Role description, April 2024  

Reports to:         Director of Communications and Marketing    

Direct reports:    None  

Role Summary    

This exciting role will enable Alcohol Change UK to reach millions of people across the UK with key messages about alcohol and alcohol harm, delivered through print, online, and broadcast media engagement tactics. With a high level of existing press interest in our work and campaigns (including our flagship Dry January® campaign), this is an exciting moment as we look to develop our proactive media engagement and share reframed stories about alcohol that resonate with a huge audience. Your work will drive significant awareness of our organisation and ultimately enable millions of people to transform their relationship with alcohol.  

Key Tasks and Responsibilities    

Media engagement  

• Manage the organisation’s media inbox and phone line, handling enquiries from journalists and providing responses in a timely manner  

• Provide regular out of hours media cover on a rota basis (scaling depending on busier campaign periods, shared fairly with others and TOIL provided for hours worked)  

• Develop public media statements and quotes across the whole spectrum of Alcohol Change UK’s work, issuing to press both reactively and proactively  

• Provide ongoing development of our key lines library, regularly reviewing responses we have on file for a range of topics 

• Support Alcohol Change UK spokespeople (Chief Executive, Directors and others) prepare for interviews: developing tailored briefings ahead of opportunities, providing a sounding board to rehearse key lines when required and giving feedback on appearances to support ongoing development  

• Manage our media database and reporting tools, providing regular condensed reports for the Director of Communications and Marketing/CEO/Board and develop insights-gathering to better inform our media engagement strategy  

• With the Director of Communications and Marketing, play a key role in media crisis management, escalating issues as appropriate, suggesting solutions and developing organisational responses to sensitive situations  

• Support the deployment of Alcohol Change UK voices, working closely with the Engagement Team to identify Community Champions, Ambassadors and others who are happy to be supported to share their experiences of alcohol and alcohol harm with the media  

Developing a new proactive media strategy  

• Plan and deliver a new strategy for generating proactive media coverage, where Alcohol Change UK’s research, campaigns, parliamentary and wider activity connect with larger audiences in a strategic way  

• Working closely with teams across the organisation, craft compelling media plans and press releases to generate coverage of our work  

• Bring fresh energy to opportunity spotting, securing opinion pieces, expert comment, letters to editors and other ‘newsjacking’ content – particularly on ‘culture change’ topics such as sober shaming and stigma 

• Manage relationships with key journalists in our sector, exploring opportunities for partnerships and exclusives  

Campaign media activity  

• Particularly for our flagship Dry January® campaign, and with the support of the Director of Communications and Marketing, develop media support briefs for external media agencies, when required 

• Develop fresh strategies and media angles for annual campaigns (Dry January®, Sober Spring, Alcohol Awareness Week) to keep activity engaging for public and returning audiences  

• Think creatively to craft media strategies which are tailored to reach segmented audience groups, aligning with targets for individual campaigns to reach under-served communities 

• Provide detailed campaign media evaluations, insights and learning reports  

Other    

You will also be expected to:    

• Work closely with colleagues across the charity to support their work and to act as ‘one team’ 

• Contribute actively and positively to charity-wide strategies 

• Continually develop your knowledge of alcohol harm and solutions to it 

• Act as a positive ambassador for Alcohol Change UK at all times 

• Know, embrace and actively uphold the values of Alcohol Change UK at all times 

• Work flexible hours as necessary to meet the needs of the charity, time off in lieu (TOIL) will be earnt for any work required outside of normal working hours