EGU is seeking to appoint a Media and Communications Officer to work as part of our Communications Team mainly to engage with the media and to contribute to EGU’s external communications. Responsibilities include managing press releases, coordinating press participation and the press centre at the EGU General Assembly, and writing and managing the EGU blogs. The Media and Communications Officer will work under the direction of the Head of Communications, and the position will be based at the EGU Executive Office in Munich, Germany.

Main tasks

• Selecting, writing, and administrating EGU press releases
• Contributing to other EGU news and communication products, including news announcements and media advisories
• Coordinating press participation and the press centre at the EGU General Assembly in partnership with the Head of Communications; selecting and organising press conferences and producing event-related materials (e.g., press kits)
• Supporting external media requests and liaising between journalists, scientists, and EGU’s publisher, Copernicus
• Managing EGU’s official GeoLog blog, including writing, commissioning, and editing posts
• Managing and providing technical and editorial support to EGU’s division and network blogs.

Requirements

• Academic degree (e.g., MA, MSc, PhD), preferably in the geosciences, communication sciences or science journalism
• Expert command of English
• Experience working with (or as part of) the media and familiarity with the way they operate
• Professional experience with blogging and/or writing for a general science-interested audience
• Ability to understand and translate a range of complex scientific information into simple concepts and write about diverse scientific research in an engaging and accurate manner
• Excellent writing and editing skills
• Good team player with excellent interpersonal, organisational, and communication skills

Application materials

• Letter of motivation (1 page)
• CV (2 pages), including links to current or past online presence (web pages, articles, blogs, press releases, etc.)
• Two writing samples (each no more than 5 pages long) that demonstrate an ability to effectively communicate science to a wider audience (blog posts, magazine or newspaper articles, press releases, etc.) ideally included as links.

Please note that only complete applications, with all required materials in English, will be accepted. Shortlisted candidates will be asked to perform a writing task and to provide contact details of two referees.

Salary and starting date
This position, to start as soon as possible, will be subject to a 6-month probation period. We offer a competitive salary, and indicative remuneration will be in the range of €53,000 – €58,000 subject to expertise and experience. The successful candidate will be asked to move to Munich as soon as it’s feasible to do so.

Informal enquiries about this position can be made to the EGU Head of Communications, Hazel Gibson (communications@egu.eu). We are particularly interested in applications from people who are from under-represented communities in the sciences, please get in touch with Hazel if anything can be done to support such an application.

Applications should be addressed to Hazel Gibson and Philippe Courtial (EGU Executive Secretary) and be submitted by e-mail in a single PDF file to vacancy@egu.eu by the end of the day on 26 January 2023. Please include Media and Communications Officer in the subject line.

The European Geosciences Union (EGU) is the leading organisation for Earth, planetary, and space science research in Europe. With our partner organisations worldwide, we foster fundamental geoscience research, alongside applied research that addresses key societal and environmental challenges. As a non-profit organisation, our vision is to realise a sustainable and just future for humanity and for the planet. We currently publish 19 diverse open-access scientific journals and organise scientific meetings as well as education and outreach activities. The EGU General Assembly is the largest and most prominent European geosciences event, with more than 18,500 scientists joining us in 2023, both in Vienna and online, from all over the world.