Job Overview

The British Medical Association (BMA)  - the professional body and trade union for doctors in the UK - is recruiting a Senior Media Officer to join the Media and News Relations team.

The BMA represents, supports and negotiates on behalf of all UK doctors and medical students and it has an extremely busy press office where no two days are the same and you'll be part of a professional, highly skilled and friendly team which manages the BMA's extensive media activity.

The role is hybrid with at least one day per week in the BMA head office in central London and there is a requirement to be part of the duty press officer rota, for which you will be generously remunerated and receive time off when agreed.

To be successful as a Senior Media Officer you'll ideally have:

• At least three years experience, working at a senior level in a busy press office, drafting press releases, briefings and managing media inquiries.
• At least three years experience guiding and advising senior staff and spokespeople on media issues relating to reputation management and crisis communications
• Excellent writing skills and an ability to draft clear and concise messaging and briefings from often complex documents
• An ability to prioritise and manage several tasks at any one time and provide mentorship to more junior members of the team
• Strong interpersonal skills and an ability to build strong trusted relationships
• Experience of working at a senior press officer level in a large membership, national, or not for profit organisation
• Extensive experience of working with national and regional journalists
• An excellent understanding of how UK governments work and government interaction with the BMA
• An excellent understanding of UK health and employment policies and how they relate to to the work of the BMA 

Why work for us?

We offer a wide range of benefits including:

• 30 days holiday entitlement plus bank holidays and a BMA company day
• Double matching pension contributions up to 12% of salary
• Additional leave entitlement for volunteering or moving house (after completion of probationary period)
• Onsite gym and subsidised café at BMA House
• Access to a 24/7 Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) with free confidential counselling, a helpline and specialist support available
• BMA Law - discounted rates for employees requiring legal services such as will writing/conveyancing
• Multiple flexible benefits and discounts through our employee benefits platform
• Lots of Learning and Development/training opportunities via our internal learning hub
• Season ticket loan (up to £10,000) after completion of probationary period

Anonymous recruitment

The BMA endeavours to be an inclusive employer, ensuring fairness and consistency to select the best candidate for roles. To support our aims, we use specific software to remove all personal identifying information from CVs and applications.  Personal information such as name, date of birth, age and gender are anonymised and will only become visible to hiring managers if you are selected for interview.

Whether the role needs you to work at home, in an office or in a hybrid way, we`ll provide all the support you need.  

If this sounds like the right opportunity for you, please apply through our website. However,  if you require any reasonable adjustments or additional support at any point during the application process, please email recruitment@bma.org.uk.

Diversity & Inclusion Monitoring: 

Our ambition is to work together to promote a more inclusive environment, which attracts everybody with the right skills and experience and signals our commitment to celebrate and promote diversity.

BMA is committed to the equal treatment of all current and prospective employees and does not condone discrimination on the basis of age, disability, sex, sexual orientation, pregnancy and maternity, race or ethnicity, religion or belief, gender identity, or marriage and civil partnership. We want people to bring their unique blend of experiences, backgrounds, perspectives and knowledge as we recognise that diversity makes us stronger.

Please note, we are unable to provide sponsorship under the UK points-based immigration system, as we do not hold a sponsorship licence.