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PR Senior Executive

Employer
Viking Cruises
Location
Wimbledon/Putney
Salary
Competitive
Closing date
22 Nov 2019

View more

Contract Type
Permanent
Hours
Full Time
Discipline
Press / Media Relations
Seniority
Senior Executive, Executive
Sector
Travel and Tourism

Job Details

Viking has an opportunity for a passionate, self-driven and dynamic professional to join its in-house PR team. 

Viking offers culturally enriching, destination-focused river and ocean cruises for travellers curious about the world, its rich culture and varied history.

Viking UK’s PR team

Looking after the UK market, one of the top producing markets for Viking worldwide, Viking’s PR team is responsible for protecting and enhancing the brand’s reputation, building mutually beneficial relationships with key stakeholders to support business objectives, to highlight Viking’s USPs and brand heritage by promoting brand attributes and to help Viking win awards.

The core function of the team is to manage the press office for the UK market and to implement proactive PR campaigns as well as crisis communications and issues management.

Person Specification:

  • Education to relevant degree level or by experience.
  • An executive with strong experience looking to develop their career or a senior account executive from a PR agency looking to move in-house – around three years’ experience would be ideal.
  • Experience of developing and implementing PR plans, organising media events and arranging press trips.
  • Experience dealing directly with media and working in a busy environment – the ability to juggle deadlines is essential.
  • Written skills essential – must be to copy writing standard.
  • Some skills in proof-reading.
  • Attention to detail is critical.
  • Experience in the cruise industry is not essential – experience in the travel sector is desirable. 
  • Passion and desire to learn.
  • Interest and knowledge of travel/cruises/cruise industry.
  • Enthusiastic, upbeat, self-motivated, passion for the company.
  • Pragmatic and commercially minded.
  • Hands-on and team oriented.

Main responsibilities:

Including but not limited to:

  • Developing Viking’s Annual  and Quarterly PR Plans with Head of PR (to include one overarching theme plus 4 quarterly creative campaigns)
  • Executing quarterly PR plans for Ocean and River products, e.g. creating brief, liaising with Basel Operations to identify crew member/ship/topic, etc.
  • Managing PR support for trade shows and consumer events, including input into brand activation, coordinating media meetings and co-hosting events
  • Drafting media materials including releases, Q&As, keep media kit up-to-date and developing  new factsheets for river and ocean products
  • Attending media meetings (4 per month) – with Head of PR and independently
  • Managing ad-hoc and special projects, e.g. Guinness World Record attempt for Ultimate World Cruise/launch of Expedition cruising
  • Managing the Viking UK Press Office – ensuring all enquiries are handled in a timely manner and to maintain Viking’s reputation for having an efficient and exceptionally helpful press office
  • Support the PR assistant in developing and maintaining knowledge banks, story libraries, archiving quotes etc​

Hours:

  • 37.5 hour per week, Monday to Friday 9 to 5.30 pm 
  • Evening events on a regular basis
  • Occasionally some weekends to cover events and press trips 
  • 20 days holiday per annum plus 8 paid bank holidays
  • Salary sacrifice scheme 
  • Contributory pensions scheme
  • Private health insurance (Vitality) –  Vitality gives access to many discounts relating to health and leisure, e.g. discount on Champneys Spa breaks, discounts on bicycles, fitness equipment, health screening, etc.

Non-contractual benefits include:

  • Newly refurbished offices in Wimbledon Parkside.
  • Cakes on your birthday
  • Present on the anniversary of joining each year.
  • Potential to travel – escorting press trips and to events.
  • Opportunity to attend events sponsored by Viking.
  • Training and development opportunities.
  • Social events.
  • Friends and family rates on selected cruises.

Company

Viking Cruises offers both river cruises and ocean cruises through two product lines. A global corporation headquartered in the United States with main operational headquarters in Basel, Switzerland, the company was established in 1997 by a Scandinavian and Dutch consortium led by Torstein Hagen.

Initially the company purchased four Russian ships and provided a Russian river-cruise product to Europeans. The following year the company purchased additional ships and continued to cater to the European market. In 2000, the company expanded into the American market, establishing U.S. headquarters as Viking River Cruises in Los Angeles, California.

Through rapid expansion, the purchase of KD River Cruise lines, and unprecedented new builds, the river cruise division grew to be the world’s largest river cruise, and currently offers cruises along the rivers of Europe, Russia, Ukraine, China, Southeast Asia, and Egypt. In May of 2013, Viking Cruises announced the launch of a new small-ship ocean cruising division, which began with the maiden season of Viking Star in spring of 2015, and features Baltic and Mediterranean itineraries.

Viking are the most award-winning river cruise line: last year, the public voted Viking as ‘Best River Cruise Line’ at the prestigious British Travel Awards for the fifth year in a row. Cruise Critic UK Editor’s Picks also named Viking as ‘Best River Cruise Line’. And we are thrilled to be honoured by titles such as Food and Travel. With the recent announcement of our new ocean division, we are now Viking Cruises, and as our maiden ocean voyages begun in Spring 2015, we look forward to setting yet more industry standards

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