A bit About us
RSPCA Assured is a not-for-profit charity and the UK's only farm assurance scheme dedicated solely to improving the welfare of farmed animals. We have a vision for all farmed animals to be respected and treated with kindness and compassion. Our mission is to ensure higher welfare for farmed animals through a robust assurance scheme and trusted supply chain.
We are now recruiting for a dynamic PR and communications officer to support our media activity, shape public understanding of farmed animal welfare and bring stories from across the UK food and farming supply chain to life.
Contract: Permanent
Working hours: 35 hours per week, Monday to Friday.
Location: Hybrid: You will work mainly from home and from the Horsham office every Wednesday. Some travel will also be required.
We think this role's going to be popular and are expecting to attract high interest so we strongly encourage early applications to avoid missing out - closing date is the 6th of September.
What a day might look like for you
Working closely with the senior PR manager, you will play a key role in delivering strategic, high-impact PR campaigns. This unique role combines strategic communications planning with hands-on, field-based journalism, getting you out into the field to gather compelling case studies directly from RSPCA Assured's farming members.
As our PR and communications officer, we will look to you to:
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Research, build and maintain a pipeline of rich stories and multimedia assets
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Write press releases, opinion pieces, thought-leadership features, Q&As and briefings tailored for trade and consumer outlets
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Pitch stories to journalists, forge strong media relationships and project lead PR initiatives
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Monitor the daily news agenda, evaluate potential reputational risks, exercise sound professional judgement and handle reactive enquiries effectively
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Build strong relationships with our farming members, share their stories and shape our storytelling library
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Work in collaboration with teams across RSPCA Assured to align messaging, evaluate coverage impact and support overall organisational goals
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Maintain media records, carry out daily monitoring and produce performance reports to evaluate campaign impact and engagement metrics.
What you'll bring:
To succeed within this role, you must be a talented storyteller, with sharp journalistic instincts and a passion for farmed animal welfare, along with:
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Proven experience in a PR, press office, or journalism role, with a proven track record of securing positive media coverage
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Exceptional copywriting skills, with keen attention to detail and the skill to translate complex or technical agricultural information into accessible, engaging narratives
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A strong understanding of media needs, tight deadlines and how to navigate reputational risks
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A proven ability to build strong working relationships with diverse stakeholders - from farmers to national journalists
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A full, clean driving licence and the willingness to travel for field-based story gathering.
If this sounds like the ideal next step in your career, we would love to hear from you.
Successful candidates for certain RSPCA roles will need to undergo a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check.
Applicants must have the legal right to work in the UK - We are unable to sponsor visas at RSPCA & RSPCA Assured
Final note from us & good luck with your application!
First stage interviews will be held remotely during the week commencing Monday 21 of September, with second stage interviews taking place in our Horsham office during the week commencing 28 September.
Good luck with your application.
We want to ensure we do all we can to give you a positive candidate experience through our recruitment. Whilst we do try to give feedback where we can, sometimes due to receiving high levels of applications, this may not always be possible
We are building the future of a diverse Society, and our priority is to support animal welfare by finding people from all backgrounds who are committed to our mission. For this reason we actively encourage a wide diversity of applications - in particular from members of minority ethnic groups, and people with disabilities - as these candidates are currently under-represented at the RSPCA. Your transferable skills & lived experiences could make you a valuable addition to our RSPCA Family!
Should you need any support with your application or interview process please contact [email protected] / 0300 123 0685.
Our mission is to ensure animals have a good life by rescuing and caring for those in need, by advocating on behalf of all animals and by inspiring everyone to treat them with compassion and respect
