Head of Media & PR - Cifas

Cifas is the UK’s leading fraud prevention service, managing the largest database of instances of fraudulent conduct in the country. Our members are organisations from all sectors, sharing their data across those sectors to reduce instances of fraud and financial crime. Operating as a not-for-profit means our teams put all their efforts into our mission of fighting fraud, rather than creating a financial return for shareholders.

Fraud presents a serious and significant threat to the UK and our role in protecting businesses, the public and the economy from fraud is now more important than ever before. As a result, we have ambitious plans to innovate and create new services and products that will significantly improve the way that we and our members tackle fraud. Our employees play a crucial part in ensuring we remain the UK's leading fraud prevention service, whilst also ensuring our members remain at the heart of everything we do.

The role:

We are looking for an experienced and well networked Head of Media and PR to join our respected and go-getting Policy, Strategy and Communications team, reporting directly to the Director of Policy, Strategy and Communications. A self-starter in a growing team, the successful candidate will lead engagement with media and drive a steady stream of editorial and promotional coverage to quickly build credibility and authority ahead of the launch of several major product innovations.

The Head of Media & PR will be responsible for delivering the media relations strategy, strengthening strong relationships with key journalists and influencers, and ensuring that Cifas' work, policy thinking, and thought leadership are featured in leading and relevant publications. They will also manage our executive communication and help shape and deliver the internal communications programme including events.

Responsibilities & accountabilities:

• Leading the implementation of our media relations plan and wider communications strategy, identifying opportunities that help us tell our corporate story and meet our audiences’ needs, optimising them for impact.
• Representing the organisation with key media and the comms function internally.
• Looking for stories emerging from developments in the business and the wider landscape and developing them into pitches to media, and our own editorial and campaigns.
• Building, nurturing and maintaining a network of relevant, sector-leading media contacts across national and trade publications including broadcast and digital.
• Placing and securing a drumbeat of promotional media coverage and editorial opportunities across relevant titles.
• Responding to and following up on enquiries from journalists, producing and sending out news releases.
• Developing and maintaining a forward planner, image bank and case studies to get ahead of the news and help keep content engaging and authoritative.
• Editing team members’ copy and supporting the preparation and training of colleagues for media and speaking appearances.
• Measuring the impact and evaluating media developments e.g. tracking media stories about scams.
• Supporting internal and external communications activity including delivering new comms activity such as a website refresh and expansion of our social media presence.
• Shaping, supporting and helping to deliver our internal communications work.
• Leading the planning and delivery of events for and with our members and external stakeholders.
• Line management responsibilities, including facilitating ongoing development and helping to ensure our workplace is among the very best.

To be successful in this role, you will have:

• A degree level education or equivalent and/or relevant previous work experience.
• Extensive communications delivery expertise, securing significant coverage through a well-established contact network across B2B and B2C media.
• Digital communications skills eg social media and/or website-based including optimising content for search.
• Fluency with multi-format publishing including ability to shoot, edit and stream stills/video.
• An understanding of the fraud and economic crime landscape and trends.
• Excellent communication skills, both written and oral.
• News judgement and ability to spot a good story.
• The ability to build relationships and network with industry experts and key media contacts.
• Excellent problem-solving and analysis abilities.
• Proven project management and delivery capabilities.
• Previous line management experience would be advantageous.

In return we offer:

In return for helping us take the fight to fraud, all our employees receive an impressive benefit package, which includes:

• Remote working with approximately 2 days a month in the London office.
• Generous annual leave, plus bank holidays.
• Excellent pension package through salary sacrifice.
• Personal and professional growth.
• Employee wellbeing – Wellbeing breaks, wellbeing hub access including exercise programmes, meditation guides, sleep stories and yoga.

We have introduced agile ways of working, allowing teams to decide how best they work, while ensuring regular opportunities to collaborate and innovate. We create an environment to help you to unleash your potential and perform the most rewarding work of your career, whilst keeping your wellbeing at the foremost with initiatives in place to promote the wellness of our people.

We are committed to building a diverse and inclusive culture and have dedicated inclusion champions across the business to celebrate and promote our uniqueness. We also have a dedicated team of volunteers looking for innovative ways to give back as part of our commitments under our Corporate Social Responsibility. We are delighted to be recognised in the 2021, 2022 & 2024 best companies to work for listings. We have also been awarded the Investors in People Gold accreditation.

If you are passionate about our purpose and would like an opportunity to make a valuable contribution to fraud prevention, we would like to hear from you.