Responsibilities

• You will lead the development and delivery of a proactive, data-driven media strategy that strengthens Wellcome Trust’s influence on global health challenges.
• Guiding your team to surface compelling stories from across Wellcome’s programmes and partnerships, translating complex scientific and policy evidence into clear, engaging narratives.
• Leading capability-building across the organisation on news writing, narrative development.
• Oversee and develop the systems, technologies and external supplier partnerships that support a high-performing media office, driving operational excellence and effective service delivery.
• Using AI-enabled insight, sentiment analysis and predictive modelling to identify emerging narratives, opportunities and risks across Wellcome’s key areas of focus.
• Ensuring Wellcome’s voice is present in the right debates at the right time through both proactive and reactive media engagement.
• Overseeing high-quality news production across channels, working closely with content and brand and corporate communications colleagues.
• Working in close conjunction with the other lead roles across Wellcome’s News and Content function – Brand and Corporate Communications and Content Lead to support teams to effectively plan ahead and develop cohesive strategic plans for communications across Wellcome Trust.

Requirements

• Substantial experience leading and developing high-performing teams and commissioning and managing external agencies, ideally through periods of change, with demonstrable experience coordinating budgets, timelines or resources across multiple projects.
• Proven ability guiding a mid-sized team working across multiple organisational areas to apply strong editorial judgement and understanding how to shape narratives while translating complex or technical information into clear, engaging communications for diverse audiences.
• Significant experience in news strategy, media relations or editorial leadership, driving high-profile proactive media campaigns resulting in results globally.
• Strong editorial judgement and proven experience unearthing compelling toplines, emerging narratives and managing reputational risks working in close partnership with colleagues across a complex organisation.
• Strong line management skills and demonstrable experience motivating a team to deliver high - quality outputs under pressure.