Head of PR and Communications

Are you driven by the power of strategic communication to cut through the noise and help make social change happen for millions of people? Do you excel leading a team who create captivating stories that resonate across multiple channels? Are you ready to lead RNID’s exceptionally talented PR and Communications team, ensuring our message reaches the right audiences in impactful ways? If you thrive on building meaningful media relationships and delivering exceptional results, we want to hear from you. 

About RNID 

We are RNID: the national charity supporting the 18 million people in the UK who are deaf, have hearing loss or tinnitus. 

Together, we will end the discrimination faced by our communities, help people hear better now and fund world-class research to restore hearing and silence tinnitus. 

We work with our communities and partners across industry, government, charity, education and more to change life for the better. 

RNID has a proud history and big ambitions. We’re focused on making the greatest impact possible across the whole of the UK. We champion the latest technology and the opportunities it brings. We also know the value of a friendly face in local communities to support people where they need it most. 

Join our team 

At RNID we have big, ambitious plans to make real impact for our communities. To do that, we need the right people in our team. 

We are a remote working organisation, with colleagues based across the UK in locations from Cornwall to the Scottish Highlands and everywhere in between. We come together in person three times a year for our Staff Summits, inspirational events for sharing skills and ideas, hearing from external speakers and spending quality time with colleagues. Working in this way, we bring together the best of digital and in-person working in a modern, progressive organisation. We know our colleagues have responsibilities and interests outside work and we want to support that, which is why we offer a sector-leading flexible working policy to all our staff from day one. 

Our values are at the heart of how we work and communicate with each other, and the outside world. We strive to be an organisation that is connected, insightful, curious and passionate in everything we do. 

Does that sound like a good fit? If so, we can’t wait to hear from you… 

The Head of PR and Communications for our Marketing and Communications team will focus and lead on: 

• Strategic PR and Media Relations: Leading the development and execution of PR strategies, building strong relationships with media outlets to increase visibility and positive coverage for RNID’s mission and campaigns. 
• Social Media Management: Overseeing the strategy and execution of RNID’s social media presence, ensuring content is engaging, on brand, and tailored to reach key audiences across various platforms. 
• Storytelling: Crafting compelling, human narratives that bring RNID’s work to life, using innovative formats and platforms to connect emotionally with supporters and the wider public. 
• Celebrity and Influencer Engagement: Managing relationships with celebrities and influencers, coordinating collaborations that align with RNID’s values and goals to raise awareness and support for key initiatives. 

 You will be responsible for…  

• Driving our media strategy: Shape and lead RNID’s media strategy, positioning the charity at the forefront of national conversations about our groundbreaking work and campaigns. You’ll ensure our key messages reach the right audiences, maximising our impact and visibility. 

• Collaborating across teams to deliver integrated campaigns: Work closely with colleagues across the matrix to design and deliver cohesive campaigns that integrate across multi channels,  

• Shaping newsworthy campaigns: Collaborate with internal teams during planning stages to ensure campaigns are not only aligned with our mission but also newsworthy and attractive to media outlets. 

• Building and maintaining media relationships: Develop strong, strategic relationships with editors, journalists, and producers to ensure RNID is top-of-mind for coverage, acting as our in-house expert on the evolving media landscape. 

• Leading media outreach: Partner with the PR Manager to proactively pitch stories to the media, regularly engaging with newsdesks, planners, and key contacts to secure impactful coverage. 

• Overseeing social media strategy: Lead the social media team, ensuring our social strategy aligns with the broader communications goals, responding quickly to opportunities while maintaining a consistent tone of voice and message. 

• Optimising storytelling at RNID: Support the Stories and Celebrity Managers to establish systems for identifying, crafting, and pitching compelling stories that capture public attention, using the power of storytelling to enhance our campaigns. 

• Managing celebrity and influencer engagement: Cultivate and expand our relationships with celebrity ambassadors and influencers, creating opportunities for partnerships that raise awareness and support for RNID’s mission. 

• Media training and spokesperson support: Prepare and brief key spokespeople for high-profile media opportunities, ensuring they deliver powerful and effective messages that reflect our core values. 

• Supporting crisis communications and reputation management: Play a key role in managing crisis communications, safeguarding the charity’s reputation through careful planning and swift, strategic responses when needed. 

• Coordinating out of core hour media responsiveness: Maintain a system for round-the-clock press enquiry handling to ensure we’re always ready to respond, shared with colleagues. 

• Managing and developing a high-performing team: Lead a team of five, including four direct reports (PR Manager, Social Media Manager, and two Stories and Celebrity Managers), providing mentorship and strategic guidance to help them grow and succeed. 

You  

You are an experienced media and PR manager, adept at working in fast-changing situations to generate high quality, impactful media coverage on a range of issues. You have a strategic media outlook but are also still excited and energised by getting on the phone to journalists and selling a great story in, or crafting a compelling press release. You understand how to manage reactive situations and get the very best coverage from them.  

You understand how social media works, and how it links in with our PR work as well as brand, fundraising and campaigning.  

You have great interpersonal skills that allow you to influence internal and external stakeholders effectively. You are values-led in how you work with colleagues, particularly as a line manager, and enjoy building a shared purpose and culture within your team and wider.  

You care about social justice and are passionate about getting the voices of people who are deaf, have hearing loss or tinnitus heard by the public and those with the power to make change. 

What we can offer you   

• Your benefits include: 

• 28 days annual leave plus all bank holidays 

• Plus 2 wellbeing days for extra flexibility  

• Sickness benefit entitlement from day 1  

• Fully remote working with no core hours  

• £26 remote working allowance every month 

• In person whole staff conferences throughout the year  

• Pension scheme with 4% employer contribution  

• Employee assistance programme that provides counselling sessions   

• Additional benefits for maternity, paternity and adoption  

• Hospital Saturday Fund health benefit 

• Access to an event ticketing platform 

Our commitment to diversity  

We are committed to supporting our staff including making reasonable adjustments.  If you require support to apply for or fulfil the requirements of this role, please inform us so we can discuss the options with you.  

Disability Confident 

Disability Confident is a government scheme designed to encourage employers to recruit and retain disabled people and those with health conditions. It has replaced the previous Two Ticks Positive About Disabled People scheme that you may have heard of. 

RNID is proud to be a member of Disability Confident and as a Disability Confident Leader we recognise the value disabled people bring to RNID. We offer interviews to any candidate that tells us they have a disability and meets the minimum criteria for the role.