Press Officers - Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom - Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Verified Company
Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom

3 weeks ago

Tom O´Connor

Posted by:

Tom O´Connor

beBee Recruiter
Description

Details:


Reference number:


Salary:

- £30,317 - £36,606
  • National: £30,317 £32,803, London: £33,827 £36,606. Additional outofhours payments. For details of our pay on appointment policy, please see below under the heading 'Salary'.

Job grade:


  • Higher Executive Officer
    Contract type:
  • Fixed Term
  • Loan
  • Secondment
    Length of employment:
  • 12 months
    Business area:
  • DEFRA
  • S&C
  • Communications
  • Defra Group Communications
    Type of role:
  • Communications
/ Marketing
Working pattern:


  • Flexible working, Fulltime, Job share, Parttime
    Number of jobs available:
  • 2Contents
Location

About the job


Benefits:

Things you need to know

Location

  • Bristol, London, NewcastleuponTyne, YorkAbout the job

Job summary:


We are looking for two ambitious, talented and motivated press officers to join our busy team, working to protect and enhance England's natural environment and connect more people with the great outdoors.


This exciting opportunity is your chance to shape and deliver content that will promote invaluable work to improve our natural environment, which is fundamental to our wellbeing, prosperity and happiness.


Both roles will sit within Defra Group's features and consumer media team, focusing on long-read and long-lead consumer media and securing coverage in a wide range of outlets
. One minute you could be pitching in ideas to Countryfile or finding new podcasts to promote our work to new and diverse audiences, the next you could be supporting senior leaders on media visits to innovative biodiversity projects or tree-planting initiatives.


The roles will focus on the work of Natural England and the Forestry Commission, at the heart of key government priorities to meet the UK's net zero commitments and urgently tackle the biodiversity crisis.


Natural England is focused on
protecting and restoring our natural world, with the added goal of improving everyone's access to nature, through its Nature Recovery Network, which will expand, improve and connect nature-rich places across our cities, towns, countryside and coast; as well as the creation of the England Coast Path and management of National Nature Reserves.


The Forestry Commission is implementing an ambitious woodland creation and tree planting programme to deliver the Government's strategy on trees, including the manifesto commitment to plant 30,000ha per year across the UK by the end of the Parliament in 2024/25.


Job description:


You will have experience of working in journalist media or public relations and will have the creativity, energy and hands-on approach to deliver a range of activity.


As part of Defra Group's communications team, you will have a particular focus on managing press activity but will also coordinate activity across other teams including digital, campaigns and policy teams to ensure effective and engaging content.

Each role is based in based in the Defra Communications Group, reporting to a senior press officer.


Essential Role Responsibilities

In this role you will be required to:

Manage and deliver media activity including developing multi-channel communication handling plans, visit options, editorial opportunities and briefings for ministers, Special Advisors and senior Forestry Commission/ Natural England leaders, as well as 'boots on the ground' staff.


Help manage and deliver longer-term communications campaigns across communication disciplines to engage national and regional audiences with interesting and insightful material that builds trust and increases interaction within the sector.


Work as part of a coordinated effort with multiple communication teams across the Defra Group to align work around comms milestones and projects.

Participate in other press office functions when needed, including responding to incidents and assisting with reactive newsdesk queries.


Continue building our relationship with high-profile consumer media outlets_ _using robust audience insight to develop, plan and pitch content suggestions that reflect our wider messaging.

Increase our outreach work, especially with hard-to-reach audiences and underrepresented groups.


Work in partnership with Special Advisers, Private Offices, external affairs, campaigns, strategic communications and policy teams to ensure that all activity is linked to wider government priorities and plans.

Track and evaluate resulting media coverage and use the resulting analysis to identify additional communication opportunities.

Be part of the out-of-hours rota.


Person specification:


  • They will have excellent knowledge of the national news agenda and communications handling; strong news judgment and political awareness; exceptional writing skills; and the ability to confidently present and evaluate their work

Behaviours:

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

  • Communicating and Influencing
  • Delivering at P
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