Senior Opinion Writer

Job Description

Company Overview:

Unitas Communications is a global public affairs, reputation management and cross-cultural communications agency, specialising in the interface between the Islamic and Western worlds.

Operating from London, Doha, Jeddah, Islamabad, and Washington DC, Unitas has a proven track record of delivering complex, integrated strategic communications and PR strategies that bridge the communications gap between cultures and communities on a local and international scale.

Working with many of the largest organisations in the world – from intergovernmental agencies and governments, to Fortune 500 companies and major philanthropic foundations – we are familiar with helping our clients achieve their goals while navigating complex, sensitive and rapidly shifting terrains.

Job brief:

A unique opportunity has arisen for a highly experienced Senior Opinion and Thought Leadership Ghost Writer to join Unitas Communications, a specialist global PR and Strategic Communications Agency driving some of the most high-impact campaigns in the world.

Working with high-level governmental, intergovernmental, charity and corporate clients such as the United Nations, Amnesty International, Friends of the Earth, the NFL, Barclays Wealth, the US State Department, and the NHS, Unitas offers our staff unique exposure to a global client base with significant influence on world affairs.

Essential

Your primary role will be to ideate, conceive, pitch and ghostwrite Opinion-Editorial articles on behalf of high-level clients as part of complex and multi-layered strategic communications campaigns designed to help them achieve high-impact goals.

You will be a brilliant, proficient, adaptable and creative writer with extensive experience of conceiving and writing opinion articles (whether under your own byline or ghostwritten on behalf of others) across a range of political and current affairs issues. Articles you draft could cut across politics, foreign affairs, society, culture, the economy, environment, religion and beyond. You will be capable of drafting original, exquisite copy that is fine-tuned to the voice of different authors. You will also be adept at doing deep research to fully understand and represent the complex issues that the client will want to convey, which will involve rapidly scanning and digesting information to come to grips with a topic and write about confidently. You will have a demonstrable ability to translate these issues and ideas into exciting and easy to read language that editors will want to publish. 

You will take a proactive and solutions-oriented approach to lead on brainstorming new ideas for content that will meet client goals in the light of relevant developments in current affairs. You will be excellent at crafting pitches for opinion editors at major publications, and will have a keen eye for the news cycle so as to ensure that pitches for op-eds are newsworthy and of interest to editors and readers. You will have a track record of pitching successfully to editors in getting articles commissioned. You will be someone who has a keen interest in news and current affairs, especially foreign affairs, and who enjoys reading widely across newspapers and current affairs publications.

You will thrive in a fast-paced environment producing a high-volume of content across multiple client accounts simultaneously with a self-starter attitude. You will be comfortable both working on your own initiative and as part of a team of writers. You will be highly responsive to critical editorial feedback with a drive to continue learning and improving your craft as a writer.

We are looking for a highly competent, solution-oriented and reliable individual who has the drive and passion to work to tight deadlines, under pressure, sometimes under close management and other times under minimal supervision from project to project - while also being flexible amidst the potential for rapidly changing requirements due to client demands.

Preferred

In addition to ghostwriting op-ed content, the ideal candidate will be skilled at a range of media and communications tasks. This would include drafting, copyediting and proofreading different kinds of content such as articles, speeches, press releases, news pieces, newsletters and so on. You will be able to determine new ideas for content through conversations with colleagues as well as directly with clients, and through extensive ongoing research of key topic areas. You will be highly organised and able to manage multiple projects and timelines. Based on your eye for detail and impeccable research and communication skills, you will be able to lead on developing narrative and messaging strategies for clients across multiple sectors which will form the backbone of how we craft and execute campaigns.

This is a role for senior candidates with considerable experience and expertise. 

Job Type: Full-Time, Permanent.

Salary band: £50-75k 

Working Time: Mon-Fri, 09:30 to 17:30; flexi working time and hybrid models are available.

Location: London, UK

Responsibilities:

• Lead on conceiving new ideas for articles relevant to client requirements
• Write, edit, and proofread opinion editorial articles on behalf of clients
• Proactively develop and implement media pitches to op-ed editors
• Develop new content ideas for clients by analysing current media coverage so content contains timely and accurate information
• Liaise with editors on pitches and articles 
• Manage and provide direction on social media content
• Develop relevant collateral materials including narrative and messaging strategy guidance, fact sheets, briefings, presentation slides, website content, newsletter content and blogs
• Develop professional relationships with media personnel, responding to information requests and negotiating to receive the best coverage possible
• Complete all writing projects according to the highest standards and based on stylistic and assignment specifications to tight deadlines
• Work closely with colleagues across multiple teams and under management supervision to achieve company and client goals
• Participate in team brainstorming sessions to plan publicity strategies and campaigns
• Meet and liaise with clients when necessary for narrative and messaging purposes, and to support campaign development and execution

Qualifications:

• Relevant postgraduate degree preferred, but relevant Bachelors degree will be considered based on experience
• Minimum of 8 years’ experience in the field
• Outstanding writing, research editing and verbal communication skills with strict attention to detail
• Demonstrated proficiency in pitching, writing and publishing opinion articles on current affairs containing creative, compelling, and accurate content in a variety of styles for diverse audiences
• Excellent copyediting capabilities 
• A passion for current affairs, global news, politics, and policy issues – this is especially preferred for issues pertaining to the Global South (climate change, human rights, faith-based issues, refugee crises etc.) and how it relates to the Global North
• Deep knowledge of how the media works and how best to communicate with opinion editors, as well as other editors and journalists
• Formidable ability to handle multiple projects and meet deadlines in a fast-paced and often chaotic environment
• A flexible and adaptable personal style capable of rearranging priorities swiftly
• An openness and interest in different cultures 

Our Culture:

Unitas Communications is a company dedicated to combating polarisation in our communities, societies and on our planet. We believe in bringing diverse cultures and communities together, and that it is our differences that make us stronger. 

As a fast-growing company moving from start-up to SME stage, we are a collection of self-starters, doers and thinkers with entrepreneurial drive. We encourage out-of-the-box thinking and new ideas, and welcome innovation and creativity. We are a company where there is scope to grow based on your initiative and drive to make things happen. We thrive in chaos and remain fearless in the face of uncertainty. But we also greatly value our people and strive to create an environment where everyone can work towards their best versions of themselves.

Diversity & Inclusion

At Unitas, our people are our chief competitive advantage and as such we treat colleagues, candidates, clients, and business partners with equality, fairness, and respect, regardless of their age, disability, race, religion or belief, gender, sexual orientation, marital status, or family circumstances.

If you are a motivated and experienced professional looking to take on a senior role in a dynamic and fast-growing organisation, we invite you to apply for the position of Senior Opinion & Thought Leadership Writer at Unitas Communications.

To Apply:

Alongside your CV, please answer these questions in your application email - either attached as a Word document, or in the body of the email. Do not exceed 250 words per question. This is to get an idea of your writing style and experience.

1. How do you approach a pitching process? How would you go about securing a news-worthy op-ed for a client in a top-tier outlet such as the Guardian, Financial Times, Le Monde Diplomatique, or Washington Post?

2. Imagine you have a client – an African Parliamentarian - who regularly writes about Global

North/Global South disparities in relation to climate change and climate policy. Please brainstorm three different newsworthy (and original) headlines with two-three sentence summaries of what this op-ed/article could discuss.

3. What does/did your day look like in your current or most-recent role? This is to get an idea of your ability to multi-task and handle fast-paced (often stressful) work environments.