Media Officer

Every three minutes, someone in the UK develops dementia. Behind every diagnosis is a person, a family and a story that deserves to be heard.

Could you use the power of media to help those stories reach more people?

As our South West Media Officer, you'll help bring these stories to life. You'll create media coverage that raises awareness, influences change and inspires people to support Alzheimer's Society.

Reporting to the Regional Media Manager, you'll work across the South West. You'll deliver media activity that supports our campaigns, fundraising, services, research and local influencing priorities.

You'll help strengthen our reputation as a trusted voice on dementia.

No two days will be the same. You might be finding a powerful story one day, responding to breaking news the next, or supporting a spokesperson before an interview. You'll help create campaigns that reach and engage people.

We know great candidates come from a wide range of backgrounds and experiences. If this role excites you and you have experience in communications, media or PR, but you're not sure you meet every requirement, we'd still love to hear from you.

Contract: This is a 12-month fixed term contract

Location: You’ll work from home with occasional travel across the South West of England to build relationships, support media activity and connect with communities. As this role is rooted in the region, you’ll need to live within the South West area: Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, Somerset, North Somerset, Bristol, Bath, Wiltshire and Gloucestershire.

Interviews: Interviews are provisionally scheduled to take place on the Tuesday 18^th August via MS Teams.

What you'll do

How do you turn a story into something that makes people stop, listen and take action?

By building genuine relationships, spotting opportunities and making sure the voices of people affected by dementia are at the heart of what we do.

You'll:

• Develop and deliver regional media plans that support our influencing, fundraising, services, and research.
• Build strong relationships with journalists, colleagues and communities across the South West, identifying media opportunities supporting local influencing priorities, promoting Alzheimer’s Society services. Work with people affected by dementia to tell their stories in a way that feels right for them, with care, respect and compassion.
• Create clear, engaging and accessible content, including press releases, statements, briefings, and articles.
• Respond to media enquiries, manage sensitive issues and help protect the reputation of Alzheimer's Society. Support and prepare spokespeople, helping them feel confident when sharing their knowledge and experiences with the media.
• Create engaging content, including photography, video and other digital materials, to bring our campaigns and stories to life.
• Work closely with teams across Alzheimer's Society and with external partners to create greater understanding and support for people affected by dementia.

About you

Are you someone who sees the person behind the story?

You'll have experience in communications, media or PR and enjoy using storytelling to make a difference. You'll combine strong media judgement with empathy, curiosity and a desire to understand what matters to people.

You'll share our values and bring compassion, collaboration and determination to your work. You'll build trusted relationships and help make sure the voices of people affected by dementia are heard.

You'll bring:

• Experience of working in media or PR, with an understanding of what makes a story matter and how to connect with regional and local audiences.
• The ability to build positive relationships with journalists, colleagues, communities and partners.
• A thoughtful and compassionate approach to working with people affected by dementia, helping them share their experiences in a way that feels supportedand meaningful.
• The ability to stay calm under pressure, manage competing priorities and deliver high quality work when deadlines are tight.
• Strong writing skills and the ability to turn complex information into clear, engaging content for different audiences.
• A collaborative approach, good organisation skills and a commitment to creating an inclusive environment where everyone feels valued.

Your work can change understanding, influence action and give people affected by dementia a stronger voice. Join us and help make sure those voices are heard across the South West.

Dementia is the UK's biggest killer. One in three people born in the UK today will develop dementia in their lifetime.

At Alzheimer's Society, we're the UK's leading dementia charity and the only one to tackle all aspects of dementia by giving help and hope to people living with dementia today and in the future. We give vital support to people facing the most frightening times of their lives, while also funding groundbreaking research and campaigning to make dementia the priority it should be.

Together with our supporters, we're working towards a world where dementia no longer devastates lives.

Our values make sure that our focus is clear for the challenges and opportunities ahead and remind us of what we all stand for.

Our commitment to Equity, Diversity, Inclusion & Belonging

We need to ensure the voices around our table better reflect and understand the communities we exist to serve. We strongly encourage individuals to apply who have a disability, impairment or health condition or individuals who identify as Black, Asian or from another minority ethnic background, as these groups are currently under-represented at Alzheimer's Society.  

We want everyone we work with, as a colleague, volunteer, supporter, or someone we support, to feel included and that they belong at Alzheimer's Society. 

Our Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Strategy here along with our internal employee forum and Employee Lived Experience network groups help us promote inclusion and belonging, becoming an engaged and inclusive organisation for all our people. 

Our hiring process

During your recruitment process we want to make sure that you bring your whole self and can be at your best. We are working hard to ensure our recruitment process is as inclusive as possible, so please do inform us of your experience and anything you think we could do better by completing our candidate survey when you apply.  Please also contact Alzheimer's Society Talent Acquisition Team via [email protected] for application support or any adjustments you might need.

To ensure fairness and consistency to select the best candidate for this role, all our applications are anonymised up until an interview has been confirmed. We recognise the benefits of AI, but if you're considering using it to submit your application, we encourage you to reflect on the value it truly adds. AI tools often lack the personal touch and authenticity that set candidates apart. We want to hear your unique perspective, experiences, and skills, so we encourage you to showcase them in your own voice.

We try to avoid closing roles early where possible, however if we receive a high volume of applications, we may close earlier than the advertised closing date. Should this occur, we will aim to provide you with at least 48 hours' notice.

We are committed to safer recruitment and ensuring the welfare of those we work with, due to the nature of some of our roles, we might need to carry out a Criminal Record Check at the relevant level. You can read more information via our Website.

Giving back to you

Our employees work hard every day to make a true difference in people's lives. We are proud to support them with a range of benefits, recognition and many options for working agilely, all contributing to a strong work life balance. We also have various learning programmes to support you in your development and help you grow to realise your potential and shape a career with Alzheimer's Society. 

You can also visit our Working for Us pages, which give you more information about what it's like to be an employee at the Society.

INDAZ