About the Ministry of Justice
From keeping drugs out of prisons and cutting crime, to overhauling sentencing laws, supporting victims and creating new offences to protect women from violence - the Ministry of Justice is one of only a handful of Government departments that can truly dominate the news agenda.
And our Press Office, bursting with talent, is widely recognised as the gold standard within government for shaping stories and influencing news across print, broadcast, and online. With a diverse remit including prisons and probation, family justice, victims support and modernising the courts system, no day is ever the same in this busy office.
We are looking for creative, hard-working, passionate people to join our team, so if you’re looking for an exciting, challenging job, where you can develop with support from experienced communications professionals, keep reading.
About the role
Government press officers handle many of the news stories you read, watch, listen and react to every day. You will be operating at the very heart of government, helping to shape news coverage on issues that affect everyday lives. You will be expected to be able to confidently brief journalists and set out the Government’s position to them.
To be successful in this role, you will be confident in turning complex information into clear content that resonates with diverse audiences. You’ll be responsible for developing innovative communication plans across multiple platforms, with a focus on print broadcast and consumer media, as well as working with colleagues on digital and social media channels. An essential part of this role is collaboration, and you will work closely with ministers, communication professionals and other stakeholders to create clear communication strategies and finalise messaging to reach our audiences.
Alongside these responsibilities you will also take part in our out-of-hours duty rota. This will involve proactively monitoring for breaking news and coverage that might require correction or clarification, providing swift and effective responses to requests for comment and keeping the department abreast of developments.
Key Responsibilities
All media officers will be responsible for:
Reactive media management - dealing with breaking stories, drafting and providing statements and information to journalists, and keeping the department updated on news coverage.
Proactive media handling - coming up with creative ways of telling the government’s story and reaching our audiences where they are, drafting press releases, and taking journalists to see our work first-hand.
News management - the ability to quickly spot both potential problems and but also opportunities to insert a government voice positively
Presenting summaries of the day’s coverage to the wider team and providing insight on media handling.
Providing regular media handling advice to Ministers, officials and colleagues on sensitive, complex and high-profile issues.
Working with other communicators in the MoJ on digital, stakeholder and internal communications.
Developing and maintaining strong relationships with Ministers, officials, journalists, stakeholders and colleagues in other departments.
With the support of an experienced network of peers and a strong focus on professional development, you will develop skills in line with these areas.
You would also contribute to the Press Office out-of-hours service, for which overtime is paid.
About the Government Communication Service
By joining our team, you will also become a member of the Government Communication Service (GCS), a profession of over 7000 communicators working in government departments, agencies and arm’s length bodies. You’ll benefit from continuous professional development from our new learning and development curriculum, a network of skilled communicators sharing best practice, mentoring opportunities, and more!
For more information on how becoming a part of the Communications Profession can support your career and development please visit the GCS careers page.
For our top tips on how to write your application, please take a look at the GCS’s recruitment top tips for candidates guide.
Person Specification
Essential Criteria
Excellent understanding of the national news agenda, social media landscape and communications handling; strong news judgement and political awareness
Excellent verbal and written communication skills - producing high quality written content such as press releases, op-eds and briefings, for a range of different stakeholders and audiences
Proven ability to distil large amounts of complex information into clear key messages suitable for specific audiences
Strong organisational and planning skills, comfortable managing multiple priorities and working to tight deadlines
Strong networking skills with confidence in building and maintaining a network of internal and external contacts, including journalists
Strong team collaboration skills, work effectively as part of a team; contributing to shared goals, supporting colleagues and fostering a positive team environment.
Desirable Criteria
Experience of working either in a journalism/media/press office environment will be an advantage, although we are open to a range of backgrounds.
Ability to plan communications strategically and long term, based on insights and always ending in solid and honest evaluations.
Salary
The salary range for this post is £40,014 - £42,859 plus generous overtime payments for participation in the out of hours rota.
Existing civil servants on level transfer will retain their level of pay unless this is lower than the starting salary as per MoJ T&Cs.
Flexible working hours
The Ministry of Justice offers a flexible working hours system. Like most government press offices, we are busy and you may on occasion need to work different hours to usual, but you will not be expected to work overtime regularly and ensuring everyone has a healthy work-life balance is a priority for us. You will take part in the out of hours duty rota, which is rewarded through generous overtime payment, but there is flexibility, particularly for those with parental or caring responsibilities.
Security clearance and residency
If you are successful at interview, we will work with you to acquire security clearance. This is a straightforward process for most people but does, generally, require you to have been resident in the UK for at least the last five years.
How to apply
As part of the application process, you will be asked to provide a CV, provide short examples demonstrating the behaviours below in previous roles and give us your assessment of the main media issues facing the Ministry of Justice over the next six months.
We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection and interview process:
Communicating and Influencing
Communicate clearly and concisely both orally and in writing; Express ideas clearly and with respect for others; Listen to and value different ideas, views and ways of working; Respond constructively and objectively to comments and questions; Handle challenging conversations with confidence and sensitivity.
Delivering at pace
Regularly check performance against objectives, making suggestions for improvement where necessary; Identify what is required to ensure success, set clear goals and continually assess workloads considering individual needs; Have a positive and focused attitude to achieving outcomes, despite any setbacks.
More details on these can be found in the Civil Service behaviours (PDF).
We'll also assess you against these technical skills during the selection process:
Insight
Understand how to reach the biggest and/or most appropriate audience for an announcement using a mix of media channels. Maintain an awareness of the news agenda.
Ideas
Work up ideas for stories and case studies to help increase media interest in a positive news story.
Implementation
Draft high-quality press releases that maximise media coverage and punchy statements that rebut criticism effectively.
Impact
Monitor media coverage and evaluate your success in reaching the target audience and delivering key messages.
More details on these can be found in the Government Communication Professional Competency (Technical Skills) Framework.