Media Officer

We're looking for a Media Officer to help us amplify young people's voices and create compelling stories. As part of our busy media team, you'll work across our media campaigns and support young people with lived experience to tell their stories. You'll be passionate about young people's mental health and have a strong news sense with an understanding of what makes a story cut through.

Position

Media Officer (maternity cover)

Contract

Full-time FTC, 35 hours per week, 9 months

Salary

£31,700 - £35,222 per annum

Location

London

1km from London Bridge and Tower Hill tube stations

Application closing date

02 Dec 2025

Interview date

TBC

Working environment

We are currently working with a hybrid working model, where there is the option of working from home combined with 4-12 days a month of working in the office.

You will play a key role in raising the profile of the organisation in the media and helping shape coverage of young people's mental health. You will work closely with young people with lived experience, supporting them to share their stories. You will build relationships with colleagues across the organisation to implement media plans for different work areas including policy and public affairs, campaigns, fundraising and our media activist programme.

The duties and responsibilities of this role are:

• developing and implementing media plans across YoungMinds' media activity including, policy campaigns, awareness weeks/days, fundraising, partnerships, research and data, and AJEDI, achieving coverage in a range of national, regional and trade outlets.
• action journalist requests that come into the press office using a strong news sense to identify and prioritise opportunities. This includes writing comments, coordinating interviews with spokespeople and flagging reputational risks to the Media Manager.
• manage a diverse group of Media Activists including delivering training for Media Activists which supports them to share their story safely and gathering case studies which cover a range of topics.
• build relationships with journalists for proactive and reactive work
• create and confidently pitch stories and op-eds to national, local, trade and consumer media.
• keep across the news agenda, spotting media trends, opportunities for YoungMinds and potential risks.
• provide media briefings and media guidance to YoungMinds spokespeople and young people and accompany them to media opportunities where needed.
• plan and run media training for spokespeople with the rest of the Media team.
• be part of the on-call rota covering out of hours.
• apply YoungMinds safeguarding and safe working processes in all work and interactions with young volunteers.
• other duties that may from time to time be necessary, compatible with the nature and grade of this post.

Candidates will be shortlisted based on meeting the below criteria to a satisfactory level:

• experience of working in a press office dealing with reactive requests and tight deadlines
• experience of working with people with lived experience to share their stories with the media
• experience of writing press releases and pitching to journalists
• experience of building relationships with journalists and achieving media coverage as a result
• understanding of the news agenda, spotting media trends, opportunities for YoungMinds and potential risks

Further information on the post can be found in the job pack below.

We welcome applications from Black and Minoritised, LGBTQ+ groups and those with disabilities, as they are currently under-represented.

Media Officer (maternity cover) job pack

One of our values is: "We celebrate what makes you you – whoever you are, we welcome you and encourage you to be true to yourself".

If you are excited about helping us to achieve our mission, passionate about working at an organisation that puts the lived experience of young people at the heart of everything we do and want to be part of our drive to become a truly anti-racist organisation we want to hear from you.

To apply, please fill in the application form and send via email to by the deadline listed, with the job title included as the subject.

Download the application form

You'll be part of a passionate, hardworking team that cares about the work they do and you'll be part of making a real difference to the lives of children and young people. In addition to becoming part of the YoungMinds team, you'll get:

• 25 days paid holiday entitlement (plus Bank Holidays)
• three days additional leave over Christmas and New Year
• auto-enrolment onto pension scheme where YoungMinds will match your contribution up to five per cent
• statutory benefits such as parental leave and sick pay
• a wide range of other health, wellbeing and lifestyle benefits
• a dedication to continued professional development, training and shared best practice

• A world where no young person feels alone with their mental health.

We want to see a world where every young person who is struggling feels able to reach out, and has people and services around them who can really help.