Media & PR Officer

The British Academy; London; Hybrid; GBP 30,000 - 50,000; Full time

Job summary

An established industry player is seeking a Media & PR Officer to enhance its public profile and generate media coverage for its events and research. This role involves crafting engaging narratives, collaborating with various teams, and responding to media inquiries. The ideal candidate will have a passion for writing and editing, along with a strong understanding of media relations. Join a supportive team in a vibrant environment where your contributions will make a significant impact on the humanities and social sciences. This is an exciting opportunity to work closely with leading intellectuals and shape public engagement.

Benefits

34 days annual leave

Flexible working hours

Subsidised canteen

Excellent occupational pension

Qualifications

• Experience in media relations and public relations.
• Strong writing and editing skills for diverse audiences.

Responsibilities

• Generate engaging news stories and pitch to media outlets.
• Collaborate with teams to enhance the Academy's public profile.

Skills

Media Relations

Writing and Editing

Public Relations

Storytelling

Social Media Management

Education

Degree in Communications or related field

Tools

Media Monitoring Tools

Social Media Platforms

Job description

The British Academy – the UK’s national body for the humanities and social sciences – is seeking a Media & PR Officer to join the Communications and Marketing department to increase exposure and generate media coverage about the British Academy’s public events, policy programmes, funded research and subject advocacy.

The role

The Media & PR Officer will be responsible for collaborating with colleagues from across the Academy to generate engaging and concise news stories and pitch them to national, regional, broadcast and higher education sector media. On a weekly basis, you’ll be planning, writing and editing stories about our public events programme, higher education or public policy work, Fellowship, and social sciences and humanities research findings.

The role holder will lead on media stories from start to finish, from spotting newsworthy stories to writing integrated comms plans, to delivery of media coverage and social media content. Your main objective will be to build the Academy’s profile and increase public awareness of the humanities and social sciences. Working closely with the Media & PR Manager, and the wider Media and Public Affairs team, you will identify opportunities, respond quickly to incoming reactive queries from journalists, academics and press offices, using your judgement to respond clearly on a variety of topics. You will also be responsible for sourcing and coaching media spokespeople when needed.

As someone who loves to write and edit, you should consume a variety of news daily, think creatively, and proactively take the initiative to suggest story angles to the team and look at improvements to ways of working.

You will be joining at an exciting time, with a new President starting in July 2025, and a new themed programme of public events seasons held at our home in the heart of St James’s, London, transformed last year after a £10 million redevelopment. You will be part of a friendly and supportive team. You will also have the chance to work with some of the top intellectual minds from across the humanities and social sciences.

About the Academy

The British Academy is the UK’s national body for the humanities and social sciences, established by Royal Charter in 1902. We mobilise these disciplines to understand the world and shape a brighter future. Today’s complex challenges can only be resolved by deepening our insight into people, culture, and societies. With a Fellowship of around 1,700 leading national and international academics, the Academy invests in researchers and projects across the UK and overseas; engages the public with fresh thinking and debates; and brings together scholars, government, business, and civil society to influence policy.

The Academy currently has five directorates: Communications & Marketing; Development; Policy; Research; and Resources, plus a small Governance & Fellowship Team. We have increased staffing in the last 12 months and expect to continue to grow this year.

Working at the Academy

Our senior management team have worked with staff to foster a culture of collaboration, respect, and empathy, in which all contributions are recognised as we work towards our common goals. Our people strategy and working practices focus on building strengths and sharing insights, with learning & development, wellbeing, and equality, diversity & inclusion at the centre of how we operate as an organisation. Investing in our staff and encouraging a healthy work/life balance is central to our success, as we move forward and continue to grow.

Terms and conditions

The British Academy is based at 10-11, Carlton House Terrace, London SW1, a Grade 1 listed building. We offer a competitive benefits package including a 35-hour working week, with hours and location worked flexibly under our hybrid-working policy; 34 days’ annual leave plus Bank Holidays; a subsidised canteen and an excellent occupational pension.

How to apply

We welcome applications from people of all backgrounds, in line with our commitment to create a diverse and inclusive working environment, promote equal opportunity, and address under-representation. We will make reasonable adjustments to support disabled job applicants and offer an interview to those meeting the minimum selection criteria.

To apply, and to see the full job description and our workplace values, please follow the link to access the Applied recruitment platform.

Applications must be received no later than 1200 noon on Monday 19 May.

Proud member of the Disability Confident employer scheme

Disability Confident About Disability Confident A Disability Confident employer will generally offer an interview to any applicant that declares they have a disability and meets the minimum criteria for the job as defined by the employer. It is important to note that in certain recruitment situations such as high-volume, seasonal and high-peak times, the employer may wish to limit the overall numbers of interviews offered to both disabled people and non-disabled people. For more details please go to Disability Confident.