Communications Officer

York

Job Summary
We recognise the challenges that people with protected characteristics may experience on the job market and in their career progression. We are fully committed to being an inclusive employer and ensuring equal opportunities. We are keen to make our workforce as diverse as possible, and we hope to attract applications from underrepresented groups, including ethnic minorities, people with a disability, and people with gender diverse identities.

Do you have experience of working in a communications role?

Are you enthusiastic and have a can-do approach?

If so, then we would love for you to apply!

Job Description
The role holder will support the day-to-day delivery of Active Travel England’s communications function, performing a range of key duties across internal communications, media relations and social media.

Active Travel England’s key aim is to make walking, wheeling and cycling a safe and attractive travel option for everyone. In order to achieve this, it is imperative that the agency works closely with government departments and agencies, local authorities, charities, developers, plus a range of private sector organisations. Active travel has a role to play in several government priority agendas including economic growth, levelling up, net zero and health. Effective communications and stakeholder management will be critical in achieving Active Travel England’s aims.

Working to the Senior Communications Manager, the role holder will be required to be a communications all-rounder, working effectively across a range of communications outputs. Acting as a first point of contact for media enquiries, the post holder will need excellent communications skills and will be required to take part in an on-call rota.

The role holder will work closely with the regional engagement team, the planning team and the inspections team to ensure that ATE’s reputation is enhanced and protected. The role holder will also have some interaction with the senior management team and the National Active Travel Commissioner.

The post holder may also be required to produce regular briefings and reports for Active Travel England’s senior team and more widely for the Department for Transport. There will also be a requirement to attend some media visits and conferences alongside senior colleagues.

Responsibilities
Key accountabilities of the role include:

1. Be a first point of contact for Active Travel England for media requests and enquiries, including being on-call outside working hours as part of a regular rota.
2. Deliver ATE’s internal communications strategy, including writing and producing a bi-monthly newsletter and organising team meetings.
3. Support with the delivery of social media outputs, including managing daily content on ATE’s LinkedIn, Instagram and X channels.
4. Support the development of content including working with videographers and briefing on locations and case studies.
5. Produce publications, such as guidance, annual reports and accounts. This will include effective writing and proofreading.

Person specification

• Excellent oral and written communication skills.
• Strong ability to collaborate with various stakeholders and work effectively as part of a multi-disciplinary team.
• Ability to work effectively with senior management.
• Excellent project management skills in planning and delivering communications plans and events to agreed timelines.
• Ability to manage competing priorities, working to tight deadlines.

Additional Information
A minimum 60% of your working time should be spent at your principal workplace, although requirements to attend other locations for official business, or carry out detached duty in another DfT workplace, will also count towards this level of attendance.
Occasional Travel To Other DfT Offices Will Be Required.
Behaviours
We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:

• Communicating and Influencing
• Working Together
• Delivering at Pace

Technical skills
We'll assess you against these technical skills during the selection process:

• Implementation - Communications Competency Framework

Alongside your salary of £34,233, Active Travel England contributes £9,917 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

Please note, the above example is based on the National minimum salary. The employer pension contribution will be 28.97% of your specific salary.

Being part of our brilliant Civil Service means you will have access to a wide range of fantastic benefits. We offer generous annual leave, attractive pension options, flexible working, inclusive working environments and much more to support a healthy work/life balance.

Find out more about what it's like working at the Department for Transport

How To Apply
As part of the application process, you will be asked to complete a CV and personal statement. Further details around what this will entail are listed on the application form.
Role
Please look at how your experience relates to the role, and within your CV and Personal Statement please provide detailed evidence of your experience of the following:

• Planning and delivering communications and stakeholder engagement plans.
• Evaluating communications and stakeholder engagement activity, collecting and analysing data.
• Working in a previous communications role.

Your personal statement will be limited to a maximum of 750 words.

The sift is due to take place from w/c 28th April 2025.

Interviews/assessments are likely to be held w/c 12th May 2025.

We will try to meet the dates set out in the advert. There may be occasions when these dates will change. You will be provided with sufficient notice of the confirmed dates.

The selection process will be designed specifically for the role. As a result, your assessment will include:

• An interview and a written exercise.

This interview could be conducted online via Teams or face to face at one of our offices. Further details will be provided to you should you be selected for interview.

You’re encouraged to become familiar with the role profile, as you may be assessed against any of the criteria recorded within.

Reasonable Adjustments
As a Disability Confident Leader employer, DfT is committed to ensuring that the recruitment process is fair, accessible and allows all candidates to perform at their best. If a person with a visible or non-visible disability is substantially disadvantaged, we have a duty to make reasonable changes to our processes.

Complete the “Assistance required” section in the “Additional requirements” page of your application form to tell us what changes or help you might need during the recruitment process. For instance, you may need wheelchair access at an interview, or if you’re deaf, a Language Service Professional.

If you need a reasonable adjustment so that you can complete your application, you should contact Government Recruitment Service via dftrecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk as soon as possible before the closing date to discuss your needs.

Document Accessibility
If you are experiencing accessibility problems with any attachments on this advert, please contact the email address in the 'Contact point for applicants' section.

Further Information
For more information about how we hire, and for useful tips on submitting your application for this role, visit the How We Hire page of our DfT Careers website.

Pre-employment Checking
Applicants who are successful at interview will be, as part of pre-employment screening, subject to a check on the Internal Fraud Database (IFD). This check will provide information about employees who have been dismissed for fraud or dishonesty offences. This check also applies to employees who resign or otherwise leave before being dismissed for fraud or dishonesty had their employment continued. Any applicant’s details held on the IFD will be refused employment.

A candidate is not eligible to apply for a role within the Civil Service if the application is made within a 5-year period following a dismissal for carrying out internal fraud against government.

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Nationality requirements
This Job Is Broadly Open To The Following Groups

• UK nationals
• nationals of the Republic of Ireland
• nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
• Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service

Contact point for applicants
Job Contact

• Name : Joe Sheppard
• Email : Joe.sheppard@activetravelengland.gov.uk

Recruitment team

• Email : DFTrecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk