Head of Media and Public Affairs

Head of Media and Public Affairs
£64,210 pa pro rata plus excellent benefits
London WC1 and home-based
35 hours per week
Fixed-term contract for 11 months (maternity cover)

As Head of Media and Public Affairs you will lead, plan, develop and implement effective media and public affairs strategies to actively promote the RCPCH and its priorities for maximum influence and impact.

The Head of Media and Public Affairs is an important leadership role at the College. You will work closely with journalists and media organisations to champion the College in the media as well as securing political support for our policy messages, through stakeholder relationships within the UK Government, Whitehall and the Westminster Parliament.

Reporting to the Associate Director of Policy & External Affairs, you will manage, direct and motivate the team to successfully achieve performance goals. You will play a pivotal role in driving the College's Westminster public affairs work to secure our advocacy goals and you will also manage the out-of-hours media rota, being flexible to be on-call to media as required. You will also take responsibility for preparing and monitoring the Media and Public Affairs team budget, ensuring that all operational expenditure is value for money.

Degree educated or with relevant professional experience you will have demonstrable experience of developing and implementing proactive media and public affairs strategies and a strong track record in leading, planning, implementing and evaluating integrated communications strategies.

With proven leadership and performance management skills, you should also have a background of working with and influencing senior managers and have proven stakeholder management skills, being able to develop and nurture high level contacts in media and government.

Experience of briefing senior staff to act as spokespeople through the media and in direct engagement with political stakeholders is essential. Direct experience of working within an organisation that delivers health or children's services would be desirable.

The Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health sets and maintains standards for the education and training of all doctors working in paediatrics and child health in the UK. We advocate on child health issues at home and internationally. Additionally, through a variety of activities, the College influences the quality of medical practice for children in hospital and in the community.

The RCPCH has more than 25,000 members and fellows and employs around 200 staff, most of whom work in our London office in Holborn. We have a Devolved Nations team operating from Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales. Our College values: Include, Influence, Innovate and Inspire, are important to us. These values ensure we bring out the best in each other, strive forward together to make the College a positive and dynamic place to work.

The RCPCH champions Equality, Diversity and Inclusion. Our workplace is inclusive, offering a supportive environment where staff can thrive. The College is keen to accept applications from people with protected characteristics. We believe that our staff should represent all of the diverse communities we serve. Join us to help realise our vision of a world where every child is healthy and well.

The College operates a flexible and modern working policy, whereby our colleagues work in the office for a minimum of 40% over a 4 week cycle and the remainder from home.

The RCPCH is committed to safeguarding the children, young people and adults it has contact with in the exercise of its functions and responsibilities. The RCPCH expects all staff to share this commitment - we place a high priority on ensuring only those who do so are recruited to work for us.

All offers of employment will be subject to satisfactory references and appropriate screening checks, which can include criminal records.

Closing date: 23 November 2025.