Senior Press Officer

Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities; Wolverhampton; On-site; GBP 41,000 - 49,000; Full time

Job summary

A government department in the UK seeks a Senior Press Officer to lead media strategies and engage with stakeholders. You will manage communications for high-profile announcements and provide strategic advice to senior officials. This role requires outstanding communication skills, a strong understanding of media landscapes, and the ability to work under pressure. The position offers a competitive salary of £41,890, with additional benefits including a pension scheme and flexible working options.

Benefits

Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme

Tailored career pathways

Flexible working

Childcare Voucher

Cycle to Work Schemes

Qualifications

• Track record of leading impactful media strategies.
• Ability to engage senior stakeholders and ministers.
• Strong understanding of national and regional news agendas.
• Demonstrated political judgement with knowledge of social media.
• Capacity to manage conflicting deadlines effectively.

Responsibilities

• Lead communications for major policy announcements.
• Create engaging content translating complex policies.
• Advise stakeholders on communication strategies.
• Respond to breaking news and manage media crises.
• Build relationships with journalists and stakeholders.

Skills

Creative media development

Stakeholder engagement

Excellent communication skills

Strategic and analytical thinking

Collaborative working

Job description

About the role

As one of our senior press officers, you will be part of an ambitious, collaborative and supportive team that responds to breaking news, manages crisis communications and proactively shapes the narrative on key issues. The role requires someone who can build strong relationships with journalists and stakeholders, take a leading role in supporting ministers and senior officials, and deliver in challenging situations while managing the workload of at least one Press Officer.

Combining strategic thinking with hands‑on media engagement, you will translate complex policy decisions into clear, compelling stories that resonate with diverse audiences across traditional and digital media channels. Curiosity about how people consume and share news across different platforms will be key. By joining the communications team, you will be part of Government Communications and benefit from continuous professional development, mentoring opportunities and a network of skilled communicators.

Key responsibilities

• Leading on major proactive policy announcements and coordinating communications for high‑level engagements.
• Creating clear, engaging content that translates complex government policies for public understanding.
• Providing expert communications advice to ministers, special advisers, and senior officials on policy matters.
• Responding swiftly and accurately to breaking news stories and managing crisis communications.
• Monitoring media coverage, rebutting inaccurate stories, and protecting departmental reputations.
• Building and maintaining strong relationships with journalists, stakeholders, and across government departments.
• Working closely with our digital communications teams to develop and deliver integrated media strategies that maximise reach and engagement.
• Overseeing and developing junior team members, providing leadership and supporting their growth.

Essential criteria

• A track record of developing and leading creative, innovative, and compelling proactive media moments, targeting a range of different audiences, and often landing complex information.
• Senior stakeholder engagement: able to deliver concise briefings, both verbal and written, to senior stakeholders with confidence; and able to gain the trust of, negotiate with, and influence senior stakeholders, including ministers.
• Excellent understanding of the national news agenda, including outlets spanning consumer and trade audiences, as well as the nations and regions.
• Political judgement: strong news judgement, and excellent understanding of the social media landscape.
• Excellent communication skills: able to demonstrate outstanding written and verbal skills that require minimal edits from senior leaders, and able to deliver clear and impactful messaging across a variety of platforms.
• Strategic and analytical thinking: experience in using data and insights to inform strategies, whilst measuring the effectiveness of communications.
• Workload management: extensive experience in managing conflicting deadlines, demonstrating prioritisation skills, and highly effective time management.
• Collaborative working: a proactive team player with sound problem‑solving abilities, with an ability to interpret complex information, and deliver clear and engaging content.

Desirable criteria

• Experience of working in a journalism, media, or press office environment will be an advantage.
• Team management capabilities, including setting clear direction, supporting team members, and adopting an inclusive leadership style that values diversity and inclusion.
• Experience in developing and implementing systems or processes that ensure excellence and value for money in communications activities.
• Digital communication prowess: understanding of digital channels, platforms, and content formats to grow and engage audiences, including skills in digital strategy and content creation.
• Experience of working collaboratively with digital communications teams to deliver integrated media strategies that reflect modern news consumption and ever‑evolving information‑sharing patterns.

Security and clearance

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check and meet the security requirements before appointment. The level of security needed is counter‑terrorist check.

Security clearance requirements:

• National Office: BPSS + CTC
• London Office: BPSS + CTC

Nationality requirements

• UK nationals
• Nationalities of the Republic of Ireland
• Nationalities of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
• Nationalities 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)
• Nationalities 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 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

Working for the Civil Service

We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles.

The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.

The Civil Service also offers a Redeployment Interview Scheme to civil servants who are at risk of redundancy and who meet the minimum requirements for the advertised vacancy.

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £41,890, Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government contributes £12,135 towards membership of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Additional benefits include tailored career pathways, flexible working, MyLifestyle Childcare Voucher, and Cycle to Work Schemes.