About the job Summary

We recognise the challenges that people with (multiple) protected characteristics may experience on the job market and in their career progression. We are fully committed to being an inclusive employer and ensuring equal opportunities. We are keen to make our workforce as diverse as possible, and we hope to attract applications from underrepresented groups, including Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) people, people with a disability, and people with gender diverse identities.

Are you looking for an exciting role in communications?

Do you have the creativity to turn our policies into compelling stories, the sense to deal with fast breaking news and the ability to win the confidence of Ministers and Special Advisers?

Would you like to join one of the busiest Whitehall departments responsible for delivering some of the government’s biggest projects?

If so, we are looking for a passionate, highly-organised and dynamic Chief Press Officer to join us at the Department for Transport (DfT), and we’d love to hear from you.

Job description

You will form part of the Press Office's senior management team, including taking part in the team’s out of hours back-up rota, and act as a press secretary to one of our junior ministerial team.

We want you to be ambitious and eager to succeed. In return, we promise you all the proactive announcements, Ministerial access and crisis management experience you will need to further your career.

From being on the frontline of the response to the Coronavirus pandemic, to the delivery of major government projects such as HS2, to paving the way for the adoption of the technology needed to help the UK meet its net zero targets - the Department for Transport is never far from the front pages.
 

Responsibilities

Key accountabilities of the role include:

• Overseeing media handling of specialist desks in press office and ensuring Government policy is presented as effectively as possible;
• Seeking creative opportunities to publicise Government policy, reaching key audiences through a variety of media outlets, while utilising key channels for important policy updates;
• Helping improve and maintain relationships with national, specialist and regional transport and lobby correspondents;
• Helping improve and maintain co-ordination between press office and the rest of the communications directorate and other stakeholders;
• Ensuring the ministerial team gets a first class media service, including supporting ministers on visits and major announcements;
• Providing leadership through the press office senior management team and the senior duty back-up rota;
• Line management of up to 3 members of staff

The successful candidate will be required to take part in the team’s out of hours back-up rota.

For an in-depth insight into the role please refer to the Role Profile.

About You

To be successful in this role you will have outstanding interpersonal skills with the ability to challenge and influence confidently.

You will be able to adapt your communication style to suit your audience and convey messages in a clear concise manner.

You will have excellent leadership skills to motivate and engage the team and seek creative solutions and opportunities.

Behaviours

We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:

• Making Effective Decisions
• Changing and Improving
• Leadership
• Communicating and Influencing

Benefits

Being part of our brilliant Civil Service means you will have access to a wide range of fantastic benefits. We offer generous annual leave, attractive pension options, flexible working, inclusive working environments and much more to support a healthy work/life balance.

Find out more about what it's like working at the Department for Transport.

Things you need to know Security

Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is security check.

See our vetting charter.

People working with government assets must complete basic personnel security standard checks.

Selection process details

This vacancy is using Success Profiles, and will assess your Behaviours, Strengths and Experience.

We are closely monitoring the situation regarding the coronavirus, and will be following central Government advice as it is issued. There is therefore a risk that recruitment to this post may be subject to change at short notice. In addition, where appropriate, you may be invited to attend a video interview.

Please continue to follow the application process as normal and ensure that you check your emails regularly as all updates from us will be sent to you this way.

As part of the application process you will be asked to complete a CV and personal statement. Further details around what this will entail are listed on the application form.

For your CV and personal statement, please provide detailed evidence of your experience of the following:

• Demonstrable experience of working within a press office or journalism role, managing, and handling various types of media
• Demonstrable experience of managing staff
• Demonstrable experience of building strong working relationships with senior stakeholders, with the ability to influence others
• Demonstrable experience of converting complex information to others into a digestible and clear format

The sift is due to take place from 27th January 2022

Interviews will be held w/c 7th February 2022

We will try to meet the dates set out in the advert. There may be occasions when these dates will change. You will be provided with sufficient notice of the confirmed dates.

The selection process will be designed specifically for the role. As a result, your assessment could include:

• an interview

You’re encouraged to become familiar with the role profile, as you may be assessed against any of the criteria recorded within.

The Department for Transport alongside other Government Departments recruit using Success Profiles. This means for each role we consider what you will need to demonstrate in order to be successful. This gives us the best possible chance of finding the right person for the job, drives up performance and improves diversity and inclusivity.

For further information on Success Profiles visit our Careers website.
Please see attached candidate notes for further information about our recruitment process.

If you are experiencing accessibility problems with any attachments on this advert, please contact the email address in the 'Contact point for applicants' section

Further Information

To learn more about applying for a role within the Department for Transport, visit the Application Process page of our Careers website.

Before submitting your application, we encourage you to visit our Things You Need to Know page for further information about applying for a role within the Department for Transport and the Civil Service.

Throughout this job advert there are links to the DfT Careers website, which provides you further information to support your application. Should you be unable to access the information on our website, please email [email protected] for assistance.

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Nationality requirements

This job is broadly open to the following groups:

• UK nationals
• nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
• nationals of the Republic of Ireland
• nationals from the EU, EEA or Switzerland with settled or pre-settled status or who apply for either status by the deadline of the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• relevant EU, EEA, Swiss or Turkish nationals working in the Civil Service
• relevant EU, EEA, Swiss or Turkish nationals who have built up the right to work in the Civil Service
• certain family members of the relevant EU, EEA, Swiss or Turkish nationals

Further information on nationality requirements

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.

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.

Apply and further information

Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.

Contact point for applicants Job contact : Name :   George Kotschy Email :   [email protected]   Recruitment team : Email :   [email protected] Further information

If you feel your application has not been treated in accordance with the Recruitment Principles and you wish to make a complaint, in the first instance, you should contact Government Recruitment Services via email: [email protected] If you are not satisfied with the response you receive from the Department, you can contact the Civil Service Commission: Visit the Civil Service Commission website Here