About EngineeringUK

We want to drive change so more young people choose engineering and technology careers. In the UK, we don’t have enough engineers and demand is going up. So, we need more young people to realise there could be a future for them in engineering and technology. To really thrive, we need a stronger, more representative workforce and for that we have to do things differently to make engineering more appealing.

We are a not-for-profit working with hundreds of organisations across business, education, professional institutions and the third sector so we can all grow the future talent pool together. We drive that collective effort through research and evidence, leadership, activities for schools and advocacy, with a focus on long-term sustainability.

We guided by a series of values that we apply to all our activity:

·       We are inclusive and care about diversity. We understand that we have different needs and create opportunities for everyone's voice to be heard

·       We are collaborative. We listen, share and work in partnership to achieve our vision

·       We are curious and keen to learn. We challenge ourselves and others to innovate and experiment

·       We are insightful. We evaluate what we do and draw on research to make decisions and to improve our collective understanding

·       We are driven by a strong sense of purpose. We are determined to make an impact and achieve our goals

About the role

The Media & External Communications Manager is responsible for delivery of strong media relations, proactive press office and high impact PR activity that raises the profile of EngineeringUK, improves understanding of the role of engineers/engineering, drives increased targeted engagement with our programmes and services and meets coverage targets.

Reporting to and working with the Head of Communications, you will deliver against our media and PR strategy. You will be responsible for consistent messaging, telling compelling stories and producing engaging content to showcase our work to media and industry audiences, working across internal teams and with external partners to leverage and maximise PR opportunities.

You will lead on our flagship campaign Tomorrow’s Engineers Week, as well as PR across the Big Bang programme to ensure the greatest possible reach and impact. You will also develop campaigns to promote our offer to industry and education, showcase our research capability and boost our profile as thought leaders.

This role is supported by the Marketing Communications Executive equivalent to 1 day/week) who you will matrix manage with the Senior Marketing Communications Manager.

The role is London based at the EngineeringUK offices at 10 Lower Thames Street, London EC3R 6EN and may involve some travel in the UK.  We believe that hybrid working has many benefits and are pleased to offer flexible working with a baseline of 2 days (or 40%) a week in the office and core hours of 10am to 4pm.

Role responsibilities

·       Run a pro-active and responsive press office that secures coverage across all target media

·       Develop and maintain relationships with print, digital and broadcast journalists within national and (engineering and education) trade media

·       Develop and deliver high impact PR across digital and traditional channels

·       Manage the delivery of national PR campaigns, in-house and with agency support

·       Matrix manage the Marketing & Communications Executive

·       Leverage relationships and opportunities to highlight thought leadership

·       Develop corporate messaging and standardised content

·       Identify and write compelling stories and leverage them to raise the profile of our work

·       Produce engaging editorial, content and collateral to drive awareness of our programmes and services

·       Develop stories and sharable content from our research and policy outputs

·       Manage and promote the EngineeringUK blog and online media centre

·       Analyse and report on coverage

·       Work in line with EngineeringUK values and support achievement of our organisational objectives

·       Undertake any training and development as required for the role

·       Any other duties and tasks as directed and required by your line manager

This is a general guide to the key responsibilities of this role, it is not exhaustive. Similarly, the amount of time that you spend on various aspects of the role may vary. 

Person specification

Essential skills/competencies

·       Proven direct experience of selling in stories and securing regular national, trade and regional media coverage with established media contacts

·       Experience of delivering high profile, omni channel PR campaigns (in-house or agency side)

·       Confident, persuasive communicator and copywriter, with great attention to detail

·       Energetic, resilient and resourceful team player with real ‘can-do’ and pro-active attitude 

·       Experience of working on skills/education related issues

·       Commitment to our mission and values, you will be able to engage with our values and work in a way that supports our commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion

Education/level of experience

·       3 to 5 years’ hands-on press office experience

EngineeringUK is committed to being an inclusive workplace, where everyone feels they belong.  This is supported by the dedicated work we are doing to ensure our policies and practices are inclusive and that our staff are trained to be able to fulfil this commitment.