Head - Media

Head - Media

Department: Marketing & Membership

Employment Type: Permanent - Full Time

Location: London

Compensation: £45,000 - £65,000 / year

Description

techUK Overview:

techUK is the trade association which brings together people, companies, and organisations to realise the positive outcomes of what digital technology can achieve. With over 1,200 members (the majority of which are SMEs) across the UK, techUK creates a network for innovation and collaboration across business, government, and stakeholders to provide a better future for people, society, the economy, and the planet.

By providing expertise and insight, we support our members, partners, and stakeholders as they prepare the UK for what comes next in a constantly changing world.

Role Overview :
This is an opportunity for an experienced media professional to own techUK’s voice in the national conversation on technology and policy, running a busy press office and shaping how the UK’s most contested tech issues are argued in public.

This is a role at the heart of the UK's technology and policy landscape, creating the strategic messages that land with the media and working on key issues that within our sector that regularly create headlines in broadcast and national media. As Head of Media, you will lead techUK's response to fast-moving Government announcements, regulatory developments and industry news, often working to tight timescales on behalf of our more than 1,200 members. Never a quiet day - this can range from working on rapid response commentary on data centres, AI regulation or defence procurement to proactive outreach around the use of robotics in healthcare and our members views on international policy and trade. Responsible for our reputation management, you will need to bring clarity to complex issues, ensuring techUK's positions are communicated clearly to our audiences so we remain a relevant, credible and influential trade association.

You will sit inside techUK's operation rather than alongside it. You will be in the room as our positions are developed, brief the Senior Leadership Team before broadcast or interviews, and join meetings with Government and regulators alongside our policy leads. Very few in-house media roles offer that proximity to the substance, and it is what makes the difference between reactive press handling and genuine influence.

Reporting to the Director of Marketing, Membership and Communications, you will own the press office, set and deliver techUK's proactive media strategy, run our spokespeople operation and lead issues and crisis communications.

Success in this role is cut-through rather than volume: the quality and placement of coverage and whether techUK’s arguments shape the terms of the debate on the issues that matter most to our members. We are looking for someone proactive, organised, and comfortable working both independently and as part of a team, who brings new ideas and thrives across a range of projects in a fast-paced environment. This role would suit someone with strong communications experience and a genuine interest in technology and/or policy.

Key Responsibilities

• Own techUK's press office, responding to often technical and time-sensitive media enquiries across the technology policy landscape.
• Set and deliver techUK’s proactive communications, identifying news opportunities that raise techUK's profile and support the wider technology sector.
• Run techUK’s spokespeople operation: developing briefings, delivering media training sessions, sitting in on interviews and accompanying colleagues to in-person interviews where appropriate.
• Lead issues and crisis communications, preparing forward-thinking crisis comms strategies, statements and briefing.
• Build relationships with national, broadcast and trade journalists, and write press releases, briefings, and statements.
• Support the media elements of our report launches, events outreach and other proactive communications.
• Support internal communications, keeping colleagues informed of business updates and core messaging, and deliver regular internal updates including a bi-weekly newsletter, all-hands calls and ad hoc Town Halls.
• Line-manage a Junior Communications Manager, leading by example, providing day-to-day support and direction.

Skills, Knowledge and Expertise

Core Competencies

• Proactive, curious and forward-thinking attitude.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Strong time-management and organisational skills, able to juggle multiple projects with overlapping deadlines.
• Sound judgement and discretion, particularly when handling sensitive or time-sensitive media enquiries.
• Composure under pressure, with the ability to stay level-headed during fast-moving or crisis situations.
• High attention to detail and accuracy.
• Strong people leadership skills, able to motivate, coach and develop a direct report.
• The confidence to form and hold a view on policy substance at speed – able to get across a technical argument quickly and make it in your own words to a journalist on a deadline.

Essential Knowledge and Experience

• Proven experience in communications, with established press contacts in technology and policy.
• A background in technology and/or policy communications, with a clear passion for the sector and current issues it faces.
• Demonstrable experience of landing a story or shaping a debate, rather than volume of coverage secured.
• Experience managing a broad group of internal stakeholders, including advising senior stakeholders and managing expectations, while delivering to deadline.
• An understanding of social media and digital content across multiple channels.

Desired Knowledge and Experience

• Experience in a newsroom, in Parliament, in Government or in a policy-facing in-house role - somewhere that has given you a feel for how the UK policy debate actually moves.
• Agency experience – techUK works across a variety of sectors, technologies and issues. We are keen to see experience in switching between different messages and audiences.
• Experience of, or confidence in, supporting in crisis communications and working directly with senior spokespeople on the rapid development of messages. Experience in upskilling a direct report.

Additional Information

This is a full time role based out of techUK’s London offices, however techUK operates a flexible working policy. Ad-hoc UK travel may be required depending on the needs of the business.

This role profile is a guide to the work that is required but does not form part of any contract of employment and may change from time to time to reflect changing circumstances.

The successful candidate must have permission to work in the UK prior to the commencement of employment.

The salary range for this role is £45,000-£65,000 per annum based upon experience plus discretionary bonus and comprehensive benefits.

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