Press Officer (Temp up to 12 months)

About us

Since the RNLI was founded in 1824 our volunteer lifeboat crews and beach lifeguards have saved more than 146,200 lives – this equates to two lives saved every day for 200 years. It’s quite a story and it is yours to tell.

We are looking for a Press Officer for a Fixed Term Contract of up to 12 months, to be a part of our busy national press office in Poole, Dorset where you will help support our volunteers and staff by raising awareness of our charity’s lifesaving work and responding to media enquiries to bring the RNLI’s story to life.

Some of the benefits

• Salary £29,079 - £34,210 (dependent on experience)
• Flexible working
• 26 days’ annual leave plus Bank Holidays
• Outstanding pension scheme (contributions of up to 16% of basic salary)
• Life assurance
• Health and dental cash plan option

Your role

As Press Officer you will unearth good stories to pitch to broadcast, digital and print media while responding to queries from journalists and providing support for fundraising and safety campaigns.

Video footage of dramatic rescues is the cornerstone of the RNLI’s external communications. This role will involve moderating and uploading footage to our database, so a good knowledge of video editing and GDPR would be an advantage but can be trained.

The RNLI is a 24/7 search and rescue organisation, and you should be prepared to work outside normal office hours and take part in the out-of-hours duty press officer rota. You will also support the wider team on social media and internal comms, where needed.

Your reward will be seeing the RNLI’s reputation go from strength to strength as you help raise awareness of the charity that saves lives at sea, inspiring people to support us.

About you

A skilled communicator with a good news sense, writing skills and creative flair, you will be able to juggle priorities and work well with people across the charity.

To join us as Press Officer, you will need:

• Formal training, or experience working in PR, journalism or an associated area.
• To be able to spot a good story, understand what the media needs and balance that with the demands of a busy volunteer-based emergency service.

In this hybrid role you will be expected to work at the RNLI’s Support Centre in Poole at least twice a week. There could be occasional opportunities to travel to support media events and volunteer training.

This role may also be known as: PR Officer, Comms Officer, Communications Officer, Media Officer

Safeguarding

The RNLI is committed to safeguarding; protecting a person’s health, wellbeing, and human rights, enabling them to live free from harm, abuse, and neglect. We expect all employees and volunteers to share this commitment and have a zero-tolerance approach. The suitability of all prospective employees and volunteers will be assessed during the recruitment process in line with this commitment. This will include relevant criminal record checks being carried out dependent on the eligibility of the role. (England & Wales; DBS check, Scotland; Disclosure Scotland PVG, Northern Ireland; Access NI, Republic of Ireland; Garda Vetting; International, International Child Protection Certificate process).

Diversity at the RNLI

Our staff and volunteers have been saving lives at sea without prejudice for 200 years. We respect and value diversity of background, skills and perspectives within our teams, and consider it essential to help us deliver a world-class lifesaving service. We are an inclusive organisation and welcome applications from everyone. In addition to having the skills needed for the role, we also look for applicants who share our commitment to living our RNLI values (trustworthy, courageous, selfless, and dependable), and helping us work towards Our Vision: To save Every One.