About the Media, Entertainment & Arts Alliance

The Media Entertainment & Arts Alliance is the union and leading advocate for workers in the creative and media sectors. It represents performers, journalists and all other workers in the creative and media industries and has over 15,000 members.

Building on our proud history we aim to empower the people who inform and entertain Australia through:

• Protecting and advancing our rights at work: Improving our members income and conditions, providing timely and expert advice to members, enforcing members rights at work and promoting safe and respectful workplaces.
• Building Power: Recruiting and growing leaders, activists and supporters, ensuring best practice governance and accountability, continued staff development and building strategic alliances.
• Building Community: Utilising communications to engage and activate, remaining relevant throughout members lives, reaching out to new areas and being the creative hub.
• Shaping our Industries: Being the respected and authoritative voice across all of our industries, influencing policy, mobilising our membership and broadening our sphere of influence.

Our Members

Our members include people working in television, radio, theatre and film, entertainment venues and recreation grounds, as journalists, actors, dancers, sportspeople, cartoonists and photographers, orchestral and opera performers, as well as people working in public relations, advertising, book publishing and website production.

Our Locations and Staffing

The MEAA national office is in Redfern in Sydney.

There are branch offices located in Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide, and Perth.

Communications Manager, Melbourne

Do you believe that a thriving cultural sector matters to a strong civil society? Are you passionate about equality at work? Do you want workers in the media and creative industries to have good jobs with fair pay where their work is respected?

Apply to work for MEAA. Reporting to the Chief Growth & Marketing Officer, the Communications Manager leads MEAA’s internal and external communications strategy to advance our mission, strengthen member engagement, and protect and enhance MEAA’s reputation. This role crafts compelling narratives across internal and external channels; ensures consistent messaging; and partners with stakeholders across the union, industry, and media to drive outcomes aligned to our strategic priorities.

Key accountabilities:

Strategy & Planning 

• Develop and execute an annual, integrated communications plan aligned to MEAA’s strategic priorities, campaigns, and membership growth goals.
• Define internal and external PR channel strategies with clear KPIs and measurement frameworks.
• Maintain MEAA’s brand voice, messaging architecture, and style guidelines to ensure consistency across all touchpoints.

External Communications & Media Relations 

• Lead proactive media outreach: build relationships with journalists, editors, and producers; pitch stories; and secure coverage that advances MEAA’s advocacy and campaigns.
• Draft, edit, and manage approvals for press releases, media statements, op-eds, and briefing notes; prep spokespeople with key messages and talking points.
• Support on issues and crisis communications: risk assessment, rapid response and community management protocols, and post-incident reviews.
• Align with partner organisations and sponsors on joint announcements and co-branded content.
• Manage online community engagement: monitor comments and messages across social platforms, respond to member queries, and foster positive, respectful dialogue. 

Internal Communications 

• Partner with the senior leadership team to deliver clear, timely internal communications that inform, align, and motivate team members.
• Produce internal notes, town-hall packs, and executive updates; support change communications and major announcements.
• Maintain internal channels (eg: intranet) and measure reach and effectiveness of activity on team engagement. 

Campaigns & Events 

• Plan and deliver integrated comms plans for MEAA campaigns, engaging stakeholders and the broader team to develop and deliver comms activity in line with the agreed plan. 

Stakeholder & Member Engagement 

• Build trusted relationships with stakeholders to source stories and amplify member voices in media and internal channels. 

Measurement & Reporting 

• Set clear KPIs; track performance across media coverage, engagement, sentiment, and conversion metrics.
• Contribute to the Marketing & Comms monthly performance report with insights and recommendations for continuous improvement.
• Maintain a news/issue log and media contacts database.

Objectives of the Role 

1. Reputation & Advocacy:
   Elevate MEAA’s public profile and advocacy leadership by increasing high-quality media coverage and share of voice in key policy and industry conversations.
2. Member Engagement:
   Strengthen member connection through clear, consistent communications—demonstrated by improved open/click rates, event participation, and positive sentiment.
3. Message Discipline:
   Establish a unified messaging framework and asset toolkit used across MEAA, reducing fragmentation and improving speed-to-publish.
4. Crisis Readiness:
   Implement a robust issues management and crisis communications playbook, including training and simulations for executives and spokespeople.
5. Digital Excellence:
   Optimise web and social channels for accessibility, reach, and engagement; pilot data-informed content formats and measure ROI.
6. Campaign Impact:
   Deliver integrated campaigns that measurably support membership growth and retention, with clear contribution to pipeline metrics.
7. Capability Building:
   Upskill staff and member leaders in communications best practice (media training, plain language, social storytelling), fostering a culture of effective communication.

Qualifications & Experience 

• 6–8+ years in marketing/communications roles, with proven media relations and comms experience.
• Experience in unions, member-based organisations, arts/media, or public interest advocacy is highly regarded.
• Demonstrated success in issues/crisis communications and stakeholder management.
• Strong copywriting and editing skills.
• Familiarity with analytics dashboards (eg: media monitoring) and translating insights into action. 

Skills & Attributes 

• Strategic thinker with strong planning and prioritisation skills.
• Clear, persuasive communicator and skilled storyteller.
• Relationship builder with high EQ; able to collaborate across diverse teams.
• Calm under pressure; sound judgement and confidentiality.
• Inclusive mindset and commitment to MEAA’s values. 

Key Relationships 

• Internal: Chief Growth & Marketing Officer; CEO; Policy; Section Directors; Campaigns.
• External: Journalists and media outlets; partners; event organisers; agencies and vendors. 

Performance Indicators (Illustrative)

• Media coverage quality and share of voice in priority topics.
• Member engagement metrics (email open/click, event RSVPs, social interactions).
• Timeliness and consistency of internal communications.
• Campaign outcomes linked to membership growth/retention.
• Crisis preparedness and post-incident evaluations.
• Website and social performance (reach, engagement, accessibility compliance).

Details

The position is available on a full-time permanent basis with a competitive package dependent on skills and experience. Benefits include 13% employer contribution to superannuation, 5 weeks annual leave each year, 1 RDO every 4 weeks, plus an additional 3 days leave between Christmas and New Year. Salary sacrificing is available.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are encouraged to apply.

Applications close on Friday 8 May 2026. Please forward your CV and covering letter marked attention to Stella Ward at  jobs@meaa.org