Interim Head of Media

Interim Head of Media

Contract: 6 Months Fixed term contract, Full time, 35 hours per week

Location: London, UK

UK hybrid working – a minimum of 40 % of working time is spent face-to-face (London office, external meetings or travel).

60/40 hybrid working at WaterAid means roughly three days wherever you work best and two days together in person.

Salary: £68,888 - £72,514 per annum with excellent benefits.

Change starts with water. Change starts with you.

Every day, millions of people live without clean water, decent toilets and good hygiene. WaterAid exists to change that – for everyone, everywhere. Join us, and your energy will help unlock people’s potential and create a fairer future.

About WaterAid

We’re a global federation driven by one vision: a world where everyone, everywhere has clean water, sanitation and hygiene by 2030. Powered by our values of Respect, Accountability, Courage, Collaboration, Integrity and Innovation, we work alongside communities, partners and supporters to make change happen.

About the team

The Media team strategically leads on both proactive and reactive media, supporting WaterAid’s fundraising, partnerships, brand awareness and political influencing & systems change strategic priorities. The team are responsible for outreach to a range of media in the UK and globally – across traditional, consumer and digital.

The team works with Country Programmes and work on global media outreach with WaterAid Member Offices, operate a 24/7 media hotline and manages areas of reputational risk.

The Media Team consists primarily of 4 functions – News, PR, Celebrity Ambassador, and Global News. The Interim role would manage a team of 11 people and three direct line reports. The Celebrity Ambassador function sits within the team but line management of the Celebrity & Influencer Lead is with the Global & UK Director of Communications.

About the role

organisation. Bringing together the diciplines of news and PR, to drive brand awareness and action to bring water to the top of the UK and global media agenda.

As Interim you will lead and work with the Media team to explore and encourage new approaches including how we further maximise the digital media landscape.

The role is pivotal in working with key stakeholders across the organisation in fundraising, global adcoacy and campaigns, and the Communications leadership team, to ensure media strategies are not only aligned and integrated with strategic fundraising engagement and advocacy priorities – but also bold and innovative.

In this role, you will:

• Champion, inspire and lead a high-performing, highly motivated team.
• Line management of the Senior News Manager, Senior PR Manager and Global Media Specialist.
• Management of the Media Team budget, ensuring budget is being used for greatest impact.
• Ensure that media work is strategic, helping to build engagement amongst target audiences and aligned to organisational objectives specifically to amplify our advocacy, influencing and fundraising goals. Set and review performance against agreed indicators in order to measure impact.
• Lead the team to continue to build a reactive and opportunistic media presence by seizing media opportunities, generating stories and news angles, and creating timely, impactful, appropriate responses to drive relevance of WaterAid within target audiences.
• Build and maintain relationships with key journalists and target media, helping bring the water and sanitation crisis to a wider audience and establishing WaterAid as the sector leader in this area.
• Grow the capabilities and approach to digital PR within the team.
• Work collaboratively with the Communications Senior Management Team to set and ensure clarity on roles and responsibilities of the Media team, to foster an integrated approach.
• Work closely with colleagues across the WaterAid family (country programmes in particular) to advise and support on media work when required.

To be successful, you will need:

Essential skills

• Experience of leading, managing and motivating a Media team.
• Experienced manager of people with proven ability to manage and motivate others.
• Track record of designing and delivering influential and impactful media campaigns that achieve coverage in international, national, regional, trade and online media.
• Excellent news sense and an understanding of what makes a good story for different types of media and audiences.
• Understanding of the role that media can play in shaping the political and public policy agenda, and experience of working in this critically important area.
• Strong understanding of international development communications, marketing, fundraising and advocacy activities and how media activity fits with these and can complement and advance them.
• Excellent written and verbal communications skills with the ability to build partnerships with key stakeholders and influence at senior levels.
• Strong relationship builder and experience of working to deliver to multiple teams’ objectives; ability to prioritise and drive integration and alignment between activities

Desirable skills

• Experience of working across the communications mix more broadly.
• Experience in digital PR and managing this aspect within a team.
• Understanding of how AI can be used in the media landscape.

Closing date: Applications will close 12:00 PM UK time on 25th August 2025.

How to apply: Click Apply to complete the pre-screening questions and upload your CV.

Can I use Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology in my application? At WaterAid, we strongly advise against using AI technology at any stage of the recruitment process. Our goal is to ensure a fair and transparent process that provides every applicant with an equal opportunity to succeed. We value hearing about your unique experiences and perspectives in your application, and, if shortlisted, during the interview as well.

Preemployment screening: To apply for this role, you must be able to demonstrate your eligibility to work in the respective country. All pre-employment checks will be carried out according to local law and WaterAid’s Safer Recruitment policy. All UK based roles require a basic Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check.

Benefits

• 36 days’ holiday (including 8 Bank Holidays)
• Option to buy an extra 5 days’ annual leave
• Employer pension contribution up to 10 %
• Flexible and hybrid working arrangements
• Season ticket loan
• Free annual eye tests
• ‘Give as you Earn’ charitable giving scheme
• Enhanced parental leave (maternity, adoption/surrogacy, shared parental and paternity)
• Sabbaticals
• One paid volunteer day each year

Our Global Commitment:

Our People Promise

We will work with passion and focus to make sure everyone everywhere has clean water, decent toilets and good hygiene. WaterAid is a place of purpose – where people have a real commitment and shared responsibility for the impact we have. We are a global community with diverse backgrounds and perspectives, motivated by inspiring, stimulating work. We are determined to be a place where people feel safe and able to contribute their voice and truly live our values.

Equal Opportunities

We welcome applications from people of all backgrounds, beliefs, customs, traditions, ways of life and status. This includes, but is not limited to, race, ethnicity, caste, colour, gender, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth, disability status, neurodiversity, age, marital and family status, sexual orientation and gender identity, health status, place of residence, economic and social situation.

Safeguarding

We are committed to protecting everyone we come into contact with. We have a zero- tolerance approach to abuse of power, privilege or trust across our global work, and to any form of inappropriate behaviour, discrimination, abuse, bullying, harassment, or exploitation. Safeguarding the people and communities we work with, our staff, volunteers and anyone working on our behalf is our top priority, and we take our responsibilities extremely seriously. All offers of employment are subject to satisfactory references and appropriate screening checks (which can include counterterrorism, safeguarding and criminal records checks).

Together, we’ll change the world through water.

Join us and be part of the change !