Media Relations Manager

A career without limits

As the nation’s flag carrier, we take great pride in connecting Britain with the world and the world with Britain.

It’s something we’ve been doing for over 100 years, ever since we launched the world’s first international scheduled air service between London and Paris.

This originality has been in our blood since day one. It’s the spirit we share with the people that fly with us, our partners, and our colleagues.

So, whether you are a reassuring voice on the end of a phone, a smile at the door, under a wing keeping the turbines spinning or landing us gently in far-flung places, a job at British Airways is yours to make.

We know great things can happen when you’re inspired to think big and bring your ambition to work every day, which is why, at British Airways the sky is never the limit.

The role:

Media Relations Manager

This is an exciting opportunity to join British Airways' Corporate Affairs and Sustainability Directorate, playing  a key role in the team responsible for promoting and defending the airline's reputation.

What you’ll do:

The Media Relations Manager leads and manages the Media Relations team and all its reactive and proactive activity, ensuring the company’s reputation is protected on a 24/7 basis, including responsibility for running the out of hours on-call rota.

The role holder works collaboratively with our Business Resilience team to manage crisis communications preparedness and crisis manuals, including managing the relationship with a global crisis communications agency and providing media training to leaders. 

The role is accountable for the management and design of all press office functions, including our online media centre, log systems, databases and media monitoring and analysis reporting; implementing change and creating action plans based on results.

We'll expect the role holder to build strong, positive relationships with journalists, ensuring the quality and timeliness of responses to media to meet deadlines, managing all media monitoring activity and robustly interrogating and challenging inaccurate reporting, whilst identifying opportunities to land positive coverage.

A trusted advisor to senior leadership, the role holder is responsible for ensuring the team works collaboratively and at pace with internal and external stakeholders, creating clear, well-written high-quality media handling strategies, briefing documents and key messaging and content, aligned with business strategy, objectives and corporate narrative.

The role requires a candidate who can predict, pre-empt and lead on proactive issues management and develop comprehensive communications plans and approaches and question and challenge established processes and procedures to improve efficiency.

The role holder will takes on out of hours on-call shifts along with other media relations related duties as required.

What you’ll bring to British Airways:

Strong written and verbal communication and presentation skills

Strong understanding of the news media and the 24/7 news flow and news desk behaviour on rolling TV news channels, online news sites and national and regional print media and social media

Strong news judgement, able to identify and pre-empt news issues and propose solutions, opportunities and learnings

Adept at developing and delivering key messages in the company’s tone of voice in line with the Corporate Affairs narrative

Relentlessly upbeat and continually motivated to drive performance and improvement

Juggles and prioritises multiple tasks and translates complex issues into simple narratives

Advises, challenges and influences senior leaders

Comfortable with ambiguity and able to work in and respond to a fast-paced, deadline driven, changeable and complex operating environment

Strong awareness of the news and political agenda and current affairs

Your experience:

Relevant and demonstrable corporate media relations or news and issues and crisis management experience

Established relationships with UK media with demonstrable results

Experience of handling consumer PR issues and delivering proactive PR

Good knowledge of global, fast-paced consumer-facing business and/or 24/7 operational and unionised environments

What we offer:

We believe that everyone who works with us should feel valued for the part they play. It’s one of the reasons our rewards go far beyond a competitive salary.

From the day you join us, you’ll get access to brilliant staff travel benefits including unlimited basic and premium standby tickets on British Airways flights. You’ll also receive up to 30 discounted ‘Hotline’ airfares per year for yourself, friends, and family.

At British Airways you’ll have the chance to take on new challenges and move forward in a way that feels right for you. We encourage all those who work for us to consider opportunities right across our business to help you develop and progress.

We never stand still, and we don’t expect our people to either.

Inclusion & Diversity

At British Airways we all have a part to play in creating an inclusive place to work. Diverse representation among our people is really important to us and we recognise that all our colleagues are uniquely different and bring their own originality, creativity and identity to work.

Inclusion and diversity is a key driver of innovation and we’re committed to creating a culture where everyone feels that they can be themselves. We’re looking for people from all backgrounds and cultures to join us and be a part of our journey to become a Better BA as we continue to connect Britain with the world and the world with Britain.