Media Manager

Elliott Gray; Canberra; Hybrid; CAD 118,000 - 147,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Working from home options

Job summary

Universities Australia, Canberra, seeks a Media Manager to shape national conversations about higher education policy. You will lead proactive and reactive media engagement, positioning the organisation as a trusted voice and turning complex policy into clear public arguments that cut through.

This role requires political astuteness and the confidence to advise senior leaders, briefing the CEO for national interviews and guiding media strategy on major policy announcements.

Qualifications

• Experience leading media strategy and engagement.
• Ability to build relationships with journalists and editors.
• Ability to brief senior leaders for interviews and appearances.
• Experience developing media responses and talking points.

Responsibilities

• Lead Universities Australia's media strategy and media engagement.
• Identify opportunities to advance the advocacy agenda.
• Build relationships with journalists, editors and media stakeholders.
• Prepare the CEO and senior leaders for interviews and high-profile appearances.
• Develop media responses on emerging issues and manage reputational risk.
• Write releases, opinion pieces, talking points and media materials.
• Collaborate with government relations, advocacy and digital teams to land messages.

Skills

Media strategy

Stakeholder engagement

Public affairs

Strategic communications

Job description

Some media jobs are about managing enquiries.

This isn't one of them.

Universities Australia is the national voice of Australia's 38 universities. When the sector is in the headlines discussing international students, migration, research, funding, free speech, campus issues or the future of higher education, Universities Australia is often at the centre of the conversation.

As Media Manager, you'll help shape that conversation.

Working closely with the Head of Strategic Communications and the CEO, you'll lead proactive and reactive media engagement, position Universities Australia as a trusted and influential voice, and turn complex policy discussions into clear public arguments that cut through.

This is a role for someone who reads the politics before the press release.

You'll know how the news cycle works, spot opportunities before they arrive, and feel comfortable providing direct advice to senior leaders operating in a fast-moving environment. You'll be just as comfortable briefing a CEO for a national interview as you are picking up the phone to a journalist, managing a breaking issue, or developing a proactive media strategy around a major policy announcement.

What you'll be doing

• Leading Universities Australia's media strategy and media engagement.
• Identifying and creating opportunities that advance the sector's advocacy agenda.
• Building strong relationships with journalists, editors and key media stakeholders.
• Preparing the CEO and senior leaders for interviews, appearances and high-profile engagements.
• Developing media responses on emerging issues and managing reputational risk.
• Writing releases, opinion pieces, talking points and media materials that survive contact with a hostile interviewer.
• Working closely with government relations, advocacy and digital communications teams to ensure messages land with impact.

About you

You might come from:

• The Press Gallery
• A major newsroom or masthead
• A ministerial office
• Public affairs, advocacy or strategic communications
• A peak body or policy-focused organisation

What's more important than where you've worked is how you work.

You'll be politically astute, commercially aware and comfortable operating at pace. You'll have the confidence to provide clear advice, the judgement to know when to push and when to pause, and the emotional intelligence to navigate competing stakeholder priorities.

This role won't suit someone who prefers to sit behind email.

It will suit someone who enjoys building relationships, picking up the phone, influencing outcomes and being in the middle of issues that matter.

Why this role?

Because opportunities like this don't come along often.

You'll join a highly respected organisation with national reach, work directly with an engaged and media-savvy CEO, build relationships across the country, and influence debates that shape Australia's future.

You'll also be joining a small, high-performing team where good ideas are valued, bureaucracy is minimal and your impact will be visible.

The details

• Canberra location, with other capital city locations considered.
• Competitive salary package with 17% superannuation.
• Flexible working arrangements including working from home options and genuine flexibility.
• National travel and exposure to senior leaders across the university sector.
• Full-time opportunity with long-term career growth potential.

If you're looking for a role where you'll help win the argument in public, rather than simply report on it, we'd love to hear from you.