Communications Executive

ukactive is the membership organisation representing the fitness, leisure, and wider physical activity sector. It exists to provide expert support to its members on issues of reputational concern, to promote growth and champion the sector through campaigns, to provide business intelligence on sector trends, and to lobby Government to improve members’ operating landscape, ensuring the impact the sector can have on major societal issues is acknowledged and maximised.

General duties

The primary responsibility of the Communications Executive is to help drive awareness levels of ukactive, generate significant media and policy impact and support us to achieve our strategic objectives as a business.

They are also responsible for supporting the planning, development and implementation of integrated communications to media, ukactive members, partners and stakeholders, to raise the profile of ukactive and the physical activity sector across a number of areas of interest.

In addition the Communications Executive will work closely with other members of the Communications, Public Affairs, Membership, and Marketing teams, to help develop value-adding content across a range of channels for members and other stakeholders, as well as supporting internal communications to ensure knowledge sharing and brand awareness across the organisation.

Specific tasks and responsibilities

• Promote, protect and enhance the reputation of ukactive with all key stakeholders.
• Copywrite press releases, reactive statements, features, comments and thought-leadership contributions for trade and national media.
• Maintain a proactive and reactive press office – managing press lists and incoming journalist requests, and building meaningful connections with journalists in order to raise our profile and improve the understanding of our sector’s work.
• Develop and implement consumer and trade PR and communications plans for key ukactive audiences relating to specific projects and campaigns, such as sector development programs and National Fitness Day.
• Track all media coverage for communications campaigns, evaluate ROI, targeting and reach, and report key learnings to apply to future campaigns.
• Manage ukactive newsletters, including the Daily Media Review.
• Coordinate and edit digital Journal content and blog contributions from ukactive’s Strategic Partner Group and wider membership.
• Support ukactive events and campaigns with proactive communications planning and multimedia content.

Person specification

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

Essential

• Strong PR experience, either in-house or agency, or equivalent journalism experience, with a minimum of two years’ experience in a full-time role.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills; including evidence of effective copywriting for press releases, media pitches, copyediting of features and blogs, and digital communications.
• Good media relations and a track record of effective PR results and successful campaigns in terms of objectives and ROI.
• Excellent time management and organisational skills, with the ability to prioritise and balance demands from multiple sources in a busy working environment.
• Self-motivated, confident, and calm under pressure.
• Good knowledge of media landscape and behaviors.
• Ability to communicate complex, nuanced detail with engaging brevity.
• Ability to combine logical thinking with creative flair to devise innovative solutions.
• Degree qualification or equivalent.

Desired

• An interest in politics and public affairs.
• An interest in the physical activity sector, its culture and external influences.