Media Relations Manager

As Media Relations Manager, you’ll lead the media and social communications strategy for National Grid Strategic Infrastructure - bringing our purpose, vision, and values to life through clear and compelling content, whilst also building and maintaining relationships with relevant external stakeholders.

We have a crucial role to play in tackling climate change by accelerating our capacity to deliver clean electricity across the UK. We already operate the fastest decarbonising electricity grid in the world, with an ambition for zero carbon operation by 2025. And by 2035, we want to run 100% clean, green energy, all the time. National Grid Strategic Infrastructure (SI) was set up in 2023 with special dispensation from Ofgem to accelerate 17 key infrastructure upgrade projects across the UK within timescales never seen before.

This is a truly amazing time to join us!

Key Accountabilities:

It’ll be your responsibility to b uild and enhance our reputation and influence through integrated campaigns and media & social communication strategies . By d eveloping and maintaining your network of external contacts, pro-actively meeting and briefing relevant journalists and media outlets, you’ll a nticipate and identify current and future strategic issues and industry trends of interest, pro-actively providing insight on media opportunities. You’ll l ead the delivery of briefings for business leader’s meetings with key journalists, produce briefing material prior to interviews and provide constructive post-interview feedback; write compelling content, articles, and press releases ; a dvise in developing media position statements; and support on crisis management.

About You:

You’re experienced in in-house media relations and/or journalism, with the ability to convey company key messages to both expert and lay audiences. Tactically astute, with demonstrable knowledge of appropriate media relations tools and techniques, including digital and social media. You understand how to build relationships and influence internal stakeholders in a large complex organisation, working collaboratively, and able to communicate complex policy solutions in a clear, concise manner to multiple audiences. You enjoy prioritising competing issues, working at pace, with minimal guidance. In person you’re r esults orientated, highly organised and strong attention to detail, with a proven ability to plan, execute, measure, review and report public affairs and policy activities.

Managerial experience would be well regarded, as this role will have 1 report.

What we can offer You:

Salary up to £63,000 dependant on experience and location.

Plus:

Up to 15% annual performance bonus and salary benchmarking
Double-match pension scheme (for every £1 you put in we put in £2, to a max company contribution of up to 12%)
28 days holiday (plus 8 statutory days, plus the opportunity to buy 5 more days annually)
Life Assurance: 10 x your base salary
Access to a number of flexible benefits such as a share incentive plan, salary sacrifice car, health & technology schemes, support via employee assistance lines and matched charity giving to name a few.
Financial support to help cover the cost of professional membership subscriptions, course fees, books, exam fees and time off for study leave – relevant to your role.
Family care benefits including a back-up care service for when your usual care arrangements fall through (six paid days each year as standard with the option to purchase further days).
Access to apps that support health, fitness and wellbeing.

Further Information:

We offer a hybrid and flexible working approach, a mix of office working from our London Strand office (c2 days per week) and the rest home working. We can also consider this role to be based from our Warwick office, Warwickshire – with some travel to London as required.

The closing date of this advert is 30th October 2023

Interviews will be held w/c 6th November 2023

Don’t meet every single requirement? Studies have shown that women and people of colour are less likely to apply for jobs unless they meet every single qualification. At National Grid, we’re committed to building a diverse, inclusive and authentic workplace for everyone. So if you’re excited about this role but your experience or qualifications don’t match the job description exactly, we encourage you to apply anyway. You might just be the right person for our growing business in this role or another one.

About Us:

National Grid plc , a FTSE 100 company, is an international utility business based in the United Kingdom and the north-eastern United States. It is one of the largest investor-owned energy companies in the world and plays a vital role in connecting millions of people to the energy they use, safely, reliably and affordably. With over 30,000 employees, we operate the heart of the energy system, leading decarbonisation to enable a Net Zero future, investing £7 billion last year alone in the innovative technology, infrastructure and skills to realise this ambitious imperative.