Senior Media Relations Manager

Closing Date 2025-12-14 Job Title: Senior Media Relations Manager Location: Durrington (Hybrid 2 days onsite (Mon and Tues)) Contract Type: Perm Hours: 37 Salary: Competitive base salary + £400 car allowance per month. Standby rota: 1 week in 7 Reporting to: Head of External Communications Role Purpose Our purpose is to provide water for life to enhance health and wellbeing, protect and improve the environment, and sustain the economy.

We’re at a pivotal point in Southern Water’s transformation, as one five-year investment period ends and we embark on our largest delivery programme yet, with an ambitious plan to double investment over the regulatory period 2025–30. As Senior Media Relations Manager, you will play a vital role in supporting the delivery of our Corporate Affairs strategy as Southern Water continues its transformational journey.

Working directly with the Executive Team, senior leaders, and Corporate Affairs colleagues, you will lead the press office function to deliver proactive and reactive media relations that enhances and protects Southern Water’s reputation. This is a senior, high-profile role requiring strategic thinking, exceptional judgement, and the ability to operate confidently under intense media and political scrutiny.

Key Responsibilities:

• Lead and line manage the press office function, managing day-to-day media relations and acting as a primary point of contact for key journalists.
• Develop and deliver a rolling programme of proactive media engagement that influences and educates customers and stakeholders and builds positive sentiment.
• Monitor and analyse media coverage, using metrics to demonstrate progress and inform future strategy.
• Provide expert counsel on regional media dynamics and advise on messaging to maximise impact.

Respond swiftly and effectively to media enquiries, ensuring accurate and timely information is shared.

• Manage reputational issues and crisis communications, leveraging strong media relationships to mitigate risk.
• Collaborate with internal teams to ensure alignment of messaging and support integrated communications campaigns.

Skills:

&

Experience:

• Leadership & Management Demonstrable

experience:

in leading and line managing a busy, high-performing press office team.

Experience:

in managing external communications agencies and associated budgets to deliver impactful campaigns. Strategic Media Expertise Significant

experience:

in media relations, ideally within a press office or agency environment. Strong understanding of the regional media landscape and significant

experience:

engaging with national media. A track record of success in media management – proactive in news management and handling of journalists and editors before and after publication, including effective rebuttals and corrections.

Experience:

of working within organisations under intense media, political and activist/campaigner scrutiny, and of managing media over controversial, polarised or contested topics. Confidence and gravitas in journalist handling, and when advising CEOs and senior executives on high-profile media issues.

Skills:

& Attributes Excellent written and verbal communication

skills:

, with the ability to craft compelling narratives and powerful, succinct quotes/lines to take. Journalistic savvy and instinct: able to anticipate news flow and areas of journalistic challenge. Clear headed and calm under pressure, exhibiting consistently sound judgement Strong relationship building

skills:

– with internal stakeholders, counterparts in trade associations or Government/agencies, and with journalists and editors. Able to interpret media sentiment and translate insights into actionable strategies and media handling plans. Disciplined in evaluation of press office activity - measuring and reporting on media impact using relevant tools and metrics.

A proactive problem-solver with the ability to troubleshoot and resolve issues swiftly and effectively. Desirable A deep understanding of the water industry and

experience:

within regulated sectors.

Experience:

of having worked in the media. Working Pattern &

Benefits:

Mondays and Tuesdays based in our head office in Durrington; hybrid working for the remainder of the week. The post holder must be willing and able to travel to sites across the region to meet with journalists and host site visits. The post holder must be willing to take part in an out of hours on-call rota.

Competitive salary and

benefits:

package. Opportunities for professional development and career progression. Package This role will be full time Monday to Friday with a hybrid approach at our Durrington office. We are offering a competitive salary, car allowance as well as other

benefits:

including: • Generous pension up to 11% company contribution • 25 days annual leave • Life assurance equal to 4x salary • Salary sacrifice electric car scheme (after 6 months service) • Health Cash Plan • Full funded eye tests • Two paid volunteering days a year • Occupational health service • Discounts with over 800 popular retailers • Digital GP service • Study support may be available for job-related

qualifications:

• Competitive maternity leave and flexible return to work options • Cycle to work scheme Our Values & Culture At Southern Water, our purpose is clear: to provide water for life—enhancing health and wellbeing, protecting and improving the environment, and sustaining the economy.

Everything we do is underpinned by our strong set of core values: Succeeding Together – We collaborate and support each other to achieve shared goals. Always Improving – We strive for continuous improvement in everything we do. Doing the Right Thing – We act with integrity, openness, and transparency.

Working with Care – We care

about:

our customers and deliver excellent service with care, we look out for each other and value safety and wellbeing above everything else, and we care for each other so everyone can feel they belong and have a voice. We are committed to building an inclusive culture where everyone feels welcomed, respected, and valued.

Diversity and inclusion are embedded in our vision and practices, ensuring that all colleagues can bring their authentic selves to work. We champion equality, equity, and diversity of thought because we believe these principles are fundamental to achieving business success. Our culture is guided by safety, environmental responsibility, and a customer focus.

We aim to create a workplace where people thrive, contribute their best, and feel proud to be part of our transformational journey. Our purpose is big. Our impact is huge. And we know that every single one of us has the power, through our actions, to positively change society and the environment for good.

It’s why careers with us have real meaning. Because, if you’re driven and ambitious, we can offer you huge opportunities for personal growth, professional development and constant innovation. Forever evolving. Forever focused on doing the right thing, we empower and encourage everyone to play to their strengths and to help us shape a fair and positive future for all.

We believe in Water for Life. If you do too, Dive Right In. Our customers are at the heart of everything we do, because delivering water for life is our core purpose. To achieve this, we need 24/7 support in place to resolve incidents quickly and efficiently. All our employees understand the importance of out-of-hours incident support – because when problems appear, fixing them is our top priority.

That’s why our people join together and support when and however needed to make sure our customers get the service they deserve. Joining the Southern Water family means you’ll become part of our incident support team. During your interview, your manager will speak to you

about:

any incident support rotas that apply to your position. Does this

opportunity:

excite you but you’re not 100% sure if you meet all the

requirements:

for the role? Or are you concerned that ‘normal’ office hours aren’t possible given your personal circumstances? Whilst we can’t accommodate every flexible working request, we’ll try to find a practical solution. So why not engage with us and find out more

about:

this role?