Public Affairs and Media Officer

Royal College of Psychiatrists

Hours
35 hours per week

About the Organisation

Royal College of Psychiatrists (RCPsych) is the professional membership body for psychiatrists and promotes excellent care for people with mental illness. It has 21,000 members and engages with government and the media as the leading voice of UK mental health services. The College is an award-winning, values-based organisation. 

Royal College of Psychiatrists is the professional medical body responsible for supporting psychiatrists throughout their careers, setting standards in psychiatry, and promoting mental health in the United Kingdom. The organization is crucial in education, training, research, and policy advocacy related to psychiatry and mental health services. The primary mission of RCPsych is to improve the understanding, prevention, and treatment of mental illnesses and ensure that people with mental health conditions receive high-quality care.

About the role

As Public Affairs and Media Officer, you will support the policy, public affairs and influencing activities of the College in line with agreed priorities, focusing on our engagement in Westminster and with the UK Government. You will provide comprehensive monitoring of political and legislative developments in Westminster to ensure the College can proactively influence decision-makers and to ensure our members are kept up to date. You will also support our proactive and reactive media and communications activity related to our political influencing in Westminster.

Responsibilities

Policy, public affairs and influencing:

• To lead on and support drafting of parliamentary briefings for MPs and Peers, parliamentary questions, written evidence for Select Committee inquiries, Bill Committees and briefings for College members' engagement activities in Westminster, ensuring they are evidence-based and developed with expert input from across the College.
• To organise and support College member meetings with MPs and Peers in Westminster, as well as parliamentary events, APPG meetings and other events, ensuring comprehensive briefing materials are provided, with a clear aim and agreed actions are followed up in a timely way.
• To provide a monitoring function that tracks and shares intelligence on political and legislative developments and logs the impact of our influencing, including in relation to:
  • Announcements in England and at a UK Government level
  • Parliamentary debates, questions, and committee inquiries in Westminster
  • Legislative and policy changes under consideration in Westminster
  • UK Government/Shadow Ministerial appointments and departmental reshuffles
  • UK-wide political party positions and manifestos.
• To support the College Officers and senior Members' engagement with UK Government/Shadow Ministers, Westminster parliamentarians,
• Special Advisers and UK-wide political parties by mapping the individuals, organisations, and institutions that are relevant to our influencing priorities.
• To work collaboratively on agreed projects and influencing activity with colleagues in the Policy and Influencing Team, Strategic
• Communications Department, across the Four Nations, English Divisions and wider College, providing advice on parliamentary process in
• Westminster, supporting political stakeholder mapping and the development of influencing plans and engagement.
• To support the College's engagement with the UK-wide political parties, including helping:
  • Plan for attendance at UK-wide political party conferences (developing tailored briefing material, identifying opportunities to maximise the College's influence and attend the conferences where required)
  • Support the development and delivery of the College's UK-wide manifesto ahead of a UK General Election, helping ensure this aligns to a four nations approach.
• To operationally support:
  • producing and circulating weekly updates on recent, current and future parliamentary activity in Westminster to College Officers,
  • senior Members and College staff
  • the College’s Parliamentary Scholars’ Scheme
  • the College's secretarial support to the All-Party Parliamentary Group
  • (APPG) on Mental Health (with colleagues at Rethink Mental Illness)
• To share information and work collaboratively in support of a coordinated approach to influencing across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, reflecting the distinct policy and political contexts of each nation, as well as a UK-wide approach.

Media and communications activities (political influencing):

• To support the Media, Communications and Campaigns Team by providing political and legislative insight, sharing updates on relevant developments in Westminster and the College's influencing activities to help inform communications, media and campaigning activity, including:
  • Attending morning media meetings
  • Contributing to planning processes
  • Tracking media coverage, political journalists and commentary on the
  • Political landscape
  • Providing concise summaries of key political stakeholders’ positions
  • On major issues related to mental health and psychiatry, as well as the College's views
  • Identifying proactive opportunities for using the media to forward the College’s influencing agenda.
• To proactively support media and communications activities in relation to the College’s political engagement in Westminster and with the UK
• Government, working with the Senior Media and Communications
• Officers to develop communications activity relating to college campaigns, political and legislative developments. This includes drafting responses, spokesperson briefings, quotes, op-eds, social media content, website content, letters and press releases, as well as liaising with journalists, members and stakeholders, and coordinating and sitting in on media interviews.
• With the support of colleagues in the Media, Communications and
• Campaigns team, to participate in the College's out-of-hours press office rota.
• To provide occasional support and cover for the Media and Communications team, where appropriate and in line with the College's influencing priorities and business needs.

General:

• Undertake any other duties related to the job purpose and which may be necessary in the College’s work.
• To carry out all duties safely and properly in accordance with the College’s Health and Safety Policy. To undertake all duties in line with the College’s values, policies, procedures, and regulations ensuring that the work undertaken actively promotes equity and diversity.
• To support the College’s sustainability and net zero programme with a focus on adhering to policy and implemented initiatives.
• This job description is not exhaustive and is subject to change in accordance with the business needs of the College.

Skills, Competencies, Experience & Attributes

Essential:

• Proven ability to absorb, analyse and collate complex information, and communicate it clearly and concisely in different formats
• Experience of monitoring political and policy developments, analysing their impact, and developing evidence-based advocacy positions and influencing strategies
• Understanding of government structures, parliamentary processes, legislative frameworks, and the wider political environment in Westminster
• Proven ability to horizon scan and identify future opportunities for engagement through public affairs, media and influencing activities
• Ability to build and maintain effective relationships with external stakeholders (government officials, policymakers, parliamentarians, media partners) and gather views and opinions from internal stakeholders
• Ability to produce clear, accurate, and engaging media content, including press releases, statements, briefings, and reactive communications, often under tight deadlines
• Proven ability to work independently as a member of a small team, working under pressure and managing several deadlines at the same time
• Excellent interpersonal, verbal and written communication skills

Desirable:

• Knowledge of mental health and mental health policy
• Experience working in a membership organisation

Compensation & Benefits

• 25 days of annual leave, plus public and bank holidays
• Six college closure days (during May, August and December)
• Generous flexi-time and time off in lieu (TOIL) schemes
• Enhanced maternity leave (eight weeks at full pay, 18 weeks at half pay, 13 weeks lower rate SMP, 13 weeks unpaid leave)
• Enhanced paternity leave (two weeks at full pay, rather than at the statutory level)
• Interest-free season ticket loan
• Probationary period: 6 months
• Subsidised café at our London Head Office
• Health and well-being package (including up to £160 for complementary therapies)
• Money towards annual eye tests
• Notice period: 8 weeks
• Pension Auto-enrolment
• 24/7 health and stress-related helplines
• Management support helplines
• Group Income Protection Scheme
• Generous pension and life assurance schemes

Working locations

• Hybrid model, working in the London office and remotely

How to apply

• Apply to our website
• Job Advert
• If you require assistance or any other reasonable adjustments to complete your application form, don't hesitate to get in touch with [email protected]
• Please note that applications received after this date and time will not be considered.

Interviews

• The interviews Wednesday, 16th September 2026 (via MS Teams)

Policies

The College is opposed to all forms of prejudice and believes that everyone should be treated fairly, regardless of age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership status, race, religion or belief, sex, or sexual orientation (the protected characteristics). We are committed to promoting equality, diversity and inclusion for our existing and future members, associates, affiliates, staff, and visitors in all our practices and arrangements. We actively advocate for, and support, equality of access, experience and outcomes for all College staff, all members and for all mental health patients and carers.

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