The British Academy – the UK’s national body for the humanities and social sciences - is seeking a Media and Public Affairs Assistant to join our News and Public Affairs team, providing key support in building the Academy’s profile and increasing public awareness of the value of the humanities and social sciences.

ROLE PURPOSE / OVERVIEW

This role will assist with the day‐to‐day running of the British Academy’s News and Public Affairs work, helping to increase awareness of the Academy’s work among policy, parliamentary and media stakeholders.

The role sits within the Communications and Marketing Directorate, which is responsible for raising the profile of the Academy among a wide range of audiences. The Directorate is organised into four small teams but is a collaborative and integrated team working closely together on all aspects of our work. The four teams are: Digital, Brand and Marketing; Events; News and Public Affairs; and Publishing.

The News and Public Affairs Team manages the British Academy’s profile and relationships with people of influence in politics and the media, making sure that these people understand the organisation’s purpose and ambitions. The team coordinates engagement across the Academy’s diverse teams and policy portfolios, providing strategic communications advice and leading on forward planning and horizon scanning.

This role will play a part in promoting the current work programme, which includes activities linked to the Academy’s SHAPE initiative (Social Sciences, Humanities and the Arts for People and the Economy), the Academy’s Observatory (monitoring the health of the disciplines), and policy work on social infrastructure, digital technology and environmental sustainability, along with an ongoing programme of small projects, engagement activities, policy seminars, debates and other public events.

It is an exciting time to be joining the News and Public Affairs team, as you will be able to assist a well-established, harmonious and strong group of colleagues in discharging all its press and public affairs functions.

OFFICE LOCATION - 10-11 Carlton House Terrace, St James Park, London, SW1Y 5AH

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Political / media monitoring and forward planning

• Monitoring parliamentary business, adding important events to forward planning calendar. 

• Assisting with day-to-day management of the Academy’s political monitoring service.

• Maintain the organisation’s forward planning calendar, collecting information from around the organisation and horizon scanning. 

• Monitor the media (newspaper, magazines, broadcast and online), compiling and circulating a daily email of relevant news stories and media coverage. 

Public affairs engagement and support

• Identifying politicians or other influential figures who are sympathetic to our cause and who may be interested in our events. 

• Inviting politicians and other stakeholders to events and meeting and greeting.

• Tracking engagement with politicians using the CRM.

• Drafting briefings and other content as directed by other members of the team.

Media engagement and support

• Draft news stories and other types of copy (e.g. social media posts) for British Academy funding awards, events, Early Career Researcher Network updates and Fellows news, as directed by the News & PR Manager

• Identify opportunities to publicise the findings of British Academy research projects to the media and craft snappy, compelling pitches to secure coverage. Writing news stories to demonstrate the impact of the Academy’s funded research.

• Use the Roxhill database to build and maintain the press team’s media lists for key British Academy stories/media campaign, developing knowledge of relevant media

• With guidance from the News & PR Manager and the Press Officer, track and maintain up-to-date records of all incoming media enquiries, contact with journalists, media coverage and British Academy spokespeople across a range of topics

• Develop and maintain relationships with key education and research journalists, responding to routine media enquiries with support from the News and PR Manager

• Suggest British Academy Fellows and Academy-funded researchers as writers, speakers and possible spokespeople

General team and administrative support

• Assist with the day-to-day administration of the communications team and the general running of the press office as directed

• Assist with general ad hoc office administration, including admin support for setting up and managing external contractors and other paperwork relating to budgets and finance

• Assist with event administration

• Support with stakeholder communications including internal comms and comms to British Academy Fellows, with guidance from the Deputy Head of Comms and PR and the News & PR Manager

• Oversee the Academy’s internal communications regarding our new building project, editing and commissioning short pieces for the building SharePoint.

KEY STAKEHOLDERS

Internal

• Reporting to the Deputy Head of Public Affairs and the News & PR Manager

• Press and Public Affairs colleagues, wider Communications Directorate including the Digital and Marketing and Events Teams, Policy Directorate colleagues, Research Funding colleagues.

External

• Fellows and spokespeople, journalists, parliamentarians and staff, university communications teams and colleagues at the other National Academies (the Royal Society, the Royal Academy of Engineering and the Academy of Medical Sciences.

ROLE REQUIREMENTS

WORKING RELATIONSHIPS

Works and communicates effectively.

• Ability to work with multiple teams across an organisation.

• Demonstrates commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion

• Excellent verbal and written communication skills

• Excellent attention to detail and editorial skills

• An open, collaborative and respectful approach to colleagues and stakeholders in all verbal and written communications.

• Personal commitment to the values, vision and objective of the organisation.

KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS

Demonstrates and develops appropriate knowledge and skills.

• Experience of public affairs work, work in parliament or in a media team, in a relevant sector

• Demonstrable understanding of influencing tactics in parliament and government

• Demonstrable understanding of media landscape

• Good knowledge and understanding of the full mix of communications tactics.

• A level of political knowledge, including of the Devolved Nations and local and regional political structures.

• Ability to synthesise complex or lengthy information

PROACTIVITY AND PLANNING

Manages time and resources effectively in order to achieve own and organisational objectives

• An exceptional work ethic and can-do attitude.

• Creative and able to take a proactive approach to finding ways to publicise research and other British Academy outputs

• Excellent organisational skills

• Prioritises tasks to meet deadlines

• Keeps relevant colleagues informed and seeks input

• Evaluates and manages risks effectively

• Monitors progress effectively and adapts plans where possible

PROBLEM SOLVING AND DECISION MAKING

Ensures good decisions are made through a rational and methodical approach

• Ability to analyse and solve problems, knowing when and how to escalate.

• Focuses on solutions and manages pressure

• Anticipates obstacles and thinks ahead

• Takes a flexible approach to their work, happy to take on different responsibilities, within reason, in the interests of the Academy

OTHER REQUIREMENTS

• Right to work in the UK

• Experience of using and updating Content Management Systems and Customer Relationship Management Systems

• Familiarity with and proven experience of using MS Office software in a professional environment

• A strong interest in the subjects represented by the Academy.

• Flexibility to work out of hours at events and occasionally at short notice, as required and within reason.

BRITISH ACADEMY WORKPLACE VALUES

The Academy’s workplace values and supporting text are set out below. We share these core values with each other. They guide how we work together and with others. We demonstrate them through our behaviours.

COLLABORATION- We consistently work together to a common purpose, supporting each other, communicating openly and sharing knowledge. We are flexible and adaptable, receiving feedback constructively

CREATIVITY - We bring imagination and curiosity to our work, valuing learning, diverse thinking, and innovation. We are open-minded, receptive, and responsive, taking account of alternative perspectives

EMPATHY-We are understanding, sensitive, compassionate, and considerate, mindful of our own wellbeing alongside that of others

EXCELLENCE - We always do our best, without striving to be perfect, applying our expertise and experience to develop and grow

INTEGRITY - We are open and honest with each other, accepting personal responsibility and demonstrating loyalty. We are reliable and dependable, having belief that we will be transparent and clear

RESILIENCE - We are confident, bold, and tenacious, knowing when to listen as well as when to speak up. We respond positively to challenges and overcome problems

RESPECT - We are inclusive in our regard for each other, showing courtesy and appreciation. We treat people fairly and equally, welcoming everyone’s contribution and difference

APPLICATION PROCESS

We have a two-step approach to hiring, beginning with submitting an application through the Applied platform. This will be followed by a panel interview, which could incorporate a task or presentation component.

Please note that you may be asked to reference any literature that you may refer to, as applications that are highly plagiarised and not your own work. e.g. ChatGPT, will be declined.

Interviews for this role are currently scheduled for 31 August 2023.