Job Description Job Title Press Office Assistant Department/Division/Faculty Communications

job description job title: press office assistant department/division/faculty: communications and public affairs campus loc

Job Description
Job Title:
Press Office Assistant
Department/Division/Faculty:
Communications and Public Affairs
Campus location:
South Kensington
Job Family/Level:
Professional Services Level 3a
Responsible to:
Press and Communications Manager
Line Management responsibility for:
N/A
Key Working Relationships (internal):
Day-to-day interactions with members of the Communications Division
(especially the Media Relations and Research Communications teams);
Senior staff across the College; Academic and Support Services staff
Key Working Relationships (external):
Media, external stakeholders, communications and PR agencies
Contract type:
Full Time- Fixed Term (1year)
Purpose of the Post
The Press Office Assistant plays a key role in supporting the Media
Relations team and the Research Communications team to achieve
widespread understanding of the College’s mission, vision, aims, and
research. You will assist in building and maintaining the College’s
brand, image and reputation in the media and other external
communications.
You will provide support to the two teams that make up Imperial’s
Press Office. These are the Media Relations team (responsible for
strategic communications and media relations, thought leadership and
reputation management) and the Research Communications team
(responsible for communicating the research and expertise of
Imperial's scientists and Imperial’s academic work).
You will support these teams to prepare news stories and press
releases, arrange and supervise filming, field media enquiries and set
up interviews, draft communications materials, write and update web
content and otherwise support the smooth and effective running of the
Press Office.
You will also help to monitor and report on communications performance
and impact, and provide outstanding administrative support.
Key Responsibilities
Media Relations and Communications (60%)
You will support the Press Office to promote and protect the College’s
reputation and communicate our research and expertise. You will:
*
Manage and respond to email and phone enquiries from members of
the media and other Press Office stakeholders, fielding media
enquiries, setting up media interviews with Imperial experts, and
escalating enquiries to colleagues as appropriate.
*
Manage filming requests and enquiries from the media and
documentary makers, organising filming on campus, and supervising
filming where necessary.
*
Sub-edit and upload news stories and long-form features for the
College news site, ensuring these meet the highest editorial
standards and that they are visually engaging.
*
Source high-quality photography, images and other media to
accompany news stories and long form features.
*
Adapt content for the Imperial news site and prepare content for
Imperial’s weekly News In Brief roundup
*
Support with issues handling and crisis communications planning
when required.
*
Assist with other communications projects and initiatives,
including those that involve coordinating activities with the
wider Division and teams outside it.
*
Conduct research and collate information for communications and
media relations materials, including briefings, news stories and
press releases.
Administrative duties (20%)
*
Coordinate Press Office meetings, prepare agendas, write minutes
and maintain action lists where required.
*
Keep the database of journalists and lists of key media contacts
up to date, as well as Imperial's own expert database
(www.imperial.ac.uk/mediaguide)
*
Support recruitment and induction processes for the Press Office.
*
Coordinate financial tasks, including record keeping, purchasing
and expense claims.
*
Make bookings and travel arrangements for staff attending
conferences or meetings off campus, and liaising with Facilities
Management over the Division’s requirements for car parking on
campus.
Monitoring and Evaluation (20%)
*
Compiling reports for academics summarising media coverage of
press releases about their research
*
Coordinate services to monitor and evaluate communications
activities and media coverage.
*
Assist with data analysis and the production of reports for senior
managers and committees.
Person Specification
Requirements
Candidates/post holders will be expected to demonstrate the following
Essential (E)/
Desirable (D)
*
Education
Degree or relevant academic or vocational qualification
E
Experience
Experience of working in a communications or press office or
environment, gained in roles such as Communications Assistant,
Communications Coordinator, Press Assistant, Press Office Coordinator,
Media Relations Assistant, Junior Communications Officer.
E
Experience of drafting or writing communications material such as news
stories, press releases, web content or presentations
E
Experience of using a content management system to edit webpages
and/or experience of editing HTML code
E
Experience of working in a busy office
D
Experience of supporting or managing projects
D
Knowledge
Excellent IT literacy (Microsoft Office, particularly Outlook, Word,
Excel and PowerPoint)
E
A sound understanding of the national and international media
landscape
E
A sound understanding of the role of universities and their
contributions to society and a keen interest in higher education
activities
D
Skills & Abilities
Excellent organisational skills
E
Excellent writing, proofing and editing skills
E
Excellent standards of accuracy, consistency and attention to detail
E
Ability to exercise initiative and plan work independently
E
Ability to work as part of a tightly knit team
E
Ability to work under pressure, to strict deadlines and budgetary
controls
E
Ability to convey messages in a clear and compelling way, tailored
according to the audience
E
Strong research and analytical skills, and ability to summarise
findings clearly
E
An outstanding level of interpersonal skills
E
Ability to work out of hours on occasion
E
Please note that job descriptions cannot be exhaustive and the
post-holder may be required to undertake other duties, which are
broadly in line with the above key responsibilities.
Imperial College is committed to equality of opportunity and to
eliminating discrimination. All employees are expected to follow the 7
Imperial Expectations detailed below:
1.
Champion a positive approach to change and opportunity
2.
Encourage inclusive participation and eliminate discrimination
3.
Communicate regularly and effectively within and across teams
4.
Consider the thoughts and expectations of others
5.
Deliver positive outcomes
6.
Develop and grow skills and expertise
7.
Work in a planned and managed way
Employees are also required to comply with all College policies and
regulations paying special attention to:
*
Confidentiality
*
Conflict of Interest
*
Data Protection
*
Equal Opportunities
*
Financial Regulations
*
Health and Safety
*
Information Technology
*
Smoking
*
Private Engagements and Register of Interests
They must also undertake specific training and assume responsibility
for safety relevant to specific roles, as set out on the College
Website Health and Safety Structure and Responsibilities page.
We are committed to equality of opportunity, to eliminating
discrimination and to creating an inclusive working environment for
all. We therefore encourage candidates to apply irrespective of age,
disability, marriage or civil partnership status, pregnancy or
maternity, race, religion and belief, gender identity, sex, or sexual
orientation. We are an Athena SWAN Silver Award winner, a Disability
Confident Leader and a Stonewall Diversity Champion.
August 2021