Assistant Press Officer

British Museum; Greater London; Hybrid; GBP 29,000 - 35,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Free exhibition entry

Civil Service Pension Scheme

25 days’ annual leave

Peer support and allyship

Learning and development

Employee Assistance Programme

Job summary

The British Museum is seeking an enthusiastic and organised Assistant Press Officer to join our busy Communications team. This role invites someone with PR or media relations experience to help manage media enquiries and support exhibition campaigns.

You will be the first point of contact for journalists, delivering timely responses and coordinating interviews while developing campaigns with guidance from an experienced team.

Qualifications

• Experience working in a press office, PR, communications or media relations environment.
• A genuine passion for arts, culture, museums, heritage or public engagement.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Excellent attention to detail and organisational ability.

Responsibilities

• Handling incoming media enquiries via email and telephone.
• Managing reactive press activity, including image requests and interview coordination.
• Monitoring, analysing and distributing daily press coverage.
• Supporting delivery of exhibition campaigns and proactive media opportunities.
• Maintaining media databases, press materials and image libraries.
• Assisting with press events, visits and filming activity on site.
• Producing reports and briefings to evaluate media coverage and campaign performance.
• Building positive relationships with journalists and colleagues across the Museum.

Skills

Press office experience

Media relations

Written communication

Verbal communication

Attention to detail

Stakeholder relationships

Calm under pressure

Proactive attitude

Flexibility on hours

Willingness for travel

Job description

Vacancy Type Permanent Contract length Permanent Working Pattern Full Time Is hybrid working available? Yes If hybrid how many days on site minimum? at least 4 days per week on‑site in Bloomsbury, London Location Bloomsbury, London (Hybrid) Salary £31,675 per annum Application Deadline Sunday, November 1, 2026 Job Profile Job Profile document

Role Summary

About the role

We're looking for an enthusiastic and organised Assistant Press Officer to join our busy Communications team. This is an exciting opportunity for someone with some experience in PR, media relations or a press office environment who is eager to develop their career in the arts, culture and heritage sector.

As the first point of contact for media enquiries, you'll play a vital role in supporting the day-to-day operation of the press office. From managing the press inbox and responding to journalist requests, to helping deliver exhibition campaigns and major Museum announcements, you'll be at the heart of how we share our stories with audiences around the world.

This role offers the opportunity to contribute to a wide range of high‑profile activities, from exhibitions and acquisitions to major institutional announcements. You'll gain hands‑on experience working across both reactive and proactive media relations, while developing your own projects and campaigns with support from an experienced communications team.

If you're looking for an opportunity to build a rewarding career in cultural communications and help bring remarkable stories to audiences worldwide, we'd love to hear from you.

About you

• Experience working in a press office, PR, communications or media relations environment.
• A genuine passion for arts, culture, museums, heritage or public engagement.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Excellent attention to detail and organisational ability.
• The confidence to build relationships with journalists and stakeholders.
• The ability to remain calm under pressure and work to tight deadlines.
• A proactive attitude and willingness to take ownership of projects.
• Available to occasionally work outside normal office hours for evening events, early morning media activity and some international travel.

Key areas of responsibility

• Handling incoming media enquiries via email and telephone.
• Managing reactive press activity, including image requests, media responses and interview coordination.
• Monitoring, analysing and distributing daily press coverage.
• Supporting the delivery of exhibition campaigns, Museum announcements and proactive media opportunities.
• Maintaining media databases, press materials and image libraries.
• Assisting with press events, visits and filming activity on site.
• Producing reports and briefings to evaluate media coverage and campaign performance.
• Building positive relationships with journalists and colleagues across the Museum.

The Masterplan

The British Museum is undertaking its biggest transformation since its founding nearly 300 years ago. This physical and intellectual transformation includes large scale building and gallery transformation, new ways of connecting with audiences and different ways of working. As we look towards this exciting future, we remain guided by the words of our founder Hans Sloane - who dreamed of a museum connecting all arts and sciences, which would be accessible to everyone, everywhere.

Benefits

At the British Museum, we believe our people are at the heart of everything we do and have designed a benefits package that goes beyond the ordinary. Our full list of benefits can be found here, but we’ve outlined some highlights below:

• Free exhibition entry for you and guests, exclusive private views, ICOM and reciprocal museum access.
• Civil Service Pension Scheme defined benefit with considerable employer contribution.
• 25 days’ annual leave plus bank holidays and 2.5 privilege days (and +5 days after 10 years).
• Peer support and allyship with five diversity networks for community.
• Learning and development through courses, mentoring and Athena as well as support for professional qualifications.
• Employee Assistance Programme available 24/7 for counselling, wellbeing support and more.

Values

Our values drive everything we do, from how we handle our objects to how we work in our team to fostering a culture where everyone feels heard and empowered:

• Care Deeply
• Embrace the Unknown
• Spark Curiosity
• Value Many Voices

These are a core part of how we recruit. Throughout the application, interview and selection process, we look for examples of how candidates demonstrate these behaviours in their own work and experiences. We encourage you to familiarise yourself with our values and reflect them in your application.

Additional information

If you have any additional needs that we should be aware of to support you with your application, please provide details to [e-mail] .

Internal Applicants

We welcome internal applicants regardless of background, department or length of service but encourage you to let your manager know before applying.

The Museum also adheres to the HMG Baseline Personnel Security Standard (BPSS) for pre‑employment screening of Civil Servants.