Media Officer 6m FTC presso Rail Delivery Group

Closing Date for Applications

24th October 2025

Salary scale: £32,130 - £37,000 per annum

What is the purpose of this job?

To deliver creative, effective reactive and proactive media relations including social media which contributes to the enhancing of the reputation of the Rail Delivery Group and the wider Rail Industry.

You will help RDG to communicate across different media channels, including but not limited to, news, consumer PR, and social media, to support our role as one of the leading voices on how the railway is changing and improving for the economy, customers, communities and our people.

What can I expect to do in this job? 

This isn’t an exhaustive list, but things you can expect to be involved with include:

• Manage the effective and timely release of statements to the media, generating positive and rebutting negative media coverage and ensuring RDG has its say on the issues of the day
• Support the Media Manager in maintaining, optimising and developing RDG’s news management to support the delivery of the RDG’s business objectives and media strategy
• Build and maintain relationships with colleagues across RDG, members, the media and stakeholders to help the organisation deliver its business objectives
• Support the Media Manager in advising and preparing spokespeople for broadcast interviews and carry out corporate-wide horizon scanning to identify and respond to threats and opportunities.
• Support the development, delivery and implementation of effective communications plans and campaigns that deliver RDG’s business objectives
• Contribute to the wider communications function of the team, including drafting articles, writing for the web and contributing to direct communications with stakeholders
• The RDG media team operates 24/7 on every day of the year. You will need to take part in the on-call rota to handle out-of-hours queries and bids from the media and carry out additional duties as required.
• Support the Social Media manager in the creation of content (write copy, create video and graphic content and source imagery) for our social media channels and the evaluation of posts / campaigns
• Posting engaging content to our social media channels (X, LinkedIn and Instagram) and use social evaluation tools to help monitor performance and track success of content, sharing insights with the wider comms team and helping to maintain our forward look social media content calendar 

Who will my key contacts be?

• Media – national and regional print and broadcast media, trade press journalists, commentators, presenters and producers
• Rail industry partners at national and local level for example media and social media colleagues at DFT, Network Rail and Train companies – ensuring that the industry is joined-up and well informed of RDG initiatives and activity on their behalf
• RDG staff and directors – ensuring good cross-organisation collaboration and productive flow of information
• Campaigners and lobby groups – ensuring that potentially critical commentators understand our messages
• Government communicators – building good contact and relations with key partners in Department for Transport, including press officers

Requirements

What experience, skills and knowledge do I need?

The post holder must take a proactive and opportunistic approach to generating positive media coverage to support the delivery of RDG’s priorities. They must also monitor and respond to external events and develop responses to issues affecting the industry.

This requires the person to be an effective multitasker and calm under pressure. Your work will see you brief spokespeople, deal with reactive media enquiries from national print and broadcast, regional trade media and develop proactive media stories to support our campaigns. This means you will need to be able to understand complex policy and work with colleagues to translate it into a compelling media story. You will be working closely with colleagues in the wider communications team to make sure the impact of our work is maximised.

The post holder is required to interpret and assess a diverse range of needs, identifying solutions where these may not be obvious. A key objective of the role is to promote and defend the industry’s reputation in the media while supporting RDG’s priorities. In doing this you will be expected to make recommendations to the Media Manager, the Media Relations Lead and Head of Media Relations and other communications colleagues including the Head of Communications.

The post holder is expected to support the devising of strategies and solutions to meet RDG’s business and communications needs. You will be expected to demonstrate initiative in searching out stories from across RDG and spotting opportunities in media coverage which allow us to tell our story and enhance and maintain our reputation. In addition, you will also be expected to support the Social Media manager in producing engaging social content, use evaluation to optimise both organic and paid for social media posts and help to maintain our forwards look social media calendar.

Benefits

Why Work for RDG?

We offer a highly competitive package, including:

• 75% off rail travel for personal and family use, plus international rail discounts.
• 30 Days annual leave (plus buy/sell options and additional leave for key life events)
• Season ticket loan for commuting costs.
• Enhanced family leave – 30 weeks full pay for maternity, adoption, surrogacy, and shared parental leave.
• Pension scheme – up to 11.58% employer contribution.
• Private medical insurance (AXA PPP) including mental health and specialist care.
• Discounted gym membership and access to wellbeing programmes.

Career Development & Progression

You’ll be part of a team driving innovation at a national scale, with the opportunity to influence long-term ticketing strategy. This role provides real ownership, the chance to work with leading-edge technologies and partners, and visibility at senior levels across the rail industry. You’ll also gain wide exposure to transport and government stakeholders, opening up exciting development and progression opportunities within RDG.

Apply Now & Shape the Future of UK Rail

If you are interested in joining RDG as a Lead Solution Architect and shaping the future of digital ticketing, we’d love to hear from you!

Click Apply now to start your application and be part of a team that is leading digital innovation in the rail industry.

Please note that we are unable to consider applications from candidates who require visa sponsorship to work in the UK.