Communications & PR Manager
Status: Full Time, Fixed Term Contract (pursuant successful completion of probation period)
Salary: €35,000 Gross Per Annum
Work context
The national student movement in Ireland requires a Communications and PR Manager to work within a strategically vital and ever-changing role. A great opportunity for a self-starter, planner and communicator in tune with youth and education affairs, and a perfect fit for someone at the start of their communications career.
Working closely with the President and General Manager, the individual will be a talented all-rounder, leading on communication strategies with a focus on Press, Public Relations, with a distinct focus on Social Media.
Proven experience in Public Relations / Press / Communications is essential.
- Press – Put in place a yearly plan for ongoing press communications to support the political strategy and drive engagement. Write and deploy media releases, plan large scale nationwide engagement campaigns down to local campaigns to support our 30+ member campuses. Develop in-house press contact and reporting toolkit and manage rollout. Manage the Executive Team’s media diary, pitch and prepare senior officers for media engagements.
- Public Relations – Planning high impact PR activity for key political campaigns in line with Press and Social media campaigns. Maximising sponsorship projects with sponsors and increasing exposure of the organisation. Building a bank of media contacts to enable management of public relations and design in-house.
- Social Media – Manage brand strategy for Social Media platforms and roll out across ROI, and liaison with our office in NI. Leading and engaging with our political leadership on content. Developing engaging campaigns aligned with our political and brand priorities using interactive and creative content. Moderation and in depth reporting to a Senior Management level required. Includes low level content management for website.
Tasks
- Co-ordinate, prepare and implement annual plans for PR and Communications activity
- Working with the President and Executive Team, co-ordinate and implement the campaigns calendar.
- Work to raise the profile and general awareness of USI; identifying suitable PR stories, writing and distributing press releases, identifying new audiences and creative tactics to ensure positive outcomes and coverage for USI related activities and events
- Support the communications and leverage existing events such as:
o USI Congress in April
o USI National Demonstrations (September / October)
o USI Pink Training (November / December)
o Summer Training (July and August)
- Manage the Executive Team’s communications diary and media availabilities
- Act as main point of contact with media for all press enquiries
- Work with Executive Team members to achieve best outcomes from media opportunities
- Produce regular analysis and results for all PR and Communications Activities
- Establish relationships with relevant national media and maintain an up-to-date contact database
- Media monitoring of all USI-related content
- Manage relationships and interact with external agencies supporting PR and communications activities on a per-project basis
- Manage the USI digital platforms, ensuring all channels are appropriately targeted for their audiences. Maintain up-to-date, informative and appealing multimedia content.
o USI’s channels include:
▪ Websites
- Prepare and deliver design work to support the priorities of campaigns
- Monitor the fundraising and sponsorship environment and report in a timely manner on opportunities available
- Support the design, creation and procurement of materials for campaigns.
- Manage, design and disseminate the USI Budget Submission and USI Annual Report
- Ensure the communications output of the organisation of a uniformly high standard and consistent with the organisation’s brand guidelines
- Other duties relating to event management, communications and administration in accordance with USI’s priorities.
Criteria
- Have an Honours Degree or equivalent in a discipline in which communication through the medium of advanced English was a core competency – or demonstrate how the candidate has that experience without the formal qualification;
- Excellent competency in use of social media tools such as Twitter, Facebook, Linkedln, Snapchat, MailChimp, Instagram
- Be able to demonstrate a high level of political awareness and knowledge of the political system and current affairs
- Excellent capacity in online publications
- Experience and capacity in design work for the web and publication
- Demonstrate experience in working with the media for the promotion of policy and messages
- Highly professional phone manner
- Be comfortable working in a dynamic environment, issuing advice to people with limited applied professional experience and mediating the professional demands of best practice in public relations with the political demands of officers.
Desirable competencies
- Experience in lobbying and public affairs;
- Experience of research in the academic, social or community sectors
- Knowledge of the students’ union sector in Ireland
- Knowledge of the higher education environment.
- An interest in or willingness to learn and use the Irish language
Starting Soon
The candidate will be expected to start as close to the interview date as possible.
About USI
USI is the national representative body for the 354,000 students in third level education on the Island of Ireland. We are a membership organisation – our members are our affiliated Students’ Unions around Ireland, North and South.
Applying
Candidates should apply by forwarding a CV and a letter stating the title of the role applied for and outlining your suitability for the role (with adherence to the tasks and criteria) to recruitment@usi.ie by 12pm (midday) on Friday 17 January 2020