Head Of Press - Hybrid

Jisc grade: PRS4 (internal use only) Hours: 35 hours per week
Contract: Permanent
Location: Hybrid - A blend of working from home and your nominated hub office, we have hubs in London, Bristol, Manchester and Oxford. Specific patterns for working in the office are not mandated, and the frequency of time worked in the office is agreed with your manager. Meeting in person is something we value so you may need to travel on occasion to any of our hub offices.
About Jisc: Jisc is the UK digital, data and technology agency focused on tertiary education, research, and innovation. We are a not-for-profit organisation with a big ambition to improve lives through education and research by providing hardware, software, and networking solutions. Our talented people bring their own unique skills and experience to empower our members and customers with the technology they need to succeed.
About the team: The press team is responsible for the proactive and reactive press coverage of Jisc's activity, increasing the awareness and understanding of the value that Jisc brings to its customers, the education and research sector, and the wider UK economy.
About the role: This is a fantastic opportunity to take leadership of our press team, ensuring our position as the vital sector partner and a force for good is safeguarded. You will take responsibility for maintaining the profile and reputation of Jisc in the media, developing, agreeing, and delivering a strategy that increases the visibility and impact of Jisc's work aligned to the wider marketing and communications strategy and plans. You will need to be driven and energetic, using previous experience of implementing strategies to provide the team with a clear route to achieving those strategic goals.
Previous experience in a press or PR role will be key, along with a passion and flair in crafting compelling narratives and messages for different audiences. You will need to develop open and trusted relationships with the most senior stakeholders across Jisc and develop a strong understanding of the organisation, so strong diplomacy and inter-personal skills are crucial.
Other responsibilities will include: Lead the press team, ensuring effective delegation of roles, staff development, and performance evaluation.Monitor media coverage and evaluate the effectiveness of efforts with a view to continuous improvements.Play a key role in reputation management and crisis communications.Ensure the press team maintains strong and effective relationships with key media outlets (both mainstream and sector specific).Management of media monitoring and any press-related budgets.Key Skills and Experience: Experience of managing high performing teams.Experience of working in a membership organisation and/or large public sector body.Excellent written and verbal communications.Ability to make reasoned and well informed decisions under pressure, and to influence senior stakeholders to do likewise.Strong diplomacy and inter-personal skills with the ability to work with senior leaders and stakeholders.Ability to pitch stories effectively and maintain positive media partnerships.We know that sometimes people can be put off applying for a job if they think they can't tick every box, so we encourage you to apply even if you do not meet 100% of the requirements, but you feel this role is perfect for you. You may be just the right candidate for this or other roles!
Why work for us? At Jisc, everyone plays a key role and gets the chance to feel part of it, that to us is the definition of a meaningful career. We want to create a culture of lifelong learning. You can look forward to a rewarding job with opportunities to develop and make a real difference to the education and research sectors.
We believe a balance between your personal and professional life is essential to your happiness and fulfilment. We work flexibly at Jisc and focus on outputs rather than presenteeism and are open to a whole range of ways of working.
Equity, diversity and inclusion: At Jisc, we don't look for 'sameness', but to truly include people who can add unique perspectives and experiences to our culture, and we are working hard to achieve progressive change. 'Always inclusive' is one of our six guiding principles which actively encourages us to bring our whole authentic selves to work. We believe that our commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion is fundamental to our success.
Application process: We want you to showcase your talent throughout the recruitment process. Please let us know how we can best support you to do that; for example, if there are any reasonable adjustments we may be able to put in place. We will be happy to help you.
No agencies please.

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