News Planner

Government Recruitment Service; Leeds; On-site; GBP 30,000 - 40,000; Full time

Job summary

A UK Government Department is seeking a News Planner to coordinate high-impact media strategies and announcements. The role involves engaging with senior officials and advising on communications to align with government strategies. Candidates should have experience in media relations, organizational skills, and the ability to manage multiple priorities effectively. Benefits include generous annual leave, a significant pension contribution, and flexible working options.

Benefits

Employer pension contribution of 28.97%

25 days annual leave increasing with service

Flexible working options

Qualifications

• Experience in media relations or communication roles.
• Strong organizational skills to manage schedules and announcements.
• Ability to work collaboratively with high-profile stakeholders.

Responsibilities

• Maintain a four-week schedule and track government activities.
• Be the main contact with No10's planning team.
• Give strategic advice to advisors and ministers.
• Support planning for departmental announcements.
• Map major departmental campaigns and shape communication.

Skills

Strategic communication

Stakeholder engagement

Media strategy development

Public speaking

Job description

Would you thrive working in a fast-paced environment, where you get to play a pivotal and highly visible role, regularly meeting with No10 and the Secretary of State, and helping to shape the news agenda?

If so, we'd love to hear from you!

The Department for Transport's news planning team sits at the heart of the press office, working with colleagues across the department and beyond to coordinate high impact media strategies.

The team coordinates all the department's public announcements and media activities, managing dozens of announcements each week. We work with teams across DfT and beyond to ensure our communications land at the right time and with maximum impact.

As the department's main link with No10’s planning team, we attend weekly cross-government meetings where we pitch our most important stories and align with the government's overall communications strategy.

Our strategic approach means we don't just schedule announcements - we help shape them. We spot opportunities to amplify our messages, identify potential clashes before they happen, and advise ministers and senior officials on how to time announcements for greatest effect.

Joining our department comes with many benefits, including:

• Employer pension contribution of 28.97% of your salary. Read more about Civil Service Pensions here

• 25 days annual leave, increasing by 1 day each year of service (up to a maximum of 30 days annual leave), plus 8 bank holidays a privilege day for the King’s birthday

• Flexible working options where we encourage a great work-life balance.

Read more in the Benefits section below!

Find out more about what it's like working at Department for Transport Central - Department for Transport Careers

As a News Planner, you will report to a Senior News Planner. Your primary responsibilities will include:

• Maintaining a four-week schedule and longer-term forward look by attending weekly communications meetings with high profile stakeholders, tracking what's happening in Parliament, monitoring government activity, keeping an eye on upcoming statistics releases, and watching for potential issues on the horizon.
• Being the main contact with No10's planning team, representing the department at weekly meetings at No10, making sure our announcements are reflected and prominent within wider Government plans.
• Giving strategic advice to Special Advisors, Ministers and teams across the department to ensure our public communications work well together and achieve what we want them to.
• Working with colleagues across the department and our arm’s-length bodies to improve their planning, supporting them to provide accurate, detailed information about their plans, making sure the department stays on track to deliver on the Secretary of State’s priorities.
• Support longer-term planning, mapping major departmental announcements and campaigns and providing strategic advice to shape them.

For further information on the role, please read the role profile. Please note that the role profile is for information purposes only - whilst all elements are relevant to the role, they may not all be assessed during the recruitment process. This job advert will detail exactly what will be assessed during the recruitment process.