The successful candidate may be based at any of the following NHSBT main centres – London Tooting, London Colindale, Liverpool Speke, Bristol Filton and Birmingham, final is to be agreed at interview.
At NHSBT we stand for hope. We stand for life. We stand for helping people do something extraordinary, saving and improving the lives of others. Are you ready to play your part?
You’ll play a key role in raising NHS Blood and Transplant’s profile and increasing public awareness of blood, organ, plasma, tissue, and stem cell donation.
As an experienced communications professional you will be responsible for developing, working on, and delivering our media and PR communications.
Handling a large and constantly changing workload in a busy environment you will need to handle reputational issues under pressure. You’ll have a strong, instinctive approach to media and PR and the ability to build strong and meaningful relationships with a very broad range of publications, outlets and journalists.
This is an excellent opportunity to make a real difference by combining your experience, knowledge, and talent with our ambition to save and improve lives.
Main duties of the job
In this role you will primarily work to develop and manage relationships with local and regional media outlets to proactively support media and marketing strategies with implementation and delivery at a number of levels.
Your duties will include:
- Handling local media enquiries and requests under pressure;
- Providing communications support and advice to a range of individuals on a number of different levels;
- Managing relationships and requests from individuals from both within and outside the organisation;
- Working to provide delivery of national campaigns and initiatives;
- Working across and considering the communications mix, including social, internal, digital and stakeholder comms;
- Building strong relationships with internal and external stakeholders;
- Dealing on a regular basis with complex, sensitive information;
- Manage local proactive communications work and projects;
- Working with local patients and people affected by donation to share their stories.
You may be required to travel and spend time away from your base, which may involve working irregular hours and overnight stays when required, with prior notice.
About You
Experience and Knowledge:
- Good understanding and experience of handling press and media activity;
- Working with patients or vulnerable people;
- Knowledge and use of social media channels;
- Experience of working to and contributing to communication plans;
- Experience of working with information technology using Microsoft Office packages (Word, Excel and PowerPoint), or equivalent Systems;
- Managing relationships with internal and external stakeholders;
- Experience of working in a busy office environment, handling conflicting deadlines and priorities.
Qualifications and Training:
- Demonstrates commitment to own continous learning and development, particularly in respect of media and PR.
About Us
At NHS Blood and Transplant, we’re incredibly proud of the many talented people who come together every day to make our organisation the very best it can be. We have clearly defined values that are centred around offering exceptional care to our donors and their families. We take care of each other too and we focus on building our expertise so we can change lives, provide quality support, and offer fulfilling careers.
It’s an opportunity to contribute to a unique team as part of a service that saves lives 365 days a year. We offer brilliant benefits including 27 days of holiday (plus bank holidays), a comprehensive induction and training programme, and competitive pension scheme.
We are passionate about creating an inclusive workplace and aim to reflect the diverse communities we work with and positively encourage applications from all sectors of the community.
Contract Duration: 6 months.
Three small words, one big difference - Caring, Expert and Quality.
Together we'll save and improve more lives than ever.