Head of Global Media and Public Relations

The Organisation

Plan International is an independent development and humanitarian organisation that advances children’s rights and equality for girls. We believe in the power and potential of every child but know this is often suppressed by poverty, violence, exclusion and discrimination. And it is girls who are most affected.

Working together with children, young people, supporters and partners, we strive for a just world, tackling the root causes of the challenges girls and vulnerable children face. We support children’s rights from birth until they reach adulthood and we enable children to prepare for and respond to crises and adversity. We drive changes in practice and policy at local, national and global levels using our reach, experience and knowledge.

For over 85 years, we have rallied other determined optimists to transform the lives of all children in more than 80 countries.

We won’t stop until we are all equal.

The Opportunity

This role leads Plan International’s global media engagement and public positioning at a pivotal moment for the organisation and the wider sector. It sits at the heart of how we shape our external voice—driving visibility, influence and credibility on some of the most pressing issues affecting girls’ rights and humanitarian response worldwide.

As the organisation’s senior global media specialist, the post holder sets the strategic direction for global media engagement, ensuring a clear, consistent and compelling narrative across diverse markets and audiences. This includes identifying opportunities to elevate Plan International’s voice in global conversations, while navigating complex and often high-risk operating environments.

The role plays a critical part in protecting and strengthening the organisation’s reputation. It leads the global approach to crisis and issues communications, working at pace and with sound judgement to manage risk, guide leadership decision-making, and coordinate responses across the organisation. The post holder is a trusted advisor to senior leadership and the Leadership Team, providing insight, analysis and direction on sensitive and high-profile issues.

Operating across a decentralised organisation, the role builds strong, collaborative relationships with communications teams worldwide, connecting global priorities with local expertise to deliver greater collective impact. It leads the media dimension of major humanitarian responses, ensuring timely, coordinated and high-quality communications during emergencies.

With responsibility for a small team and specialist resources, the role combines strategic leadership with hands-on delivery, bringing a proactive, solutions-focused approach to a fast-moving and complex global environment.

The post holder provides expert external engagement analysis and advice across multiple functions: humanitarian, policy, advocacy, campaigns, programmes, research and knowledge management, sponsorship, government relations and global partnerships.

The role has four direct line reports. From time to time the post holder is also responsible for managing external consultants when needed and has budget responsibility.

The role is vital in fostering collaborative content gathering remotely therefore an ability to build relationships around the world to this end is important, as well as a creative can-do approach to the challenge this gives the organisation.

Accountabilities

Global media strategy and influence

• Lead and deliver a global media strategy that strengthens Plan International’s visibility, credibility and influence on girls’ rights and humanitarian issues
• Identify and secure high-impact media opportunities that advance organisational priorities and shape public and policy conversations
• Provide strategic communications leadership across advocacy, campaigns, research, partnerships and programmes to maximise external impact
• Continue to develop and maintain network with international media, and counterparts working within operational partners for public relations

Reputation management and crisis leadership

• Lead the organisation’s global approach to reputation risk, issues management and crisis communications across diverse and high-risk contexts
• Advise the Leadership Team on high-profile, sensitive and complex issues, providing clear, timely and actionable guidance
• Strengthen systems, protocols and decision-making mechanisms to ensure an effective, coordinated response to reputational risk across the federation

Humanitarian communications

• Lead and coordinate global media engagement during major emergencies and humanitarian responses to aid fundraising appeals.
• Deliver a plan and direction for media communications in emergencies of interest to global media, including messaging, media positioning, team deployment and real-time response
• Position Plan International as a credible and visible humanitarian actor in global media, and enable fundraising offices to do the same, in real time.

Organisational media leadership and coordination

• Drive strong, aligned media engagement across the organisation
• Build trusted relationships with media teams globally to enable coordinated and high-impact external engagement
• Provide expert guidance, advice and support to teams worldwide to strengthen consistency, quality and effectiveness

Insight, analysis and executive advisory

• Monitor and interpret global trends, media narratives and external risks to inform organisational positioning and decision-making
• Translate complex external dynamics into clear advice and information for senior stakeholders, such as issues impacting the sector being covered by media
• Act as a trusted partner to leadership on external positioning, risk and opportunity

Capability building and standards

• Develop and embed global standards, guidance and best practice for media engagement, crisis communications and reputation management
• Strengthen organisational capability through training, coaching and deployment of specialist resources
• Ensure safeguarding, gender equality and inclusion principles are fully integrated across all media and communications approaches
• With others in GH, lead on developing good practice and building capacities and capabilities for media relations in Cos

Leadership and team management

• Lead and develop a high-performing global media team, fostering collaboration, accountability and continuous improvement
• Occasionally manage external partners and specialist consultants generally in countries Plan works in to deliver against strategic priorities
• Oversee team planning and budget to ensure effective use of resources

About You

• Significant experience leading global media relations, securing coverage across international and mass media
• Proven ability to design and deliver integrated global communications strategies
• Experience working across diverse and high-risk contexts, particularly in Asia, Africa and Latin America
• Strong track record in crisis communications, including major emergencies and field deployment
• Expertise in reputation risk management within complex, global organisations
• Experience advising senior leaders on high-profile, sensitive issues
• Strong analytical and strategic thinking skills, with the ability to shape influence and positioning
• Proven experience in international and multicultural environments
• Solid understanding of the international development sector, including gender equality and human rights systems
• Experience developing global communications plans, policies and best practice
• Knowledge of safeguarding in humanitarian and development communications
• Strong project management and prioritisation skills in fast-paced environments
• Proven team leadership, coaching and capability-building experience
• Excellent stakeholder engagement, communication and influencing skills
• Strong collaboration skills across global, matrixed organisations
• Effective negotiator and problem solver
• Background in journalism, media or communications (international development exposure desirable)
• Fluent in English; additional languages an advantage

Location: The location of this role can be flexible where Plan International has an office* that can employ on behalf of the Global Hub and you have the pre-existing right to work and live. Working hours that align with the UTC timezone are preferred. 

Type of Role:  Permanent or maximum fixed term contract as per employing office’s standard terms and conditions.

Reports to: Director of External Communications

Closing Date: Sunday 12th July

*Applicable locations include: Australia, Bangladesh, Belgium, Benin, Brazil, Burkina Faso, Cambodia, Cameroon, Canada, Central African Republic, China, Colombia, Denmark, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Ethiopia, Finland, Ghana, Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Haiti, Honduras, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Ireland, Japan, Jordan, Kenya, Korea, Laos, Lebanon, Liberia, Malawi, Mali, Moldova, Mozambique, Myanmar, Nepal, Niger, Nigeria, Norway, Paraguay, Peru, Poland, Philippines, Rwanda, Senegal, Sierra Leone, South Sudan, Sudan, Sweden, Switzerland, Tanzania, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Togo, Uganda, Ukraine, United Kingdom, United States, Vietnam, Zambia, Zimbabwe

Equality, diversity and inclusion is at the very heart of everything that Plan International stands for.

We want Plan International to reflect the diversity of the communities we work with, offering equal opportunities to everyone regardless of age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex or sexual orientation.

Plan International is based on a culture of inclusivity and we strive to create a workplace environment that ensures every team, in every office, in every country, is rich in diverse people, thoughts, and ideas.

We foster an organisational culture that embraces our commitment to racial justice, gender equality, girls’ rights and inclusion.

Plan International believes that in a world where children face so many threats of harm, it is our duty to ensure that we, as an organisation, do everything we can to keep children safe. This means that we have particular responsibilities to children that we come into contact with and we must not contribute in any way to harming or placing children at risk.

A range of pre-employment checks will be undertaken in conformity with Plan International's Safeguarding Children and Young People policy. Plan International also participates in the Inter Agency Misconduct Disclosure Scheme. In line with this scheme we will request information from applicants previous employers about any findings of sexual exploitation, sexual abuse and/or sexual harassment during employment, or incidents under investigation when the applicant left employment. By submitting an application, the job applicant confirms their understanding of these recruitment procedures.

Please note that Plan International will never send unsolicited emails requesting payment from candidates.