Press and Communications Officer, Wales

MS Society UK; Wales; Hybrid; GBP 16,000 - 18,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Flexible working options

Smart working options (remote)

Job summary

MS Society UK is seeking a tenacious Press and Communications Officer in Wales to promote media coverage and support fundraising, campaigning and services. The role requires fluent Welsh and English writing, and experience in press offices or journalism.

You’ll handle media enquiries and help shape our digital communications strategy while balancing multiple priorities in a busy team. Applicants should be comfortable working in a dynamic charity environment, with the ability to deliver strong

Qualifications

• Fluent Welsh writer and speaker required.
• Experience in press office, PR agency, or journalism essential.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities in a busy team.

Responsibilities

• Promote and deliver media coverage and strategies.
• Be the main contact for media enquiries.
• Support development of digital communications and social media presence.

Skills

Welsh language proficiency

Press office experience

Bilingual writing (Welsh/English)

Job description

*you’ll start at our entry point salary of£16,147* (FTE £26,912*)per annum, increasing to£17,156* (FTE £28,594*)after 6 months service and satisfactory performance and to£18,166* (FTE £30,276*)after a further 6 months

About us

We make sure people living with MS are at the centre of everything we do. And it’s this commitment that unites us across the UK.

Our strategy is based on what people affected by MS have told us is important to them. It gives us a clear and determined focus.

Our work is based on the hopes and aspirations of our MS community. Together we campaign at all levels, fund ground-breaking research and provide award-winning support and information.

Our people are our greatest asset and the key to our success. We offer a vibrant, progressive working environment where you'll be able to make a difference.

About this job

We’re looking for a tenacious, proactive Press and Communications Officer to join our team and help us meet our ambitious goals.

You’ll be communicating with both Welsh and English speaking audiences, and you must be a fluent Welsh speaker/writer.

Crucially, you’ll promote and deliver media coverage/strategies to promote our work with a particular emphasis on promoting our fundraising, campaigning and service activity.

You’ll also be our point of contact for media enquiries we receive. And you’ll support the development and delivery of our digital communications, ensuring we have a strong and representative social media presence.

The chosen candidate will have relevant experience (such as a press office, PR agency or journalism), and be comfortable managing competing priorities as part of a busy team. You’ll have excellent writing and communications skills in Welsh and English, and a positive attitude.

Welsh language written and speaking skills are essential. An application submitted in Welsh will be treated no less favourably than an application submitted in English.

• a supporting statement. This should show how you meet the essential criteria in the person specification of the job description

If you'd like to discuss the role in confidence first, please contact our HR team by email at: [e-mail]

We’d be grateful if you downloaded and completed the equality and diversity monitoring form and submit it with your application.

We particularly welcome applications from disabled people and/or people from minoritised ethnic backgrounds.

Your right to work in the UK

You must have the right to work in the UK to work in paid employment with us. You’ll need to share documents showing you’re eligible to work in the UK if we offer you employment.

You can find the UK visas and permits granting you the right to work in the UK on the UK Government website. We currently don’t have a Sponsor Licence agreement with the Home Office and aren’t able to support you with your visa applications.

Disability Confident Employer

We’re a Disability Confident Employer and we’re committed to promoting equality and diversity.

You can ask for reasonable adjustments as part of both our recruitment and new starter on-boarding processes.

You can also ask for the application materials to be sent to you in a different format. Such as for them to be sent to you by email or in a larger word format.

More about our recruitment and selection process

• The HR team will anonymise your CV and supporting statement before forwarding to the shortlisting panel. This is done as part of our commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion.
• The first round of our recruitment and selection process includes an interview with competency-based questions.
• Our recruitment and selection process might also include extra tasks. For example, a written or Microsoft Excel test or making a presentation.
• We’ll let you know what the selection process will include when we invite you to interview. You can ask for any more reasonable adjustments for the interview as part of the invitation.
• You might also be invited for a second interview. We’ll let you know about this during the selection process.

More about our employee benefits:

We have a wide range of employee benefits including (but not limited to):

Encouraging work life balance

• 38 days paid annual leave (including bank holidays), pro-rata for part-time
• More annual leave entitlement, based on length of employment
• Smart working options (with the opportunity to work remotely and find a smart working pattern that suits both you and us)
• Flexible working options

Caring for you and your family

• More sick pay entitlement, based on length of employment
• Opportunity to buy and sell annual leave in each calendar year
• Free access to a GP virtually 24 hours a day/7 days a week allowing you unlimited advice, reassurance and where appropriate, diagnosis
• Enhanced leave for new parents
• Free access to a confidential 24 hours a day/7 days a week helpline service for both you and your family with a specialist range of support and information
• Special leave options (such as up to 5 days paid leave for domestic or personal emergencies a year)
• 10 days paid disability leave a year, pro-rata for part-time
• 10 days paid carers’ leave a year, pro-rata for part-time
• New family-friendly benefits, including paid leave in the event of miscarriage/stillbirth, to support fertility treatments and for antenatal appointments for both parents
• Cycle to work scheme

Thinking about your finances

• Enhanced salary sacrifice pension scheme
• Discounted season ticket loan and interest-free emergency loans
• Give as you earn to support other charities of your choice before tax
• New employee portal including lifestyle savings vouchers and personal wellbeing

Enriching your life at work

• Personalised development plans with a wide range of training courses and opportunities to source additional training options with your line manager
• Yearly internal apprenticeship opportunities
• New, modern offices that embrace working together both in-person and remotely
• Various opportunities to influence how we internally operate (including surveys, and focus and committee groups)
• Active and supportive internal employee networking groups for collaboration and peer support
• 2 days paid leave a year for volunteering for MS Society activities during normal working hours (such as fundraising events, or campaigning in the local community)
• 2 days paid leave a year for volunteering with other charities during normal working hours

Safeguarding

We’re committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of everyone who uses our services and we come into contact with.

This is regardless of:

• age
• disability
• trans and non-binary identities.
• marriage and civil partnership status
• pregnancy and maternity status
• race (by race we mean colour, nationality, ethnic and national origin)
• religion or belief (including no religion or belief)
• sex or gender identity and expression
• sexual orientation
• socio-economic status or class
• geographic background
• caring responsibilities. This includes caring for a disabled person, older person or child and parental leave.
• mental health status
• menopause and periods

We recognise our particular responsibility to make sure vulnerable adults and children are protected.

We have measures in place to protect everyone we come into contact with from abuse and maltreatment of all kinds.

Share this page

Find us on LinkedIn

Stay up to date with our latest vacancies and news

We offer great benefits and huge scope for development. But what is it that makes us stand out from other charities? Read about all the excellent benefits of working at the MS Society.

Danielle joined us in 2008 and has been our Governance Manager since 2019. In this blog, she talks about the different roles she's had here, and how she balances work with managing her MS.

Both living with MS and being queer can be a lonely journey at times, but during LGBTQIA+ Pride month I’m constantly reminded that I’m not alone.

Interested in working with us?

At the MS Society, we make sure people living with MS are at the centre of everything we do. And it’s this commitment that unites us across the UK. Our people are our greatest asset and the key to our success. We offer a vibrant, progressive environment where you will make a difference for everyone effected by MS. Together we can stop MS.