PR Manager-6 Months FTC in Leicester

Overview

Home. There's no place like it. And there's no feeling like helping people create the joy of feeling truly at home. At Dunelm, that's what we do. We’re the UK's number one choice for homewares because we make home life lovelier for our customers. And the caring and encouraging culture we've created makes this a place you'll feel right at home too.

We are the UK’s Number One homewares retailer offering over 100,000 products building a consumer-focused total retail business that delights customers through our multichannel operation.

At Dunelm, we’re all about helping people create homes they love. As more customers choose to shop with us, we’re continuing to invest in our stores, supply chain, technology and services to make their experience even better. We're growing, evolving and finding new ways to innovate - and that means there's never been a more exciting time to join us.

The Role

As PR Manager, you'll play a key role in building brand love and keeping Dunelm part of the conversation. Working within our Brand Marketing team, you'll help bring our brand to life through compelling stories, product-focused campaigns and media coverage that inspires customers to think of Dunelm when they think of home.

Our job is simple: to help more people discover what makes Dunelm special. Through our brand platform, The Home of Homes, we connect with customers across a range of channels, from TV and social media to influencer partnerships and press coverage. We work closely with teams across the business to showcase our fantastic products, celebrate what makes us unique and share the positive impact we're having in local communities.

Work your way, together

We’re a hybrid business, which means you'll have flexibility alongside time together with your team. In this role, you can expect 2 days a week in the office or on-site, helping you stay connected, collaborate and do your best work for our customers.

What you'll be doing

As our PR Manager, you'll help bring the Dunelm story to life, creating conversations that build brand love and keep us front of mind with customers.

You'll:

• Work in partnership with the Senior PR & Influencer Manager to develop and deliver PR strategies that support our brand, commercial priorities and long-term ambitions.
• Create engaging media stories and press materials, including press releases, media alerts and commentary, while working with teams across the business to uncover trends, product stories and customer insights.
• Build and maintain strong relationships with journalists, editors and freelance writers across consumer, lifestyle, homes and regional media.
• Ensure media enquiries are handled efficiently, providing timely responses and a great experience for press contacts.
• Monitor and evaluate media coverage, including competitor activity, sharing key insights across the business and contributing to monthly and quarterly performance reporting.
• Plan and deliver press events, media activations and product launches, ensuring they're executed on time, within budget and to a high standard.
• Work closely with colleagues across Brand Marketing, Creative, Commercial, Digital and Social teams to ensure PR activity aligns with wider marketing plans and business priorities.
• Manage our PR agency partner, building a collaborative relationship that delivers great results and maximises the value of our investment.
• Oversee the monthly PR schedule, making sure journalists have the product information, imagery and inspiration they need to meet both short and long-lead deadlines.
• Lead our Community and Regional PR programme, working with internal teams to highlight the positive impact we're making in local communities and helping deliver against agreed KPIs.
• Manage the creation of press packs, coordinating content, imagery and timelines while continually reviewing performance to make each edition even better than the last.
• Take ownership of PR budget management, ensuring spend is carefully planned, tracked and aligned to objectives.

Above all, you'll be someone who loves spotting a story, building relationships and finding creative ways to showcase the products, people and ideas that make Dunelm the Home of Homes.

What we'll look for in you

You'll be a natural storyteller who knows how to turn ideas, trends and products into compelling media stories. Comfortable building relationships and collaborating with a wide range of people, you'll bring a proactive mindset and a genuine passion for creating PR that delivers results.

You'll also have:

• Proven experience in a PR, communications or media relations role, ideally within retail, home, lifestyle or consumer brands.
• Excellent writing and editing skills, with the ability to create engaging press releases, media materials and brand stories.
• Strong relationships with consumer, lifestyle, homes and regional media contacts, or the ability to build them quickly.
• Experience planning and delivering successful PR campaigns, events and activations.
• Confidence working with journalists, responding to media enquiries and acting as a trusted brand representative.
• A keen eye for recognising trends, spotting opportunities and finding stories that will resonate with customers and the media.
• Strong organisational skills, with the ability to manage multiple projects, deadlines and stakeholders at the same time.
• Experience working with agencies and managing external partners to achieve shared goals.
• Commercial awareness and an understanding of how PR supports wider business and marketing objectives.
• Confidence in analysing results, reporting on performance and using insights to shape future activity.
• Experience managing budgets and ensuring spend delivers maximum impact.

Most importantly, you'll be curious, collaborative and full of ideas. You'll enjoy working as part of a team, be happy rolling up your sleeves when needed and be excited by the opportunity to help even more people discover why Dunelm is the Home of Homes.

We know that great candidates don't always tick every box, so if this role sounds like a good fit for your skills and experience, we'd love to hear from you.