About us
Teach First is a charity that understands that for a child growing up in poverty, all too often their future is already written. We know that education can flip the script. We find and train teachers to work in the schools that need them most, we equip school leaders with evidenceled training, we support local teacher training providers, and we plug education leaders into supportive professional networks. We’re at the centre of a movement, rewriting the future within the classroom and beyond, ensuring every child, no matter their background, gets the opportunities they need to thrive
About the team
This role sits within the Media and Campaigns team. This team operates as Teach First’s press office, working with journalists and leading public-facing policy campaigns.
The team sits within the People and Governance directorate and works with the Government and other stakeholders to drive change within and around the classrooms to meet Teach First’s mission to end educational inequality.
We are responsible for building the profile of the charity, uniting our movement of ambassadors and Change Makers, ensuring the impact we have is recognised by our stakeholders and inspiring others with our belief that change is possible.
About the role
The Media Manager will sit within the Media and Campaigns team, you will help to position Teach First and the charity’s senior stakeholders in the media as a leading voice on education issues, raise awareness of the issues in education we care about and platform the policy ideas that could solve them.
In this role you will:
Lead and manage the press office, including producing timely press statements, comments and op-eds to raise awareness of our work, understanding where to land key messages to influence the public, the education sector and policy makers.
Cultivate relationships with journalists at traditional and new media outlets to secure coverage in the places it can make the biggest impact.
Produce the weekly press briefing for staff, evaluating and tracking our media work and Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and managing our journalist database and messaging.
• Proactively monitor and interpret the news agenda to identify strategic opportunities for Teach First to shape public debate and share our policy messages.
• Work with the Policy and Public Affairs team to identify key education issues and packaging data or research into digestible media releases.
• Produce and deliver media stories for policy focused campaigns based on audience insights, research on key education issues and emerging developments in the sector.
Work with the Head of Media and Campaigns to lead proactive and positive campaigns, putting human voices with frontline experience of education behind datadriven stories.
Grow the profile of our spokespeople, deliver media training, brief senior colleagues and providing counsel on media activity.
• Act as the first point for all media requests, initially assessing their value and suitability before bringing to the rest of the media team for review and action.
• Respond to policy-focused announcements, whether that be from the Government, parliamentarians or other education-focused bodies.
Work with the Marketing team to ensure our media work is shared across Teach First’s owned channels, when suitable.
You will report into:
Head of Media and Campaigns
You will work closely with:
• The Head of Media and Campaigns
• The Head of Policy and Public Affairs and their team
• The Chief Executive, particularly on the signing off press releases, and pre-briefing for media interviews.
Other Teach First senior executives
About you
To be successful in this role you will be able to demonstrate the following skills, knowledge and experience.
• You will have an eye for a story, experience of managing a busy press office and a track record in delivering media coverage to meet campaign objectives.
• You will have an excellent ability to build relationships with journalists and stakeholders to support and promote our work.
You will have an understanding of the political and policy climate and how media can support campaigns to further an organisation’s aims.
• You will have a proactive attitude and determination to end inequality in education.
• You will have experience building and using audience and sector insights to inform press campaigns.
At Teach First, we’re committed to building a diverse, high performing team. We particularly welcome applications from candidates from underrepresented groups; and whose socioeconomic background reflects that of the pupils we work with.
If you’re excited about this role but don’t tick every box, we still encourage you to apply. You may be exactly what we’re looking for — for this role or another.
Working for us
At Teach First, we want you to thrive because when you’re at your best, our mission moves forward. We offer pay, benefits and flexibility that support your wellbeing, and in return we ask you to bring your energy, commitment and passion to helping every child reach their potential. Find out more
Our culture: We live by our values. They underpin our culture and identity. And inform everything we do.
• Purpose: Ending educational disadvantage guides us - We stay focused on our mission and strive to get better every day.
Community: We are a movement for change - Together we are stronger, we support and learn from one another, working with and through the diverse communities we serve.
• Bravery: Change requires courage - We take bold risks and aren’t afraid to try, fail and learn in pursuit of our vision.
• Innovation: We will succeed through new ideas - We are restless for impact and creative with our solutions.
Diversity and inclusion: We want to be a place where everyone can perform, learn and contribute with the confidence to be themselves. We are passionate about building a work force that reflects the community we serve, and our employees are expected to contribute to advancing diversity and inclusion within the charity. Find out more
Safeguarding: Safeguarding children is at the heart of our work and a non‑negotiable part of every role at Teach First. All colleagues must complete a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check before starting. We follow safer recruitment practices and expect our employees to share our commitment to keeping children safe.
Agile working: Our agile way of working gives you flexibility. Need to start late or finish early? Our Agile Working policy focuses on outcomes, not presenteeism. Find out more
Flexible Working: We are happy to consider flexible work patterns for our roles where they align with the needs of the charity. So, if you want to discuss a set and regular working pattern, let us know in your application. Find out more