Media and Advocacy Officer

Manage PR activity for an iconic and much loved not for profit
- Potts Point location with flexible working options
- Great benefits including salary packaging and extra annual leave

**About Wayside Chapel**

Wayside Chapel has provided unconditional love, care and support for people on and around the streets of Kings Cross since 1964.

Under the banner of Love Over Hate, Wayside's programs and services are designed to ensure that the most marginalised members of our community have access to essential health, welfare, social and recreational services.

Each year, thousands of people visit Wayside's two centres in Kings Cross and Bondi for assistance in gaining equitable access to essential health, welfare and related services.

Our mission is creating community with no ‘us and them,’ breaking down the barriers of judgement and providing a safe place where people from all walks of life are welcome.

**About the role**

As part of an inclusive, passionate and fun-loving team, your work will help raise the public profile of Wayside Chapel, its CEO and mission, as well as programs and the issues facing people who access services.

Reporting to our Senior Marketing and Communications Manager this exciting role will develop and implement a PR and media strategy for Wayside Chapel, through engaging media moments and focused campaigns. This role will also work closely with senior stakeholders across the organisation to promote Wayside Chapel's advocacy aims and influence government policy change.

Each day you will work with our marketing, fundraising, partnerships and government relations teams and external stakeholders to amplify the growth of Wayside Chapel, increase our profile, deepen the engagement with existing donors and draw in new people to our community.

Through connection and conversations, you will get to see how your work directly benefits some of the most vulnerable people in our community. This is an amazing opportunity to work for an iconic and much loved not-for-profit. Every day you’ll hear both heart-warming and heartbreaking stories and truly feel like you are making a difference.

**About the work**
- Develop an annual Media and PR Strategy for Wayside
- Work with the Senior Marketing and Communications manager to ideate and execute media worthy activities that align with and further Wayside’s mission and strategic goals
- Write engaging media releases for Wayside’s programs, events and organisational updates, and develop supporting media materials, including Q&A and fact sheets
- Build and foster strong relationships with media representatives from a broad range of media organisations
- Implement activities to raise the profile of Wayside’s CEO/ Pastor as a thought leader, working closely with the Office of the CEO to secure media and speaking opportunities
- Build and manage Wayside Chapel’s ambassador program, maintaining on-going relationships with existing ambassadors and working with the Executive Management Team and Board to recruit new ambassadors
- Support development of Wayside’s Advocacy Framework to drive strategic priorities across Programs, Government Relations, Marketing and Fundraising and Community Engagement
- Develop advocacy campaigns and communications that align with Advocacy Framework
- Work collaboratively with the Senior Government Relations Manager to deliver advocacy campaigns that influence government policy
- Use petitions other tools to further advocacy aims
- Provide advice on advocacy matters to CEO and Executive Team

**About you**
- At least three years’ experience working in PR, media and advocacy for NFP, government or other relevant sector
- Relevant employment experience that makes you job ready
- Bachelor level degree or post graduate qualifications in public relations, journalism, communications, public policy, government or similar
- Experience in communications and demonstrated ability to lead media engagement
- Exceptional written and verbal communication skills
- Demonstrated understanding of the political process (Local, State and Federal)
- Solid understanding of and genuine interest in the sector Wayside Chapel operates in, including the societal issues of homelessness, loneliness and social isolation, addiction, mental and physical health issues and indigenous inequality
- Highly developed interpersonal communication skills
- Strong critical thinking skills as well as ambition and hunger to learn, grow and develop
- Experience with media monitoring platforms such as Isentia
- Knowledge of Sydney and Australian media landscape, ideally including contacts and an established personal brand
- A warm, engaging and kind approach with an ability to work with different people

Applications will be reviewed as they are received, please don’t delay or wait for a closing date if you are interested
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- Please note that we are firm in our belief that we must embrace all efforts within our remit to manage and mitigate the spread of COV