Interim Press and Public Affairs Manager

Interim Press and Public Affairs Manager

Oak National Academy

Employment Type Temporary Mid-December 2026 until mid-August 2027

Salary £59,674 (GBP) £59,674 + benefits (including 4.5 day week and 11% employer pension)

Team School Support and External Relations

Seniority Mid-level

• Closing:5:00pm, 8th Oct 2026 BST

Perks and benefits

• Work from home option
• Life Insurance
• Employee Assistance Programme
• Additional parental leave
• Enhanced maternity and paternity leave
• Paid emergency leave
• Mentoring/coaching
• Payroll giving
• Team social events

Candidate happiness

8.57 (7928)

Job Description

Mid-December 2026 to mid-August 2027

Do your best work, for the right reasons.

We’re looking for an experienced professional to manage Oak’s media and social profile and run our press office. You’ll identify topical and newsworthy opportunities, develop compelling stories and content, pitch to national and sector media, and use social media, video and other channels to extend their reach and impact.

You will build and manage high‑profile relationships across the media, government and education sector, working with national and specialist journalists, editors, MPs and Peers, the Department for Education, unions, sector bodies and commercial organisations.

Oak is a fully remote, mission‑driven organisation offering high levels of flexibility, autonomy, and purpose. We’re a national not‑for‑profit organisation working in partnership with teachers to create high‑quality, sequenced curriculum and lesson resources for pupils across all subjects and age groups.

Our culture has been independently recognised through:

Flexa verified (93% overall score, including 95% for working hours and 97% for role modelling)

Escape the City's Top 1% Employers – based on anonymous colleague reviews of culture, development, and impact

Investors in People Gold - through external accreditation and colleague feedback

What You’ll Be Doing

Manage Oak’s media profile, including generating stories, writing press releases, pitching to publications and managing the press office.

Develop and update the media roadmap and ensure relevant colleagues and teams have visibility.

Manage relationships and inputs with key stakeholders across the education, political, and commercial sectors (e.g., publishing).

Continuous improvement of developing Oak’s role within the curriculum and education policy landscape, and communicating this clearly.

Deputise for the Head of External Relations as required and take on other general responsibilities.

As a member of the Oak Team, you will contribute to the wider success and culture of the organisation.

Work in cross‑functional and product‑oriented squads with colleagues from across the organisation, as required.

4+ years of experience leading media and/or stakeholder relations.

Extensive knowledge of the education landscape and policy agenda.

Proven success as a skilled communicator, able to analyse, distil and convey complex information succinctly and build positive relationships with journalists and external stakeholders.

Organised, detail‑oriented project manager.

The successful candidate will have a desire to contribute across all areas to ensure Oak's success. You will be comfortable moving quickly and with agility, and be confident working with a range of digital systems (including proprietary ones, as required). You will continually look for ways that the team can keep getting better. You will be excellent at working as part of a remote team, building relationships and managing your time effectively.

25 days annual leave, plus one extra day for each year of service (up to 28)

Additional Oak closure days over Christmas/New Year

11% employer pension contribution (with no minimum employee contribution, which can be varied as you choose). Please note this is a workplace pension rather than the Teachers’ Pension Scheme.

A 36‑hour working week (not tied to term‑time patterns or school‑day hours), with half‑days on Fridays or every other Friday off.

Remote working (with some in‑person visits, including representing Oak at relevant in‑person events and school visits) — we’ll support your home set-up and offer coworking options if preferred

Twice‑yearly in‑person whole Oak offsites to collaborate, connect, and have fun (with other occasional team events in person)

A culture that genuinely supports flexibility, autonomy, and trust

Inclusion and Belonging

We believe diverse teams build better products. We warmly welcome applicants from all backgrounds, particularly those who are underrepresented in the tech and education sectors.

We use the Applied recruitment platform to help reduce bias in our hiring process.

Location: Remote, but you must be based in the UK with the legal right to work here

Sponsorship: Unfortunately, we’re unable to offer visa sponsorship at this time

We are an equal opportunities employer.

We are committed to a policy of Equal Employment Opportunity and are determined to ensure that no applicant or employee receives less favourable treatment on the grounds of gender, age, disability, religion, belief, sexual orientation, marital status, or race, or is disadvantaged by conditions or requirements which cannot be shown to be justifiable.