Job Title: Head of Media and PR
Location: London – On-site
Job Type: Permanent
Agencies: We will only work with recruitment partners on our preferred supplier list and will not engage with speculative CVs submitted.
LifeArc, we want to hear from people who are as passionate as we are about making life science life changing that can improve patients’ lives.
This is an exciting time to join LifeArc as we pursue LifeArc’s ambition to invest up to £1.3 billion by 2030 to transform promising life science ideas into life-changing medical breakthroughs for patients, faster.
LifeArc’s mission is to unlock the potential of scientific research by bridging the translational gap between the early research/discovery phase and the development phase, so that commercial and other partners can progress the next generation of diagnostics, treatments and cures through the regulatory pathway to patients.
Our work to date has led to four licensed medicines, a further eight potential new medicines in clinical trials and many new innovative approaches along the translation journey.
Our new strategy – making life science life changing – commits significant investment to help address areas of high patient need, working across three strategic pillars:
- Impact with Partners: working in partnership with other medical research organisations to advance the innovative science and ideas being explored by academia, charities and patient groups. We will build on our legacy of creating successful partnerships to help ensure more innovations benefit patients and society, faster.
- Translational Challenges: mobilising collaborations around translational challenges to solve urgent healthcare problems. We aim to work with others to connect and unlock the potential of scientific innovations to solve complex healthcare problems.
- Early Ventures: investing in early life science ventures, bridging the gap between academic innovation and venture funding. We will provide a much-needed source of investment for young companies developing products and technologies with the potential to transform patients’ lives.
A bit about the role:
The Head of Media and PR will be responsible for handling all PR and media activities for LifeArc with the aim of raising our profile in the UK and internationally. This will be achieved by working with the colleagues in the wider communications and policy teams, the LifeArc Board and Executive team and colleagues across LifeArc to tell our story externally.
About you:
- Developing a media and messaging strategy to support LifeArc corporate strategy.
- Lead proactive media outreach and relationship building with key journalists.
- Manage LifeArc press function and be key contact for journalists.
- Oversee interviews or media events involving LifeArc spokespeople.
- Working closely with partner institutions on shared announcements.
- Drafting press releases, opinion pieces and original content
- Working with Director of Communications, manage external agencies to deliver in line with strategy.
- Reputation management and crisis comms support.
- Lead on development of all external comms-related communications including templates, policies and processes to ensure a consistent ap
- Assesses and resolves media requests and ensuring appropriate follow-up action is taken.
- Will recommend decisions that affect media outreach and LifeArc position – with input from Director of Communications.
- Will refer issues affecting reputation management and crisis communications to Director of Comms and Chief Communication Officer.
- Will have decision-making responsibilities.
Education & experience required:
- Degree in communications, journalism or media is desirable.
- Experience as a journalist is desirable
Skills & abilities:
- Considerable experience of working in a press office in a leadership position with a demonstrable track record of delivering strong media coverage.
- Experience working with high profile stakeholders.
- Experience developing and evaluating media and messaging strategies.
- A strong and able writer who can take complex information and make it accessible to different audiences.
- Experience managing external agencies to deliver projects.
- Experience managing budgets.
- Experience in healthcare, science or innovation space is desirable.
- Experience handling crisis comms and reputation management.
- Good relationships with key journalists across print, broadcast and online platforms.
- Ability to influence, persuade, negotiate and establish credibility when giving advice and guidance at all levels of the organisation.
- Ability to build positive working relationships internally and externally at all levels.
About us:
At LifeArc, our ambition is to make life science life changing. We do this by advancing scientific discoveries beyond the lab, faster, so that they can shape the next generation of diagnostics, treatments, and cures.
Working at the cutting edge of translational science and as the early-stage translation specialists, we progress scientific discoveries on their journey to becoming a medicine, diagnostic or intervention that can improve patients’ lives. Our work begins by seeking out innovative science, then helping to develop this to a point where there is a clinical and commercial pathway for others to invest the time and money to take it further forward.
What we can offer you:
Salary will be determined by qualifications and experience along with other exceptional benefits. Because we understand everyone has different requirements, our flexible benefits allow you to choose those which are important to you. Our pension scheme offers employer contributions of up to 12%, private health insurance, and annual leave of 31 days PLUS bank holidays.
Join us, and you’ll have the scope to be creative and take measured risks. You’ll be rewarded for your curiosity, for working as one team, and for learning fast. And you’ll have everything you need to be your best every day.
Don’t meet every single requirement? Studies have shown that women and people from minority ethnic backgrounds, for example, are less likely to apply to jobs unless they meet every single qualification. At LifeArc we are dedicated in building a diverse, inclusive, and authentic workplace, so whatever your background or lived experience, if you’re excited about this role but your experience doesn’t align perfectly with every qualification in the job description, we encourage you to apply anyway. Our top priority is finding the best candidate and you may be just the right candidate for this or other roles.
We all have potential. At LifeArc, you’ll discover what you can really do with it.
At LifeArc, we commit to advancing equal opportunities and building a diverse workforce by ensuring a fair, inclusive, and accessible recruitment experience for all. We employ individuals based on their suitability for the work to be performed and their potential for development, regardless of age, sex, race, colour, nationality, ethnic or national origin, disability, marital status, pregnancy or maternity, sexual orientation, gender reassignment, religion, or belief. Our commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion includes creating a culture where everyone feels they belong, is valued for who they are and has the opportunity to translate their potential.