The Royal College of General Practitioners if the professional membership body for family doctors.

We are the UK’s largest medical Royal College, with over 52,000 members dedicated to raising standards of patient care. Every year, over 3,000 GPs go into frontline patient care after passing the College exam. Put simply, without the College, there would be no new GPs.

The RCGP is the ‘voice’ of general practice, representing GPs on the issues that matter most to them – and their patients – to audiences including politicians and the media. We have an exceptionally high media profile and, over the last two years, have secured a record number of mentions in Parliament.

We are looking to recruit a highly-motivated colleague to join our PR and Corporate Communications Team and help us build on our success and take the College’s reputation to the next level.

As Press and PR Officer you will play a crucial role in a small but hectic team, writing a wide range of articles and statements, and selling in stories to the national media to promote – and defend - the work of the College and GPs.

You will provide strategic advice and briefings for media appearances to the Chair, College Officers and our members. You will oversee the College’s social media accounts and be a key contributor to the College’s quarterly magazine, GP Frontline.

The successful candidate will share our corporate values. In return, the College offers excellent terms and conditions.

Click 'Apply' and please upload your CV and cover letter via the RCGP Vacancies page.

Closing date: 10 February 2019

Interview date: 21 and 26 February 2019

The Royal College of General Practitioners is an equal opportunities employer and welcomes applications from all sections of the community.

~ Great doctors great care ~

JOB PURPOSE

• To further raise the profile of the RCGP and increase national media coverage in line with College campaign and policy priorities.
• To pro-actively promote the work of the RCGP and respond to media enquiries in order to enhance the standing and influence of the organisation nationally, regionally and internationally.
• To draw up proactive communications plans around the RCGP’s priorities, incorporating print, broadcast, online and social media.
• To respond quickly and sensitively to negative or critical news stories, limiting potential damage to the reputation of the College.
• To write and edit material for internal and external audiences, including the Chair’s weekly e-bulletin to RCGP members and the College’s quarterly membership magazine GP Frontline.
• To provide strategic advice and briefings to the Chair, Officers, and Chief Executive, identifying and promoting key College policies, highlighting risks and ensuring that the RCGP communicates consistent messages.
• To further develop the RCGP’s social media strategy (particularly with regard to Twitter and Facebook).
• To work with the Web Content Editor to ensure that web and social media activities are joined up.
• To provide a 24/7 out of hours media rota, including weekends and public holidays, with other colleagues in the team

DIMENSIONS

• Number of media enquiries per month: 150-200 (handled by team)
• Number of press releases / statements / articles produced per month by PR Team: around 80-100
• Twitter activity: around 250 Tweets a month plus monitoring and moderation

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, EXPERIENCE AND ATTRIBUTES

Education:

• A Level English
• Educated to degree level or equivalent

Knowledge and Experience:

• Previous experience in journalism, press office or media environment
• Demonstrable track record in writing and editing newspapers or magazines (portfolio required)
• Proven experience of running proactive public relations campaigns and crisis management
• Experience of working in a national membership organisation, charity or similar organisation

Skills:

• Excellent verbal and written communication skills (evidence of published work - articles, speeches, reports and other material aimed at a wide range of target audiences)
• Ability to work authoritatively, knowledgeably and confidently with journalists and senior College spokespeople and College members
• Excellent news sense and ability to identify pro-active stories
• Demonstrable experience of crisis management
• Resilience and ability to use own initiative, manage competing demands, prioritise workload and meet deadlines
• Creativity and ability to manage projects from ideas stage to implementation
• Good team player
• Excellent attention to detail
• Thorough understanding of current affairs and health agenda
• Pleasant and approachable manner and ability to deal with people at all levels
• Conscientious and reliable