Press Officer

Corporate Services; Manchester; On-site; GBP 40,000 - 52,000; Full time

Job summary

The Home Office Communications Directorate is seeking a dedicated media relations professional to respond to media queries, shape department responses, and support policy and operational teams in delivering the department's priorities.

You will manage proactive and reactive media relations, craft responses and press releases, monitor coverage and rebut inaccuracies, and work as part of a fast-paced, national team with a rota including weekends.

Responsibilities

• Respond to enquiries from journalists to protect reputation.
• Ensure the Department's position is accurately reported.
• Advise policy officials and operational teams on communications impact.
• Develop proactive communications plans for policies or successes.
• Provide high-quality media relations including writing responses and press releases.
• Rebate inaccuracies and monitor coverage with journalists.

Job description

The Home Office works to build a safe, fair and prosperous UK. We achieve this through our work on counter-terrorism, policing, crime, drugs policy, immigration and passports. The Corporate Services Group works closely with the Home Office's policy and operational commands to enable us together to deliver the department's priorities. The group is comprised of different teams and professional functions, including Commercial, Communications, Finance, People, Portfolio and Project Delivery, Private Office, Security, Estates and Information. The Communications Directorate is a multi-disciplinary team delivering the Home Office's communications strategy. We are insight-led and results-driven, and our marketing campaigns support strategic objectives using a wide range of channels. We seek to provide high quality media, rebuttal and social media services. Our Internal Communications team supports employee engagement and business transformation. Our work as Home Office communicators is never far from the front pages, making this a fast-paced and hugely exciting and creative team to join. Whether it's helping to reduce dangerous boat crossings or making the UK's streets safer, the Communications Directorate supports the government to deliver on its priorities. Led by audience insight, we help build awareness and drive behaviour change across our internal and external communication teams, including media, digital and marketing. At the centre of all this is the News desk. The role holders will be responsible for responding to media queries from journalists, liaising with all parts of the department to agree an approach, crafting the department's response and shaping coverage. They will be responsible for alerting and providing analysis of news coverage as it breaks, identifying and rebutting inaccurate reporting and ensuring that the department's position is reflected.

Key Responsibilities

• Respond to enquiries from national, international, regional, consumer and digital media outlets to enhance and protect the reputation of the Department and Ministers.
• Ensure the Department's position is accurately reported.
• Work closely with colleagues, including policy officials and operational teams, to advise on the role communications can play.
• Produce proactive communications plans to announce policies or successes.
• Provide a high quality proactive and reactive media relations service, including developing strong working relationships with key journalists, writing responses and press releases, monitoring media and taking the initiative to rebut inaccuracies.
• To be a committed member of the national media team and support colleagues working in other regions.

Working Pattern Due to the business requirements of these roles, they are only available on a full-time basis. The roles will involve some weekend working. Successful candidates will be placed on a rota with colleagues which spans seven days a week - with five working days and two non-working days spread across the seven.