News and Media Specialist

**Details**:
**Reference number**:

- 266641**Salary**:

- £33,502- Total compensation for this is role consists of HEO base salary of £33,502, Market Pay Supplement of £4,865 and on-call allowance of 4.5% base salary.**Job grade**:

- Higher Executive Officer**Contract type**:

- Permanent**Type of role**:

- Communications / Marketing**Working pattern**:

- Full-time**Number of jobs available**:

- 1Contents

Location

About the job

**Benefits**:
Things you need to know

Location
- Canary Wharf, LondonAbout the job

**Job summary**:
We are currently looking for an experienced **News and Media Specialist **to join our** Communications and Engagement **function. Keen to make the headlines.want to be part of the biggest news stories relating to medicines and medical equipment, science and research? Then working for the MHRA as a news and media specialist is for you This is a great opportunity for someone looking to progress their career within a media relations setting.

Total compensation for this is role consists of HEO base salary of £33,502, Market Pay Supplement of £4865 and on-call allowance of 4.5% base salary.

This is a **full-** **time** opportunity, on a **permanent** basis. The role will be based in our Canary Wharf, London site. We are currently implementing a flexible, hybrid way of working, with a minimum of 4 days per month working on site to enable the collaboration and contact with partners and stakeholders needed to deliver MHRA business. Attendance on site is driven by business needs so depending on the nature of the role, this can flex up to 8 days a month, with the remainder of time worked either remotely or in the office. Some roles will need to be on site more regularly. Remote working is potentially available for some specific roles. Please discuss this with the recruiting manager before accepting an appointment.

**Who are we?**

The MHRA is transforming, creating a progressive, responsive and sovereign regulator of medical products that is a fundamental requirement to achieve the innovation set out in the UK Life Sciences Vision. The MHRA Communications and Engagement Group is a multi-award-winning team that has a consistent track-record of achievement and providing value for money. Our focus is to support the Agency to deliver its business outcomes by putting patients and the public at the centre of all our work. We are organised in the following teams: News & Media, Communications, Patient and Public Stakeholder Engagement and Customer Experience..

The News and Media Team is responsible for managing the Agency’s profile and reputation on high profile, sensitive and day-to-day news and issues affecting the organisation and its remit confidently with the media and social media, responding to media enquiries as well as promoting, explaining and justifying its scientific expertise and wider contribution to public health and science nationally and globally. We implement and deliver effective news and issues management strategies at pace, developing and nurturing media and social media contacts, responding quickly and accurately to breaking or negative news stories to limit potentially damaging coverage and drive the Agency’s reputation, evaluating outcomes and results.

**Job description**:
Within a week of working here, your day could look like this: taking a call from a national print journalist about COVID-19 vaccines; liaising with the in-house expert to put together press lines; writing a news release and producing a video for social media about faulty diabetes home testing kits. The next day, you could be organising a press conference on clinical trials. From medicine recalls to faulty pacemakers, you will be dealing with some of the most exciting health stories in the media. You will work with the media to help inform patients, the public and our stakeholders about the regulation of medicines and medical devices, underpinned by science and research.

In addition, you will produce high-quality handling plans that include reactive lines to take, press notices, potential risks, core scripts, briefings and Q&As and considers the use of shareable social media content, ensuring work aligns and integrates with strategic communications priorities and narratives and develop, build and nurture professional relationships with journalists and social media influencers based on honesty, authority and credibility, staying up to date on media / social media trends. You will act as an Agency spokesperson, appropriately briefing media on issues, arranging media broadcast interviews as required, and participate in a 24-hour media on-call rota.

**Person specification**:
With first class written, editorial, social media engagement and oral communications skills and a strong, proven understanding of what makes a good news story and interesting, accessible content you will be able to develop good working relationships and influence journalists and senior managers, dealing with conflict a