We tell the nation’s stories. Come and shape your own.

About Us

PA Media Academy is part of PA Media, the UK’s national news agency, which provides 24/7 coverage to every major news outlet in the country. With more than 150 years of trusted journalism behind us, we sit at the heart of media reporting and storytelling across the UK and Ireland.

PA Media Academy builds on this heritage by delivering high-quality communications courses and workshops for working professionals, journalism diploma courses and training for apprentices in journalism, communications, digital media and related roles. We’re known for our practical, industry-focused approach and our commitment to developing talent at every stage of a media career.

It’s an exciting time to join us. The Academy has just moved into a new, bespoke training centre and office at 2 Redman Place in Stratford, East London, overlooking the Olympic Park. It’s a space designed around the future of the Academy and our ambitions to grow.

This is a hybrid role, with three days a week based in our Stratford office, alongside some travel to our Paddington office.

About the Role

We’re looking for a Professional Training Manager to lead and grow PA Media Academy’s professional training business which includes short courses for communications professionals (including content creators, press teams, PR/comms teams, marketing and more).

This is a role for someone who knows the media and communications industries inside out. You’ll understand the skills organisations need right now, as well as over the coming years as these industries adapt and change. You’ll have the credibility and network to turn that insight into high-quality, commercially successful training.

Working closely with our Business Development Manager and wider Academy team, you’ll identify opportunities, develop new courses and disciplines, build relationships with clients and partners and help grow existing accounts.

You’ll have real ownership of the professional training portfolio – combining industry expertise, commercial thinking and a passion for developing people.

This is a part-time opportunity, 30 hours per week. Ideally this would be Monday to Thursday but we are happy to discuss options. 

How you’ll contribute. 

• Lead the growth of our Professional Training business, helping us achieve revenue and margin targets
• Use your media and communications expertise, network and market insight to identify new training opportunities and partnerships
• Keep our training portfolio relevant, high-quality and responsive to changing industry needs
• Identify and introduce new courses and training disciplines
• Commission courses from internal experts and freelance tutors, providing clear briefs and support
• Build strong, lasting relationships with clients and identify opportunities to retain and grow existing accounts
• Work closely with our Business Development Manager to identify prospective clients and new business opportunities
• Partner with Marketing to showcase our professional training offer and strengthen the Academy’s profile
• Share your expertise through thought leadership, industry events, professional networks and content
• Collaborate across the Academy and wider PA to share knowledge, expertise and opportunities

About You.

You’ll bring significant experience from working in communications roles s, giving you the insight and credibility to understand what clients need and where the market is heading.

You’ll be commercially-minded and entrepreneurial and will care about quality of delivery and client satisfaction. You’ll enjoy building relationships, connecting people and turning identified skills needs and new ideas into training that makes a genuine difference.

We’re looking for someone who has:

• Significant experience working in a communications role, either in-house or agency-side
• Strong knowledge of, and contacts across, the media and communications industries
• A good understanding of the current and emerging skills needs within these sectors
• The confidence and credibility to pitch ideas and solutions to clients and prospects
• An entrepreneurial mindset and the ability to take ownership of and grow a business area
• A collaborative, proactive approach to developing both new and existing client relationships
• Excellent communication, organisation and project management skills
• The confidence to brief, commission and work effectively with internal experts and freelance tutors
• Strong Microsoft Office skills, especially Excel and PowerPoint

What We Offer.

• Competitive salary plus 10% annual bonus
• Hybrid working, with three days a week in our new Stratford training centre and office
• 25 days’ holiday plus bank holidays (pro-rata for a 30-hour per week contract)
• Holiday purchase scheme
• Annual Wellbeing Day and paid volunteering time
• Access to BUPA Health Cash Plan
• Life assurance at 4x salary

PA Media Academy is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of young people and vulnerable adults and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.

Safer recruitment practices and pre-employment checks will be undertaken before any appointment is confirmed. This post is subject to an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check and satisfactory references.

About us

The PA is a beacon of trust for news, content and data.

At the heart of our group is the Press Association, the UK and Ireland’s national news agency, trusted for its impartiality, accuracy and speed for more than 150 years. We bring these standards to everything we do, from news and sports data to content creation and communications.

We’re combining AI and emerging technology with the expertise, judgement and originality of our people; helping us work smarter, explore new ideas and create greater value for our customers.

Now, we’re beginning an exciting new chapter at West Village in Leeds city centre and looking for talented people to help shape what comes next.

The opportunity

We’re looking for an experienced and commercially minded Head of Procurement to lead and transform our Group procurement function.

Reporting directly to our CFO and leading a team of six, this is an opportunity to shape how Procurement partners with the business: moving beyond traditional, process-led procurement towards a proactive, commercially focused business-partnering model that influences decisions and creates measurable value.

You’ll develop our Group procurement strategy, strengthen the capability of the team and build trusted relationships with senior leaders across the organisation. Technology is a significant area of spend and transformation for The PA, so previous experience of technology procurement is essential, although your wider industry background is less important.

You’ll also be our Global Process Owner for Procure-to-Pay, with the scope to simplify processes, strengthen controls and make better use of SAP S/4HANA, automation and technology.

This is a broad and influential role with the opportunity to leave a lasting mark on Procurement at The PA.

What you’ll do

• Lead and develop our Procurement team, building its capability as a commercially focused and credible business partner.
• Develop and deliver a Group-wide procurement strategy aligned with our commercial and operational priorities.
• Partner with senior leaders and budget holders, providing commercial insight and constructively challenging requirements, spend and supplier decisions.
• Lead strategic procurement across key areas of spend, including technology, delivering sustainable savings, cost avoidance and working-capital improvements.
• Strengthen our approach to strategic sourcing, negotiation, supplier relationship management and contract management.
• Improve visibility and control of third-party spend, contractual commitments, supplier performance and commercial risk.
• Own the end-to-end global Procure-to-Pay process, driving simplification, automation, stronger controls and systems development.
• Build effective cross-functional relationships across Procurement, Finance, Technology and our operating businesses.
• Oversee our corporate insurance renewal and Group travel arrangements.

What you’ll bring

• Significant procurement and commercial leadership experience, ideally including leading Procurement Business Partners or developing a business-partnering model.
• A track record of transforming or evolving a procurement function to become more commercially focused, proactive and influential.
• Strong technology procurement experience, with the credibility to partner effectively with Technology leaders and navigate complex technology spend and supplier relationships.
• Evidence of delivering measurable commercial value through strategic sourcing, negotiation, supplier management and contract management.
• Strong commercial judgement and the confidence to challenge, influence and build trusted relationships with senior stakeholders.
• Experience leading and developing a high-performing procurement team.
• A strong understanding of end-to-end Procure-to-Pay and experience of improving people, processes and systems.
• CIPS qualification.
• Experience of SAP S/4HANA, workflow automation and electronic invoicing.

Experience as a Global Process Owner, supporting acquisitions or integrations, or managing corporate insurance would be an advantage. Your sector background is less important to us than your ability to transform Procurement, build strong business partnerships and bring credible technology procurement experience.

What we offer

• 25 days’ holiday plus public holidays, with a holiday purchase scheme.
• A yearly Wellbeing Day and eight hours of paid volunteering time.
• Pension, life assurance, Wellhub access, learning opportunities and a Bupa Health Cash Plan through salary sacrifice.
• A modern workplace at West Village in the heart of Leeds city centre, just a seven-minute walk from Leeds station.
• Rooftop terraces, collaborative spaces, a wellness studio, showers and extensive cycle storage.
• Exclusive discounts across Leeds, including offers on food and drink, fitness, entertainment and accommodation.

This is a hybrid role, minimum three days a week from our Leeds office, with travel to London Paddington as required.

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As a casual member of our editorial production team, you will leverage your passion for horse racing to produce industry leading close-up comments for publication to our global customer market.

Key Responsibilities

· Have an in-depth knowledge of UK and Irish Horse Racing / Betting Industry

· Ability to produce live in-running horse racing comments

· Ability to record and publish race/win times for NH racing

· Excellent level of written accuracy and ability to write with speed

· Well organised and comfortable working to deadlines

· Ability to work without guidance/is a self-starter, problem solve

** Please note, this role will be offered on a casual basis **

We want to make you are aware of shift requirements to ensure you can be confident that this role is suitable for you. Successful candidates will be required to work afternoons, evenings, weekends and Bank Holidays on a casual basis