Overview

The Economic Media Centre is looking for a media all-rounder, with a passion for achieving social justice. You’re an experienced media advisor, communications expert or journalist who is excited to wake up every morning, scan the news, and then pitch talented spokespeople including First Nations advocates, people with disability, or people with experiences of homelessness.

We work with a pool of 1000 trained advocates with lived experience ready to shape national narratives and public policy, and your role will be essential in connecting them with journalists and supporting them to shift narratives.

Key details:

• Permanent role, ideally starting in November 2024. 
• $90,000 - $95,000 (pro rata if part time) plus 11.5% super, depending upon experience
• Full time (1.0 FTE), option to negotiate 0.8 FTE or 0.9 FTE
• Nationally-focused role, where working from home/remote work is possible

About the Economic Media Centre

The Economic Media Centre - a project of Australian Progress - has been a flying success in its first four years. Our mission is to support people with lived expertise, diverse experiences and backgrounds to participate in economic policy debates through mainstream media. Our theory of change is simple. By building the capacity of grassroots and community spokespeople to participate in policy debates in the media, we can help secure more inclusive economic policies and just futures.

Our key priority areas currently include First Nations justice, wages equality and tax reform, housing, health and disability, racial justice, and responsive work as requested by civil society and social movements.

We work cross sector and pro bono to:

• Train and support community spokespeople from diverse cultural, racial, class and gender backgrounds to engage with mainstream media.
• Deliver media strategy and pitching at key moments to help spokespeople influence key policy debates.
• Provide narrative and messaging support to help small groups, NGOs and social movements shift economic narratives.

About the role and responsibilities

We’re looking for someone to continue building the media capacity of spokespeople across the continent on a range of issues. Day-to-day this will look like training spokespeople to undertake media interviews, packaging up stories and preparing pitches, pitching spokespeople and stories to a range of news outlets, prepping spokespeople before they go on national television, and supporting them during key moments of their advocacy campaigns.

Key responsibilities:

1. Train and support spokespeople and lead media pitching

• Deliver our regular Economic Media Centre spokesperson training, and provide one-on-one coaching, and support and advice to build the media capacity of spokespeople to engage with the media to advocate for issues in their communities.
• Proactively identify and respond to daily media opportunities by contacting spokespeople and providing advice and other capacity building support to harness opportunities. This includes pitching stories to deliver on spokespeoples’ goals and our narrative shift campaigns.
• Work within tight timelines to meet media deadlines and place news stories by producing accurate, newsworthy media strategies, messages, angles, and releases.
• Continue to grow and support the spokespeople networks for advocates to share information and resources.
• Develop media resources for spokespeople, as well as a range of content such as media releases, opinion pieces, social media content, and emails.

2. Stakeholder and relationship management

• Undertake media relations and develop relationships with key media outlets in accordance with Economic Media Centre priority areas and engagement strategies.
• Support spokespeople to do media interviews that deliver against their communications objectives and support them to build strong relationships with journalists.
• Proactively develop and maintain effective working relationships with media professionals, media spokespeople, key civil society partners, the Economic Media Centre team, and the Australian Progress team.
• Build an informal spokesperson network from the Australian Progress alumni.

3. Other media and strategic project management

• Support the Economic Media Centre Director and team on strategic priorities of the Economic Media Centre, including developing and implementing project plans with measurable goals, budget, timeline, activities, outcomes, and evaluation.
• Maintain expert knowledge of Australia’s media landscape and advise spokespeople on media relations.
• Maintain Economic Media Centre spokesperson database, website, and media contact lists. Know all key journalists at top federal and state news desks.
• Maintain tracking and evaluation database and document media hits achieved.
• Ability to direct other staff, contractors, and volunteers, and delegate project tasks as required.
• Undertake other reasonable duties as delegated from time to time.
• Working before 9am and/or after 5pm will be required some days when pitching or supporting spokespeople. Some on-call and weekend work may also be required. Time in Lieu can be taken as per Australian Progress’ Time in Lieu policy.

About you

Our ideal applicant is an experienced media campaigner who loves working with others to help them achieve their goals. You are organised and accustomed to managing competing deadlines and priorities. You will have experience developing media packages, pitches and supporting spokespeople to do successful media interviews. You are well versed in Australia’s political landscape and the media’s role in shaping public narratives and shifting policies.

We strive to apply a justice lens to all our work and strongly encourage First Nations people, people of colour, people with disability, refugees and asylum seekers, people from low-socioeconomic backgrounds, and LGBTQIA+ people to apply.

We encourage you to apply even if you don’t have all of the relevant skills and experience.

Key selection criteria:

• Media skills & advocacy capacity building – You are passionate about building the media and advocacy capacity of progressive campaigns and movements, and have experience working with communities and people from within one or more of our key priority areas: First Nations justice, wages equality and tax reform, housing, health and disability, and racial justice.
• Media industry experience – a strong understanding of the Australian media landscape, political landscape, newsroom processes, and role of the media in setting public agendas is an advantage. You can track, analyse, and influence media narratives. You’re driven to identify media opportunities, news hooks and angles, and can place stories.
• Strong writing skills – you’re capable of writing quickly and effectively in a range of styles and formats including media releases, opinion pieces, media briefings, messaging advice, social media content, and emails.
• High level project management skills – ability to manage complex projects with shifting priorities and competing deadlines, make quick decisions, drive results in line with strategic priorities, and implement budget and evaluation systems.

Desired attributes:

• You understand media campaign and communications advocacy approaches and can develop and implement high impact media strategies, in consultation with senior staff.
• You understand Australia’s political landscape including government policy debates and the campaigns social movements and civil society are advocating for.
• Strong interpersonal skills – capacity to adjust communication according to context and audiences. Capacity to work with a wide range of different people and campaigns.
• Experience developing or facilitating training with a wide range of people.

Remuneration

The salary offered for this role is $90,000 - $95,000 (pro rata) plus 11.5% superannuation. The salary will be determined on the level of experience you bring and the level of responsibility you take in leading this work.

Australian Progress in the final stages of implementing our first Enterprise Agreement.

Conditions include:

• 3.5% annual salary increase on 1 July.
• 16 weeks paid parental leave for primary and secondary parents, and continued superannuation payments.
• 4 weeks annual leave and 8 RDOs per year pro rata, with a shut down period over summer and option to buy-back additional annual leave.
• Values aligned policies including 4 weeks gender affirmation leave, 4 weeks family violence leave, and 2 weeks cultural leave for First Nations staff.
• 15 days of personal leave annually.

Additional information

• The role will be offered as a permanent role, with a 6 months’ probationary period.
• Australian Progress team members are based predominantly in Melbourne and NSW. We will consider applications from candidates around Australia, and are open to hiring someone interested in a long term remote work arrangement.
• Interstate travel will be required for major events, media opportunities, and planning days.

How to Apply

Do not be deterred from applying if you have some, but not all, of the required skills and attributes. If you are motivated to work with the Economic Media Centre, please submit an application. On-the-job training will be provided.

To apply, please submit a CV (of no more than three pages, including two referees) and cover letter (of no more than one page) in response to the following questions:

• What are the top 3 qualities you will bring to the role, reflecting on the key selection criteria (and the desired attributes where applicable)?
• What is your experience working with mainstream media and/or on media advocacy campaigns?
• You will be working with spokespeople to engage with the mainstream media on our key priority areas. Why do you think it's important for people from affected communities to engage in media debates?

Please submit your application by clicking Apply Now.

We will be conducting interviews in early to mid October via Zoom, so please apply promptly by the closing date. We reserve the right to close recruitment if the role is successfully filled before the closing date.

For further information, or a confidential conversation about the role, please contact the Economic Media Centre Director, Alex Kelly, on [email protected] using the subject line: Senior Media Advisor - Economic Media Centre - Flexible Location enquiry via EthicalJobs.

For further information about Australian Progress, please see the attached document or visit our website.

A position description is attached.