Role: PR & Media Relations Manager
Location: Bedford College – Cauldwell Street Campus or Tresham College – Kettering Campus
Salary/Benefits: Salary is between £41,086 and £45,000 per annum DOE and Qualifications, 27 days annual leave plus Bank holidays, People’s pension, Retail and Leisure Discounts, excellent professional and personal development opportunities, accessing college courses.
Hours/Weeks: 37 hours per week – 52 weeks per year
Contract Type: Permanent – Full Time
This is a UK based contract, and you are required to have the Right to Work in the UK. Unfortunately, we’re unable to offer sponsorship and any offer of employment will be subject to evidence of your Right to Work in the UK.
About the role:
We are currently seeking a PR & Media Relations Manager to join our Corporate Communications and PR department at The Bedford College Group.
As a PR & Media Relations Manager, you play an important role in the success of our students through:
- PR Strategy & Media Relations - Develop and deliver proactive PR plans, generate compelling stories, build strong media relationships, and secure positive coverage across local, regional, national, and specialist media channels.
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Press Office & Reputation Management - Act as the primary media contact, manage enquiries, coordinate interviews and press opportunities, prepare spokesperson briefings, and support the management of reputational and crisis communications.
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Content Creation & Storytelling - Produce high-quality press releases, media statements, feature articles, case studies, speeches, and thought leadership content that promote the Group’s achievements, expertise, and impact.
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Team Leadership & Performance Management - Lead and develop the Communications & PR Executive, ensuring high standards of professionalism, performance, responsiveness, and continuous improvement across PR activities.
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Performance Monitoring & Stakeholder Engagement - Evaluate PR effectiveness through media analysis and reporting, provide strategic recommendations, represent the Group at events and meetings, and support wider corporate communications objectives while upholding safeguarding, EDI, and compliance standards.
About you:
- Qualifications & Professional Expertise - Degree or professional qualification in Communications, Public Relations, Journalism, or a related discipline (or equivalent experience), supported by evidence of continuous professional development.
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Media Relations & PR Experience - Proven experience in PR, media relations, journalism, or corporate communications, with a successful track record of securing positive media coverage across local, regional, national, and specialist media outlets.
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Content Creation & Strategic Communication - Strong news sense and storytelling ability, with experience researching, developing, and delivering compelling content for a variety of audiences, channels, and stakeholder groups.
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Stakeholder Engagement & Relationship Management - Excellent interpersonal and influencing skills, with the ability to build strong relationships with journalists, media contacts, senior leaders, and internal stakeholders while managing sensitive media enquiries professionally.
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Analysis, Organisation & Professionalism - Strong project management, organisational, and analytical skills, with the ability to evaluate communications performance, manage multiple priorities, maintain accuracy and professional judgement, work flexibly, travel across campuses, and commit to ongoing professional development.
For a more detailed breakdown of the job role and the requirements, please see the Job Description attached to this vacancy.
Interviews to be held: TBC
Successful candidates must also be able to demonstrate alignment to our organisational VISION values:
- Valuing Teamwork - We are one team who by working together can achieve great things, respecting the opinion and valuing the contribution each of us makes.
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Improving Continuously - We challenge ourselves to always do better by trying new things, sharing knowledge, reflecting on practice and learning from others.
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Student Centred - At our heart is always doing what is best for our students. We consider students in all of our decision making to create positive outcomes and memorable experiences for every student.
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Inclusive - We celebrate differences and diversity, recognising that we can learn from each other.
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Open and Caring - We care about the wellbeing of our staff, our students, our community and wider society, creating an environment built on trust where we listen, engage with and support each other.
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Nurturing Education Excellence - We promote educational excellence by delivering programmes that challenge our students to achieve their ambitions.
About The Bedford College Group
The Bedford College Group was formed in 2017 following the merger of Bedford College and Tresham College and is now the largest provider of education in the South East Midlands, with over 15,000 students passing through our doors each year.
Today, the Group is made up of a family of colleges across Bedfordshire and Northamptonshire: Bedford College, Central Bedfordshire College and Tresham College in the towns of Bedford, Dunstable, Leighton Buzzard, Corby, Kettering and Wellingborough; Shuttleworth College, a specialist land-based college; The Bedford Sixth Form, (the only dedicated sixth form in Bedford); The Corby Sixth Form, (opened in September 2023); and the National College for Motorsport alongside Silverstone race circuit. To widen accessibility to education and training, the Group also has community-based Learning Centres in Bedford, Corby and Kettering which offer IT training.
Safeguarding our Students
The Bedford College Group is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. The successful candidate will be subject to thorough vetting process which includes, an enhanced DBS check and satisfactory references.
This post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974. The Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and the Exceptions Order 1975, provides information about which convictions must be declared during job applications and related exceptions and further information about filtering offences can be found in the DBS filtering guide. The Bedford College Group's policy on Employment of Ex-Offenders is attached to this vacancy.
Candidates who are barred from working with children are reminded it is a criminal offence to apply for this post.
