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Senior Press Officer (SIO)

Employer
Home Office
Location
London
Salary
£42,709 - £48,984
Closing date
1 Mar 2019

View more

Contract Type
Permanent
Hours
Full Time
Seniority
Senior Executive
Sector
Central Government

Post: Senior Press Officer (SIO)

Salary: £42,709 - £48,984

Closing date: 1 March 2019

Location: London


Role Context:

We are seeking talented senior press officers with the flair and enthusiasm to lead a team in one of Whitehall’s most high-profile departments.

The Home Office is never far from the headlines – with our work to keep the UK safe covering everything from counter-terrorism, to securing the border and combatting domestic abuse.

As a senior press officer you will bring fresh thinking to communicating some of the most important issues facing Britain today to achieve our aims of cutting crime, preventing terrorism and making sure the immigration system is fair, controlled and works in the interests of the UK. All issues that feature high on the list of public concerns.

Our press office has the buzz of a busy newsroom, handling dozens of media calls a day while developing proactive and creative opportunities to promote the varied work of the department.

Besides the rewarding nature of the job itself, a competitive salary and a Civil Service pension, you'll also benefit from excellent career opportunities and our commitment to nurturing and developing talent.

 

Job description/purpose of the role:

As a senior press officer you will manage a team of press officers working at pace to design and deliver high-profile and creative media campaigns.

You will have the talent and flair to lead one of our busy press desks, covering anything from a specialist policy area like policing, to features and consumer media, or the Newsdesk - the heart of our operation.

You will shape the media strategy for your desk, using your proven communications expertise to advise Ministers, plan targeted media campaigns, and create innovative content.

You will manage and develop the team on your desk as well as contributing to the leadership of a busy press office handling issues at the forefront of the news agenda.

Responsibilities

You will:

  • Work closely with ministers and senior policy advisors to design media strategies that support the department’s priorities.
  • Develop and deliver proactive and imaginative media campaigns.
  • Respond flexibly to reactive media queries and major breaking news stories.
  • Use your excellent judgement to become a trusted adviser to ministers and senior policy colleagues.
  • Manage a team of press officers, setting priorities and managing workflows.
  • Provide leadership and guidance to colleagues, supporting their day-to-day work and helping them to develop over time.
  • Use a full range of insight and evaluation tools to target communications and assess their impact, using the information to continuously improve.
  • Take part in the press office out of hours duty rota.

 

 

Essential skills and experience:

  • Proven track record in a fast-paced news or press office environment.
  • Strong news sense.
  • Ability to cultivate strong relationships with journalists.
  • Experience leading and inspiring a team.
  • Excellent management and organisational skills.
  • Confidence and credibility to become a trusted adviser to Ministers and senior policy colleagues.
  • Flexible approach and the ability to stay calm while responding to fast-paced breaking news stories.
  • Strong understanding of media trends and both traditional and digital media channels.
  • Ability to plan targeted and innovative media strategies and campaigns.
  • Understanding of insight and evaluation tools.

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