising and implementing communications plans and working effectively with other RCS teams.
• Horizon scan for media opportunities and develop own ideas for health coverage based on data, insights or RCS priorities.
• Participate in an out-of-hours rota for media enquiries. Time off in lieu is offered for significant out-of-office hours worked.

About you

• You will have experience of successfully pitching stories to national media, and understand what makes a great health story.
• You will have at least two years’ press office experience
• You will have a fluent, engaging writing style and excellent verbal communications skills to advise and brief our spokespeople.
• You will be confident working with data stories, policy documents and clinical standards to tease out the compelling story within them. 

What we can offer you

• 25 days paid holiday + bank holidays and up to 4 college closure days 
• Flexible working
• Enhanced contributory pension scheme & other leave entitlements
• In-house gym 
• Variety of learning and development opportunities  
• Wellbeing programme & Employee Assistance Scheme

For further information on this role and to apply for this position click here:

If you have any questions about this position please don’t hesitate to contact our friendly HR team on 020 7869 6104 or email via the button below, who will be more than happy to help or put you in touch with the Recruiting Manager.

Closing date: Midnight Sunday 18 December

Interview date:  TBC

We are fully committed to equality and diversity and will assess your application based on your experience, skills and suitability to the position only.