Senior Press Officer

Confidential; Greater London; Hybrid; GBP 46,000 - 55,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Civil Service Pension Scheme

28 days holiday + bank holidays

On-call 24/7 coverage + weekend pay

Job summary

Metropolitan Police Service in London seeks a Senior Press Officer to lead a small media team in a fast-paced environment, maintaining public reassurance and supporting frontline officers. You will manage press operations, craft narratives, and guide communications during major events with the media and senior investigators.

The role emphasizes crisis communications, media relationships, digital content creation, and innovative cross-channel strategies, with 36 hours weekly and on-call duties.

Qualifications

• In-depth experience managing media in high-pressure environments.
• Proven ability to craft compelling narratives and respond quickly to events.
• Strong writing and communication skills with journalists and stakeholders.

Responsibilities

• Lead media strategy: Oversee proactive and reactive media activities to ensure high-quality coverage.
• Press office management: Oversee operations, craft narratives, respond to fast-moving news cycles.
• Build relationships: Cultivate relationships with journalists and key stakeholders.
• Innovate across channels: Use digital tools and data to reach diverse audiences.
• Leadership: Shape long-term communication strategies and mentor the team.

Skills

Media relations

Team leadership

Crisis communications

Digital content creation

Stakeholder management

Job description

As a Senior Press Officer, you will lead a small team of media professionals in a fast-paced, high-stakes environment, where every decision counts. You will need to find impactful ways to keep the public informed and reassured while supporting our frontline officers who keep the capital safe.

Client Details

In the Met Police, the Senior Press Officer role is not like other roles. One day you might be handling communications on a breaking operational issue. The next you might be explaining how the Met is upping its game in dealing with violence against women and girls, protecting our communities or using new technologies. Or you could be finding and telling stories of officer bravery on the front line.

In any given month you could go from managing press conferences at the cordon of a major crime scene, to supporting senior detectives and the families of victims during trials at the Old Bailey.

You could be working in our Specialist Operations Room supporting senior officers during the highest profile protests and ceremonial events or overseeing media as they film officers breaking down doors to tackle drugs gangs blighting communities.

While others say it, we can guarantee it - no two days will be the same.

Additional Info: Competency and Values Framework for policing

The Competency and Values Framework (CVF) aims to support all policing professionals, now and into the future. It sets out nationally recognised behaviours, which will provide a consistent foundation for a range of Met and national processes.

As part of the role, you are expected to operate and demonstrate the competencies as set out in the national policing competency and values framework to the levels as shown below:

Level 2: 'We are emotionally aware' 'We are collaborative' 'We deliver, support and inspire' 'We are innovative and open minded'

Level 3: 'We take ownership'; 'We analyse critically'

We will also test a number of behaviours you would be expected to demonstrate in this role, these include:

• - Influencing and persuading
• - Making effective decisions
• - Managing a quality service
• - Seeing the big picture
• - Changing and improving
• - Resilience
• - Achieving outcomes

An overview and full details of the Competency and Values Framework can be downloaded from Met Careers pages.

Description

As a Senior Press Officer your Key Responsibilities will include but not be limited to:

• - Lead media strategy: Oversee both proactive and reactive media activities, ensuring high-quality, consistent coverage that aligns with the Met's priorities.
• - Press office management: Take charge of press operations, crafting powerful narratives and responding to the fast-moving news cycle with confidence and precision.
• - Build relationships: Cultivate strong relationships with journalists and key stakeholders, positioning yourself and your team as trusted sources of information on sensitive and high-profile matters.
• - Innovate across channels: Leverage digital tools, insights, and a range of communication channels to ensure our messaging hits the mark with diverse audiences.
• - Leadership: Play a pivotal role in shaping long-term communication strategies while offering senior-level media advice on significant incidents and complex issues and supporting your team to do the same.

Profile

You're not just a media professional - you're a strategic thinker with a keen sense of the news cycle, political awareness, and a proven track record of managing media in high-pressure environments. You'll need to be quick on your feet, leading a team with energy and vision while navigating the complexities of policing communications in the capital.

Key skills we're looking for:

• - A sharp news sense and excellent writing skills.
• - Experience managing teams in a fast-paced, high-pressure setting, with some demonstrable working knowledge of crisis communications and reputation management
• - The ability to build and maintain relationships with journalists and senior stakeholders.
• - Enjoys handling both proactive and reactive media strategies.
• - Expertise in digital content creation and using data to target audiences effectively.
• - Happy to be office based 3 days/week (your main base is New Scotland Yard but you may travel to variety of London locations according to business need)

This is a full-time, permanent position working 36 hours a week, including weekends on a rota basis (every 2 months). You'll also be part of an on-call press office system, ensuring 24/7 coverage (1 night/month). You will earn further premium pay and allowances through on call responsibilities and weekend working.

Job Offer

• - The salary is broken down as £45,986 basic salary, which will increase annually until you reach the top of the scale £54,863. Plus, a location allowance of £2,009 and a non-pensionable allowance of £1,000.
• - Membership in the Civil Service Pension Scheme.
• - 28 days of holiday plus bank holidays
• - Additional opt in benefit schemes

People are at the heart of The Metropolitan Police & Michael Page. We are committed to creating an inclusive environment. As an inclusive recruiter we welcome applications from people of all backgrounds, identities and experiences. If you require any adjustments or accommodations during the recruitment process, we'll work with you to ensure you can perform at your best.

Disability Confident Statement

The Met is committed to being an equitable (fair and impartial) and inclusive employer for disabled people, striving to have a diverse and representative workforce at all levels. We encourage applications from people from the widest possible range of backgrounds, cultures and experiences. We particularly welcome applications from people with disabilities and long-term conditions, ethnic minority groups and women.

As a Disability Confident Leader, the Met has committed to making disability equality part of our everyday practice. We ensure that people with disabilities and those with long term conditions have the opportunities to fulfil their potential and realise their aspirations.

The Met is committed to making reasonable adjustments to the recruitment process to ensure disabled applicants can perform at their best. If you need any reasonable adjustments or changes to the application and recruitment process, we ask that you include this information within your application form. All matters will be treated in strict confidence.

Applications for this position will close at 5pm on Wednesday 16th September 2026

Please note ALL third Party applications will be forwarded to Michael Page.