Do you have a way with words, great media contacts, and the ability to build trust with people experiencing the toughest times in their lives?

Turn2us is a national charity tackling poverty and the structural causes of poverty. We work with co-producers and partners to provide people experiencing financial insecurity with the means and agency to get back on their feet, build resilience, move forward with their lives and thrive.

We are looking for an experienced Press & PR officer to help us challenge the negative stereotypes surrounding poverty. We need someone who can work with journalists to tell a different story where people’s real lives and complex challenges are more fairly and widely represented, and their voices are front and centre.

We offer flexible working patterns, both in terms of hours and remote working. Please note that all employees are contractually required to work from the office a minimum of 4 days a month. Some roles may be required to be in the office more often than this and this will be agreed with the hiring manager upon starting at Turn2us. For this role, we would ideally want the successful candidate to work from the London office two days per week.

Job Description

Job Title: Press & PR Officer               

Department: External Affairs        

Reports to: PR & Storytelling Manager

Location: Hybrid: Head Office, Hammersmith, London W6 7NL and home working

Type of role: Permanent, Full-Time.

Purpose of the Role: To work closely with the PR & Storytelling Manager to spot, research and develop story and PR campaign ideas that will help spread the word about Turn2us via the local and national media. To run a professional and efficient press office. To support, empower and centre people with lived experience of financial insecurity in their work. To help increase understanding of the lives, strengths and challenges of people with lived experience of financial insecurity with voters, partners and people with influence and power to change the systems that perpetuate inequality.

Key Responsibilities and Accountabilities:

1. To help Turn2us raise awareness of its information, tools and services, public-facing fundraising activity, and advocacy and campaigning priorities via the local, national and sector media.

2. To champion a storytelling culture. To train, support and empower a diverse range of spokespeople to talk about the issues affecting people living with financial insecurity. To centre the voices and experiences of people living with financial insecurity as the golden thread that unites all this work.

3. To help identify and manage media opportunities and threats in order to grow and protect Turn2us’s brand and reputation via our media work.

Duties:

1. Manage day-to-day duties of our press office.

• Monitor the media inbox and respond to requests in a timely manner, responding to reactive opportunities quickly, and making decisions about which opportunities to prioritise or turn down, according to team priorities and advocacy goals.

• Ensure all media statements/press releases/op-eds etc are uploaded to our website and shared on social media (when appropriate).

• Direct people requesting information and advice to the helpline and report any safeguarding concerns.

• Log media enquiries, monitor and create a monthly report of media coverage. Share coverage with internal stakeholders it may affect (helpline), and with all staff for awareness, via the daily update email newsletter.

• Take part in a rota of out of hours press office coverage.

2. Be a curious story-hunter and good team player.

• Be curious – working with external stakeholders and other teams internally to spot potential stories and source background information for press releases, media campaigns and source statements and quotes so we can respond to the news cycle. Ensure appropriate sign-off, and keep the media log up to date.

• Be responsive – act quickly in response to the day-to-day media agenda and press inbox requests.

• Contribute to team planning.

• Support the team with database management of our people stories.

• Brief spokespeople using Turn2us key messaging, positioning and calls to action.

• Be curious about impact. Create a system for monitoring real-term impact, and sharing success and learning so we can improve impact and reach.

• Keep up to date on relevant issues affecting the charity and keep abreast of the news and media agenda, so we can pick up on opportunities for Turn2us and the people we support to take part in media coverage of the issues that most affect us.

• Spot and flag potential reputational risk, and work with PR & Storytelling Manager or Head of External Affairs to manage them.

3. Create media-smart systems and build our storytelling culture. Give us an edge by creating platforms for people with lived experience to have power and voice in our media work.

• Identify target media outlets and journalists for different audiences, and build contacts and relationships. Undertake desktop research to support the charity’s media strategy.

• Ensure people with lived experience have power and voice in our media work and help develop a suite of powerful people stories and opportunities for new audiences to hear.

• Contribute to a positive storytelling culture at Turn2us, which empowers people with lived experience of financial insecurity to use their voices to call for change, and ensures this work doesn’t put them at risk of harm.

• Know what works and apply knowledge when drafting proactive press releases and statements, press notices, reactive media comments, features and letters to editors.

• Stay up to date on best practice and innovation within the sector and spot trends (e.g. early release of stories by government in advance of budget).

• Support the fundraising team to promote Turn2us and increase income generation through helping to identify and draft positive news stories that supports their work.

• Work with the Campaigns & Communications Manager, the Policy Manager and the PR & Storytelling manager to ensure media work is integrated with all our other External Affairs functions and objectives.

These are the normal duties, which the charity requires from the position. However, it is necessary for all staff to be flexible and all employees will be required from time to time to perform other duties as may be required by the charity for the efficient running of the charity. This Job Description is non-contractual. It will be reviewed from time to time and may be subject to change.

At Turn2us, we are committed to protecting personnel, children, adults, and service users from any harm arising from each other, themselves, our activities, or organisational failings whilst in contact with us. The post holder will be required to follow the safeguarding policy and will be responsible for integrating safeguarding into all aspects of their work.

The post holder will be expected to ensure that their work complies with contractual terms and conditions, the Charity’s policies and procedures and key legislation, such as data protection and charity law.

Person Specification

Skills:  

• Great writer, able to write in different voices, for different audiences, channels and formats, and to follow our Turn2us tone of voice and writing guidelines.

• Analytical and accurate – able to condense complex information and statistics into copy that makes points powerfully and resonates with a range of different audiences, whilst remaining accurate.

• Good listener and interviewer – able to adopt a sensitive approach with people who have experienced tough times and trauma, and to represent their experiences accurately so the finished product remains true to their voice and experiences.

• Ability to be organised and carry out vital admin tasks to help us communicate our impact, learn, and improve.

• Curiosity and connection-building – ability to make connections with key people internally and externally, to build trusted relationships, and find stories and opportunities to collaborate.

• Support with the stewardship of celebrity ambassadors.                                                       

Knowledge:               

Essential:

• Knowledge of the UK media landscape.

• Knowledge of how to write in plain English.

Desirable:

• Knowledge of the UK benefits system and an interest in what drives economic inequality.

Experience:              

Essential:

• Experience of MS office suite including Microsoft Teams and other collaborative tools such as Trello (essential, although not specifically of the programmes mentioned).

Desirable:

• Experience of using media monitoring tools such as Gorkana or Meltwater.

• Experience of working in a busy press office, to tight deadlines.

• Project management experience.

Personal Attributes:

• Curiosity.

• Supportive, inclusive and dynamic team player.

• Perseverance.

• Calm in a crisis.

Turn2us is fully committed to equity, diversity and inclusion in our sector. We want this to be reflected in the diversity of the people who work for us and we are interested in applications from people of varied backgrounds.

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