Media Officer

We’re Hiring: Media Officer (6-Month Contract)

Hours: Full-time (37.5 hours/week)
Duration: This is a parental leave cover (contract from October 2025 – March 2026)
Location: Ottawa or Toronto (Hybrid/Remote)
Salary: $79,235.58 per annum
Union: Unifor Local 567
Travel: Travel may occasionally be required as part of the position
Deadline: Applications are accepted until 5pm ET October 2, 2025

Amnesty International Canada (English-Speaking Section) is seeking a Media Officer to join our Communications and Public Engagement team for a six-month contract to replace a parental leave. In this role, you’ll help shape national conversations around human rights by amplifying the voices of rights-holders, generating positive media coverage, and helping build public support for urgent human rights campaigns such as migrant and refugee rights, crisis response, Indigenous rights, and racial and gender justice.

This is a unique opportunity for a strategic and creative communicator who thrives in a fast-paced, collaborative environment and is passionate about media relations, advocacy, and human rights storytelling.

Throughout their work, all Amnesty employees must contribute to gender equity, integrate with youth, and address the broader goals of diversity, equity, inclusion, and anti-oppression.

What You’ll Do

• Serves as a primary contact for media campaigns and media requests and responds promptly to all media requests, arranging for interviews with appropriate staff
• Proactively pitches and produces press releases, media advisories, lines of response, op-eds, letters to the editor and other written material for media and communications work and ensuring high media uptake
• Collaborates with colleagues to develop media plans and strategies in support of campaigns and broader communications goals and promotional strategies (e.g. Write for Rights), develops and implements analytic measurement and evaluation tools to monitor and report on media and coverage to demonstrate organizational impact and alignment with strategic priorities
• Develops contacts and builds relationships with national and international and specialty journalists, media practitioners, bloggers and social media influencers to strengthen the reach and impact of Amnesty’s message
• Works closely with the Secretary General, the Director of Policy, Advocacy, Research and Campaigns, and the Manager of Communications and Public Engagement to ensure strong reactive and proactive coverage of Amnesty’s issues in domestic media
• Collaborates closely with Amnesty communications workers, campaigners, researchers and senior spokespeople across the global movement
• Assesses and leads the development of messages and mediums for external stakeholders including press conferences and other media events
• Provides ongoing media training and coaching to other staff and volunteers proactively and as requested

What We're Looking For in a Candidate

Education

• Bachelor’s degree or Master’s in journalism, media relations, public relations, strategic communications or a related field

Experience

• Minimum 7-9 years experience required in media or strategic communications, ideally in an NGO, advocacy, or newsroom setting
• Journalism experience is an asset.

Knowledge/Skills

• Demonstrated experience taking initiative, pitching stories, and landing national and international media coverage is required.
• Experience working with new media — including influencers, prominent websites, online apps, YouTube, social media sites like Facebook and LinkedIn, blogs, and podcasts — is an asset.
• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills in English, demonstrated ability to tactfully and strategically advise, advocate, and synthetize complex issues clearly and concisely
• Exceptional writing, editing and proofreading skills obtained through at least 5 years of experience working in journalism, media and communications
• Significant knowledge and understanding of communications strategies, tools and platforms and their potential to support organizational goals
• Strong grasp of current affairs and the changing media landscape in Canada and internationally
• Professional experience working with media relations tools such as Meltwater, Cision, or equivalent
• Excellent project management skills
• Ability to analyse complex online statistics and deliver clear reporting
• Interest in and understanding of human rights in Canada and globally
• Passion for Amnesty International’s mission in the protection and promotion of human rights
• A demonstrated ability to work with diverse groups and expertise in applying decolonial, feminist, anti-racism, anti-oppression, diversity, equity, and inclusion principles using an intersectional lens
• Proven skills in problem solving, collaboration, consultation and negotiation with staff at all levels or an organization as well as discretion in managing sensitive matters

Additional Training, Certifications, or Licensing

• Accreditation in Public Relations (APR) credential is an asset.
• Professional fluency in French is an asset.

Why Work For Amnesty International Canada?

About Us

Amnesty International is a movement of 10 million ordinary people in more than 150 countries who come together to achieve extraordinary results in defending and promoting human rights. We get discriminatory laws changed and prisoners of conscience released. We’ve helped stop torture, commute death sentences and worked to end violence against women. We are in solidarity with Indigenous peoples demanding that their rights be respected.

Our Commitment To Anti-Racism, Anti-Oppression, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (ARAO-DEI)

Amnesty International Canada is committed to employment equity, actively seeks diversity in the workplace, and welcomes and encourages applications from members of equity seeking groups including women, transgender, non-binary, and LGBTI individuals; First Nations, Metis, and Inuit individuals, persons with disabilities, and members of racialized and marginalized groups. We believe our work is stronger when it benefits from the experience, knowledge and wisdom of people who have faced systemic barriers, and encourage applications from qualified candidates who have lived experience as a member of historically underrepresented communities.

AIC values qualified diverse candidates who bring skills that contribute to our anti-racist and anti-oppression transformational journey. At AIC, employees are expected to contribute to an inclusive environment and bring the knowledge, experience, and ability to incorporate anti-racism, anti-oppression, intersectionality, gender mainstreaming, inclusion, and accessibility practices to external and internal work and to all interpersonal interactions. Click to learn more about our Equity Journey.

What We Offer

At Amnesty International Canada, we are passionate about what we do, and we are proud of our achievements as a movement. To compensate our employees for the critical work they undertake, we reward them with an attractive, sector competitive salary and benefits package plus the opportunity to develop professionally.

If you're a confident communicator and a passionate advocate for justice, we want to hear from you.

APPLICATION PROCESS

Together with your resume, please forward a 1-page cover letter (250 words maximum) that includes your responses to the following questions:

1. How do you relate to Amnesty International Canada’s mission?

2. How would your skills and experiences (personal and professional) translate into success in the Media Officer role?

3. What does a commitment to ARAO and DEI mean or look like to you?

Applications must be submitted electronically through out Work With Us careers page.

We thank everyone for their expression of interest-and truly appreciative of the time individuals put into applying-but with the limitation of time only those selected for an interview will be contacted. Amnesty International Canada is committed to providing an inclusive and barrier free experience to applicants with accessibility needs. Requests for accommodation can be made at any stage during the recruitment process

Let’s create a future where human rights are a reality for all.
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