Senior manager, media relations

Reporting to the director of communications the senior manager of media relations is responsible devising and implementing media strategies for our organizational program and profile-raising priorities, Serving as the primary point of contact for all media, the successful candidate will work collaboratively with the communications team and other internal stakeholders to ensure the organization’s media exposure reinforces its credibility, brand and values. He/she will establish and foster relationships with key outlets across traditional and online media channels, develop messaging for press releases and media pitches, organize and lead media briefings/trainings, as well as develop and institute an in-house media training program for the organization's spokespeople.

Principal Duties and Responsibilities

• Design and implement media strategies to support organizational goals and priorities, working in an integrated way with program leads across the organization to identify and maximize key opportunities to use media as a vehicle to influence policy and decision making.
• Set and secure target levels of media coverage, and evaluate progress at designed points of evaluation. Ensure that learning from evaluations is incorporated in future media strategies, fostering a culture of continuous improvement.
• Cultivate and manage strong relationships with media representatives, ensuring conventional and digital coverage that builds credibility and awareness of Global Fishing Watch’s mission and achievements. 
• Develop story angles that target media will find newsworthy and compelling, utilizing a combination of materials generated by Global Fishing Watch and conventional media pitches. 
• Maintain understanding of Global Fishing Watch’s remit of work, helping identify target audience and generate insights about what publications, conventional and digital, they consume. 
• Lead development and/or maintain oversight of all written press materials, including story pitches, media advisories/briefings, press releases, as well as the preparation of press kits, backgrounders and talking points for spokespeople.
• Respond to day-to-day media inquiries and conduct proactive outreach to relevant reporters and journalists. Build and maintain global, regional and specialized media lists, keeping record of outreach and engagement.
• Organize press calls, media briefings and/or press conferences around high level events. 
• Develop, implement and lead an in-house media training program to cultivate and position spokespeople as subject matter experts. Guide, direct and prepare spokespeople for media interviews, podcasts or filming; establish performance standards for spokespeople and monitor their development. 
• Oversee and maintain knowledge of the organization’s media monitoring system (Meltwater), utilizing it to target media outlets, track press coverage and facilitate analytics and reporting. 
• Monitor and track media coverage to better understand the media landscapes and determine optimal approach to outreach.
• Develop, coordinate, and enforce systems, policies/best practices, and procedures pertaining to media relations.

Candidate description

Required

• Bachelor’s degree required with 7-10 years of professional experience directly responsible for media relations/outreach.
• Excellent English written and verbal communication skills.
• Effective communicator who is highly organized, analytical and self-motivated.
• Able to work independently, quickly and efficiently as part of a high-functioning team.\
• Able to manage multiple priorities under tight deadlines while delivering high-quality materials across a variety of subject matter.
• Demonstrates operational excellence and a commitment to detail in a fast-paced, collaborative work environment.
• Takes full ownership of projects and communicates updates to stakeholders in a transparent and proactive manner.
• Committed to ensuring the right information is delivered and correctly communicated to the right people in a timely manner.
• Maintains understanding of what makes a story interesting to a journalist and demonstrates a proven track record of developing and pitching stories to media.
• Anticipates needs of media/journalists, including story angles, interview questions and materials.
• Maintains an understanding of the complexities and internal communications surrounding collaboration in a global matrix and remote organization.

Preferred

• Journalism, broadcast or agency experience.
• Professional exposure to fields of environment, ocean conservation, fisheries, or policy.
• Experience in media planning/buying.
• Experience in managing crisis communications.
• Established relationships with journalists and outlets.

The successful candidate will meet most, but not necessarily all, of the criteria above. If you don’t think you check all the boxes, but believe you have unique skills that make you a great fit for the role, we want to hear from you!

Please submit a CV with your relevant experiences and a cover letter conveying your interest in the position and how your previous experiences would support you to be successful in this role. We look forward to getting to know more about you!

Interested candidates should apply by November 24, 2023.

Working Hours

Global Fishing Watch supports flexible working, so the pattern of hours may vary according to operational and personal needs. The position will be part of a global team spanning many different time zones and so the candidate must be able to accommodate regular early/late meetings to be able to work effectively. Weekend work may be required on occasion. The post holder may be required to undertake regional and international travel. No overtime is payable.

Compensation

Compensation is commensurate with experience and will vary depending on the hired candidate’s country of residence, in accordance with local laws and regulations. The position may be a GFW employee or consultant, depending on the country of residence. While we are unable to provide a compensation range here, we will be happy to discuss a range when we know the desired location of our active candidates. GFW offers pension/retirement, health and other benefits commensurate with similar level GFW employees in the country of employment. The position may be a GFW employee or consultant, depending on the country of residence.  

Equal opportunities

Global Fishing Watch is an equal opportunities employer. We believe that our mission is best advanced when welcoming the contributions of people of diverse backgrounds, beliefs, and cultures and are committed to providing an inclusive and welcoming environment for all employees of Global Fishing Watch and our partners, vendors, suppliers, and contractors. We welcome the application of all qualified professionals and especially encourage those that have been historically marginalized or underrepresented because of their actual or perceived race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender, national origin, age, disability, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.

Hiring Process

A cover letter along with a CV will be requested to see how your experience and interest connect to the position. We expect the cover letter to allow applicants an opportunity to explain details on how their skill set aligns with the role and provide a better understanding of their suitability for the position. If selected for consideration, the hiring process for this position will include a formal 30-45 minute interview with 2-3 staff. This will be followed by an administrative call, when compensation information will be provided. Candidates advancing beyond this round may be asked to participate in another interview and complete an assessment. 

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