Help us achieve our vision that fewer people die by suicide.
We’re looking for a Senior Media and Communications Lead to deliver and manage our rail suicide prevention campaigns.
In this role you’ll take the lead in managing Samaritans’ communications and media activity relating to rail suicide prevention. You will manage the delivery of our important Small Talk Saves Lives campaign and other targeted awareness campaigns. You’ll also lead on media relations for our rail programme, identifying opportunities to ensure Samaritans’ is visible in relevant media stories.
You will represent Samaritans’ Rail programme at a national level, working with key rail industry stakeholders and programme funders. You’ll also work alongside colleagues across Samaritans, including regional rail colleagues and those within the wider media team.
If you’re a great communicator, with experience of leading campaigns and media activity, we’d love to hear from you.
Contract terms:
- £41,000 - £43,000 per annum, plus benefits
- Permanent
- 35 hours per week (full-time)
- We are passionate about flexible working, talk to us about your preferences
- Hybrid, linked to our Ewell (Surrey) office
- We value meeting in person and working collaboratively. We work in person around 2 days or more per month
- 28 days annual leave, plus bank holidays
What you'll be doing:
- Lead on media work for the rail programme across national, regional and local channels
- Lead the delivery of the rail industry suicide prevention plan communications plan
- Manage and deliver the annual Small Talk Saves Lives campaign and any other targeted campaigns
- Research and highlight positive news stories and features, drawing on lived experience
- Identify and secure opportunities to promote help-seeking through the media
- Draft media statements, briefings, press releases and other copy
- Provide expert advice to rail industry stakeholders on media messaging
What you’ll bring:
- Proven experience of leading media activity and securing coverage in media outlets
- Experience developing and implementing communication plans
- Experience managing complex, multi-channel campaigns
- Strong stakeholder engagement skills within a high-profile partnership structure
- A great understanding of UK media, across digital and offline channels
- Great writing, editing and proofreading skills
- An understanding of the rail industry is desirable
For full details, please see the Job Description and Person Specification
Why Samaritans?
At Samaritans, you’ll join a values-led organisation with a powerful mission. You’ll be part of a collaborative and supportive team where your voice matters, your expertise makes a difference, and your work helps save lives.
We offer flexible hybrid working, great benefits, and the chance to make a tangible difference in suicide prevention across the UK and Ireland. To find out more about Samaritans, please read our recruitment brochure.
We are committed to building a diverse and inclusive organisation that reflects the people we support and who support us. We welcome applications from people of all backgrounds and walks of life. We are committed to creating an inclusive culture where everyone feels seen, heard and supported, at all levels of the organisation.
Apply now
If this sounds like the opportunity for you, we’d love for you to apply. You will be asked to answer some short application questions and to upload your CV. If you require adjustments at any stage of the recruitment process, please let us know.
Applications close: 09:00am on Wednesday 26th August 2026
Interviews: w/c 31st August
At Samaritans, human connection is at the heart of everything we do.
We do not use AI at any stage during the selection process. Your application will always be carefully reviewed by the recruiting manager or a member of the Talent Attraction Team.
We kindly ask that you avoid using AI tools to generate your application or interview answers. We want to hear your own ideas, insights, and writing style so your unique strengths can shine through. We recognise that some candidates may use assistive technology or tools to help with accessibility, structure or grammar.
Registered Charity
101 - 500
We prevent suicide through the power of human connection. Connecting people in crisis with trained volunteers who will always listen.
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.
Thank you!
About the role
Breast Cancer Now is building its AI capability, and this role will help shape how we deliver it. Reporting to our Senior Lead, AI, you'll help lead the delivery of AI projects and change across the charity, taking work that has been scoped and prioritised and driving it through to completion.
You'll be the single point of coordination for AI delivery: owning plans, budgets, governance and reporting, coordinating suppliers and stakeholders, and making sure new tools land safely and are genuinely adopted. It's a hands-on role with real breadth, spanning project delivery, business analysis and support for the responsible, well-governed use of AI. And it's all in service of our vision: that by 2050, everyone with breast cancer will live and live well.
About you
You're an experienced delivery or project professional who can own delivery end to end, on time and within budget and across multiple stakeholders. You're confident with planning, budgeting and project governance, and you can flex into hands-on business analysis, defining requirements and mapping processes, when a project needs it.
You build strong relationships and communicate clearly with technical and non-technical colleagues alike. You're well organised, meticulous about accurate work, and experienced in coordinating suppliers. Experience of driving adoption and embedding new tools and ways of working would set you up well, and any exposure to digital, data or AI projects, or to a charity environment, is a bonus.
Job description and benefits
The job description and our attractive benefits are available for you to download.
Primary location of role and hybrid working
This role is primarily based in our London office. Our hybrid working model allows you to work up to 3 days per week at home.
The salary range is:
£45,000 to £50,000 per annum if London based
When applying
We hope you choose to apply for this role. To support your application, you’ll be asked to submit your anonymised CV and a supporting statement. Please refer to the essential criteria on the person specification and clearly provide as much information as you can with examples, to demonstrate how and where you meet the criteria.
Our commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion
We’re committed to promoting equity, valuing diversity and creating an inclusive environment – for everyone who works for us, works with us, supports us and who
we support.
We reserve the right to close this advert early. Therefore, to avoid disappointment please submit your application as soon as possible, if you’re interested in this opportunity.
Closing date 24 August 2026 11:59 pm
Interview date 2 and 3 September 2026
