Media Advisor

POSITION DESCRIPTION

Position Title:          Media Advisor

Salary Classification Level & Employment status:

Salary $106,674 – $119,868 + 15.4% superannuation (salary negotiable depending on skills and experience) Classification: Organiser 3.1 to 3.5 Ongoing/Fulltime (subject to 6 months probation)

Position reports to:  Director, Campaigns and Communications Unit

Positions reporting to this position are: Nil

Location:                    Any region.  Australia Wide.

Conditions of employment: 

Excellent conditions of employment including ongoing employment (following probation period), flexible working hours and access to 13 accrued days off a year, family friendly conditions including 26 weeks Paid Parental Leave.

Overview of position

The Community and Public Sector Union (CPSU) is looking for a media and campaigns professional to join our Communications and Campaigns Unit. This role is incredibly important to our ability to win campaigns and grow the union.

We want someone who has experience working with the media (in media relations or as a journalist), but who can connect media work to the bigger campaign picture. Ideally, you’ll have relationships with journalists and knowledge of general and specialist news outlets. We want someone who can proactively pitch our stories to the right person at the right time for maximum impact.

Direct experience working as a journalist or in media relations, (especially, but not essentially, if you’ve covered politics, trade unions or the public sector), is preferred but if you have other relevant experience, please let us know.

Vital to this job is finding media opportunities in our campaigns, pitching them and following them through – we need someone with the attitude and the skills to seek attention for our work and advocate for our members.

This person will write great communications that support the union’s agenda and sustain our public profile on issues that matter to our members and our union. This may involve direct pitching to specific outlets, as well as producing media releases for general distribution and fielding media calls.

Duties will include:

• providing high-level media and communication support and advice to the National Secretary, Director of Campaigns and Communications and other CPSU officials / staff;
• working with the National Secretary and Director of Campaigns and Communications to develop and drive CPSU’s media strategy;
• identifying opportunities to raise CPSU’s public profile, engage in public debates and promote the important work our members perform in the public sector and beyond;
• researching, writing, editing, commissioning and managing the production of high quality union materials including media releases, op-eds, speeches, background papers, and online and social media content;
• being the primary first point of contact with the union for media outlets and related entities;
• ensuring consistent messaging from the union to all stakeholders, from members and politicians to the general community;
• working closely with the CCU to ensure media coverage receives the maximum possible exposure across social media and other platforms;
• seeking out the CPSU’s stories and managing the required internal sign off in a timely fashion to serve the union’s campaign goals;
• helping the union tell its stories in the media in a way that helps win our campaigns and grows the union;
• advising about the best messaging and framing to approach issues with; and 
• as a senior member of the communications team, this person will also be expected to exercise leadership and contribute to discussions about communications strategy.

Selection Criteria – required skills, knowledge and ability

Essential

1. Excellent writing skills (rather than a written response to this criterion, please provide two work samples of media releases, opinion pieces, speeches, media comments/ talking points or other communications work).
2. Ability to provide excellent media advice, including both promoting our campaigns and advising about risk and protecting the reputation of the union.
3. Experience in and understanding of the media and political environment, especially as it relates to Australian politics and, if possible, unions and the public sector.
4. Ability to turn campaign issues into media opportunities and to persuasively pitch stories.
5. Ability to manage professional relationships with diverse groups of people, including journalists, political staff, union officials, delegates and union members.
6. Experience in campaigning roles/ organisations and ability to use media work as part of broader campaign levers.
7. Capacity to meet deadlines and manage rapid responses as part of a small team in a high pressure environment.
8. A commitment to union values and principles and progressive politics.

How to apply

You must address the Selection Criteria and complete the on-line Employment Application Questionnaire https://cpsu.wufoo.com/forms/cpsu-employment-application/ to be considered for this position.

Please submit your application by  2 September 2022 close of business.

Inquiries can be made to:

                          Susie Byers, Director of Campaigns and Communications

                          Email: susie.byers@cpsu.org.au

The CPSU is an equal opportunity employer and actively encourages women, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders, and people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds to apply for this position. Selection is merit based.  Part time employment opportunities may be considered where suitable.