Comms and Events Manager

About the organisation

Entering its 30th year, the Women’s Prize for Fiction is the greatest celebration of female creativity in the world. A landmark across the publishing landscape, the prize is continuously innovated by the Women’s Prize Trust, as seen by the launch of the Non-Fiction sister prize in 2023. With an audience in the millions, this is a unique and established brand in the world of books. 

The Women’s Prize Trust is a registered charity whose mission is to enrich society by creating equitable opportunities for women in the world of books and beyond. Essentially, we believe that books by women can change the world.

We open up pathways into reading and writing for the storytellers and booklovers of tomorrow. We work with women writers at all stages of development, and all readers, to unlock potential, boost confidence, and increase skills and knowledge. We empower all women to raise their voice and own their story, shining a spotlight on outstanding, ambitious, original fiction by women from anywhere in the world, regardless of their age, race, nationality or background. As a result, we are developing a global community of women writers and readers, reducing social isolation and enhancing mental health and wellbeing.

Read more about our work here

About the role

We are recruiting a Communications and Events Manager to join the small but mighty team at the Women’s Prize, reporting to the PR Director.

This role would be perfect for a senior exec who is ready for their next step or someone already working at manager level.

As an integral member of our team, the successful candidate will support the PR Director on all the major Prizes announcements (fiction and non-fiction), helping to secure UK and international media coverage for our judging panels and nominated authors, whilst liaising closely with publishers, sponsors, partners and other key stakeholders.

You will promote the Women’s Prize Trust’s fiction writing programme, Discoveries, working closely with our partners and sponsors, whilst also actively seeking new opportunities to expand the profile of the programme, particularly with hard-to-reach audiences at a regional level.

You will programme and run on- and offline events for the Women’s Prize Trust across its portfolio of projects. These public and private events will involve creative thinking, talent management, building or consolidating relationships with organisations, planning logistics and overseeing media promotion.

You will be motivated by a diverse, fast-paced role which will bring you into contact with inspirational female talent, who is passionate about the Women’s Prize Trust’s mission and enthusiastic to promote great books via one of the biggest brands in the book world.

Person Specification

Essential skills and experience:

• Experience of planning, executing and reporting on effective PR campaigns that are multi-faceted and ambitious
• Exemplify excellent writing skills: press releases and pitches must be of the highest standard with sharp attention to detail
• Brings a wide range of contacts across arts and news media, whilst understanding the importance of cultivating new relationships, maintaining and building a network that can expand media coverage and bring new opportunities
• Experience of organising live and online events, and other content streams, including programming line-ups, third-party collaborations, overseeing logistics, refining processes and impactful delivery for the audience
• Confident using a range of social media platforms (supporting the marketing team as required) 
• Minimum 4+ years experience working in publishing or an arts environment

Ideal skills and experience

• Experience working with high-profile personalities to amplify our mission and build relationships with them as future ambassadors
• Experience of selling in high-profile announcements to media under strict embargo, utilising NDAs
• Experience working with influencers, from scouting emerging talent to building rapport to ensure they deliver content and advocate
• Experience of crisis comms
• Experience of podcast pitching and/or programming as a promotional channel

Essential attributes

• Able to prioritise tasks in a busy environment and work efficiently
• Have a flair for writing but also be eagle-eyed and detailed-oriented
• Highly-motivated, hard-working, and extremely organised
• Confident to work independently but also happy to collaborate within a small, dynamic team and be flexible across a diverse range of tasks
• Keen to build relationships, with the ability to work collaboratively and network at all levels
• Passionate about contemporary writing by women: books are at the heart of our community and central to our purpose

Main Duties

• Support the PR Director on prizes announcements, from launch, longlist to shortlist and winner
• Manage promotion of key stakeholders including judges, authors, trustees and ambassadors
• Work closely with judges’ and authors’ support teams, including publishers, agents, managers and assistants
• Lead on promotion of the Women’s Prize’s Discoveries programme; partnerships and non-traditional promotional avenues are particularly important here
• Other media updates might include campaigns, research, partnerships, projects, merch promotion, podcast and funding news
• Data management, including updating media contact lists regularly and inputting into invitation lists
• Supporting on tagging, reporting and analysing media coverage regularly
• Supporting on crisis comms as required
• Lead on events management – programming and logistics – including but not limited to the Women’s Prize LIVE festival, outreach events for the Discoveries programme, writing workshops, promotional prize events and fundraising events

Benefits

• Annual salary £32 - £35K dependent on experience
• 35-hour working week with flexible working available and the need to attend events in the evenings and weekends, with time-off-in-lieu available
• Role is remote-based with a certain amount of face-to-face with London-based team
• 28 days paid holiday plus bank holidays
• Pension contribution following probationary period

Admin

Please apply via Creative Access with a cover letter of no more than two pages outlining your suitability for the role and a CV by the deadline of 5pm Tuesday 16th July 2024. If for some reason that you cannot apply via Creative Access, please apply to jobs@womensprize.com

In your covering letter, please indicate why you are interested in this role and how your experience and skills match the person specification. Please also complete an Equal Opportunities Form

The Women's Prize Trust is committed to diversity and to providing equal opportunities for all. WPT is especially interested to hear from candidates from backgrounds, communities, perspectives and skillsets that are under-represented in publishing and the arts sector.

We actively encourage all applicants to share with us how you might perform best throughout our recruitment process. As such, should you wish for us to adjust the process in order for you to shine please get in touch: jobs@womensprize.com

Only successful candidates will be contacted.

Deadline for applications is 5pm Tuesday 16th July 2024

First-Round interviews will be held in the weeks of 22nd and 29th July 2024

Second-Round Interviews will be held in the week of 12th August 2024