Media Relations Manager

Job Description

Your new roleAs a Media Relations Manager at National Highways you can expect to be busy! Youll be responsible for finding engaging ways to tell the National Highways story through the media. As part of a team providing a high quality 24/7/365 media relations service,youll help to build wider public understanding of the companys work, explaining what we are doing to improve peoples experiences of the motorways and major A roads in England.This is a broad role which could see you doing anything from showing how we are delivering a multi-billion pound road investment programme, working on a documentary, supporting the delivery of national campaigns or giving vital advice to help keep peoplesafe on our roads.Youll develop and maintain relationships with journalists to encourage greater advocacy of the company through the media, and youll provide strategic media handling advice and support to colleagues across the business.Prepare to be excited, challenged and rewarded!What youll be leading on

• Developing and delivering proactive and reactive media handling strategies via a variety of media channels
• Building and maintaining relationships across the business to help inform media engagement
• Work on high profile and often complex issues, and, using specialist expertise, to achieve balanced and accurate coverage for National Highways to build wider public understanding of the companys work.
• Providing timely, accurate and appropriate responses to enquiries from international, national and regional broadcast, online and print media
• Planning, compiling and distributing engaging material to generate positive media coverage
• Monitoring our media coverage and providing regular reporting

To be successful youll need

• Experience of working in media relations, either in journalism or PR
• Exceptional writing, editing and verbal skills
• Experience of developing and delivering impactful coverage through a range of communication channels
• Ability to plan, deliver and evaluate work in order to improve future campaigns and for personal development
• Happy to work as part of an on-call rota responding to out of hours enquiries from the media and internal colleagues

A bit about usThe Corporate Affairs and Communications Directorate is responsible for building and maintaining a robust and positive reputation for National Highways with all its audiences, internal and external. The Directorate includes a full range of communicationsdisciplines which provide support to the business including media relations, public relations, stakeholder engagement, creative, digital, marketing and internal communications.Our benefits packageOur total reward package includes basic salary, the potential for a performance related bonus, and employer pension contributions of up to 10%.We also offer:

• Annual Leave starting at 26 days (plus Bank Holidays) rising by 1 day each year up to 31 days (plus Bank Holidays)
• Flexible hours and blended working between base location/home
• Life assurance of 4 times annual salary
• Health and wellbeing support, including an Employee Assistance Programme, available 24/7 365 days and network of mental health first aiders. Plus access to a wellbeing app to enhance your self-care 24/7, Occupational health service and flu vaccines
• A cycle to work scheme for the purchase of a bicycle and equipment for healthy, low carbon travel
• Significant investment in your career development, through learning and development, talent management, coaching, mentoring and on job experience

And we are:

• Family friendly with enhanced maternity leave and pay, paternity leave (15 days), shared parental leave, adoption leave. Plus access to financial support for holiday play schemes and paid special leave (up to 5 days pa), eg for caring responsibilities
• Money friendly with access to a discounts platform including over 3000 discounts for supermarkets, eating out, leisure, holidays. Alongside a financial wellbeing programme
• Community friendly - offering paid leave to volunteer, 3 days basic/year plus an extra 3 days to support the national Covid effort

Why you should join usAt National Highways we believe in a connected country. We are passionate about creating a culture where colleagues feel connected, included and enjoy greater wellbeing to achieve this. Were proud that as an organisation we are continually striving to dobetter and actively encourage and support our colleagues to do the same with their careers.An informal blended working approach has been adopted for many of our roles across National Highways. We offer many different ways to work flexibly and were open to discuss part-time working, job shares, and flexible start and finish times. Please waituntil the interview stage before asking us about flexibility, and we will explore what is possible.So, if you put safety first, take ownership of your work, show passion for what you do, work effectively in a team, and demonstrate integrity in how you do it - then youll be a great fit for our organisationAnd finally, we reserve the right to close before the advertised closing date, so we recommend completing your application as soon as possible.