Communications Specialist - 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

2 weeks ago

Tom O´Connor

Posted by:

Tom O´Connor

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Description

Details:


Reference number:


Salary:

- £30,317 - £32,803
  • National: £30,317 £32,803, London: £33,827 £36,606 For details of our pay on appointment policy, please see below under the heading 'Salary'. Pay award pending.
  • A Civil Service Pension with an average employer contribution of 27%
    Job grade:


  • Higher Executive Officer

  • Information Officer (IO)
    Contract type:
  • Fixed Term
  • Loan
  • Secondment
    Length of employment:
  • 31st July 2025
    Business area:
  • DEFRA
  • Strategy
  • Communications
  • Defra Operational and Local Communications (North Hub)
    Type of role:
  • Communications
/ Marketing
Working pattern:


  • Flexible working, Fulltime, Job share, Parttime, Compressed Hours
    Number of jobs available:
  • 1Contents
Location

About the job


Benefits:

Things you need to know

Location

  • Leeds, NewcastleuponTyne, Penrith, Preston, Warrington, YorkAbout the job

Job summary:


The Communications Specialist (Lancashire Flood Schemes) will provide the full range of communications support for the Preston scheme and other Lancashire capital schemes.


They will act as strategic communications advisor to local Area Leadership Team and project team, providing trusted communications advice and a single point of contact into the wider Defra communications team.


It will be essential to build and maintain effective working relationships with local media covering the Preston scheme and Lancashire capital schemes and the wider context, including the flood capital programme.


A key part of the role will be to manage reputation risks around highly sensitive and contentious issues and play an active role in incident communications response providing external communications advice and support to local senior management and ensuring partners and the public receive up-to-date information.


The post holder will contribute to the development and implementation of the Defra communications strategy by working closely with customers to identify priorities and ensuring that local insight informs all communications activity.


Job description:


We are looking for an ambitious and proven communications professional to join our Operational and Local Communications team in the North to lead on the delivery of communications for the Preston flood scheme and other large flood schemes in Lancashire.


Operational and Local Communications teams plan, deliver and evaluate communications activity to help the Environment Agency, and other Defra agencies deliver their organisational priorities and respond to incidents such as flooding.


As Communications Specialist, the post holder will act as a strategic communications advisor to the Environment Agency, local Area Leadership Team and project teams, providing trusted communications advice and a single point of contact into the wider Defra communications team.


This is a varied and exciting role, with a strong focus on delivery and bringing the work of the Environment Agency in protecting communities against flooding to life.

You will join a supportive and friendly team who are versatile and able to balance razor sharp incident response with long term communications programmes that change behaviours - such as warning communities about the risk of flooding or reporting waste crime.


Key to this role is providing strategic and tactical reputation management advice on communications risks and opportunities including media management around highly sensitive issues as well as leading the planning, delivery and evaluation of creative and ambitious communications projects.


There will be opportunities to get out and see our work on the ground and while some travel will be required we are able to keep this to a minimum.


Key responsibilities:

  • Act as strategic communications advisor to senior leadership teams, providing trusted communications advice and a single point of contact into the wider Defra communications team
  • Build and maintain effective working relationships with local media covering the work of Defra and with communications teams from partner organisations
  • Manage reputation risks around highly sensitive and contentious issues
  • Play an active role in incident communications response for all organisations within the Defra group including providing external communications advice and support to local senior management and ensuring partners and the public receive uptodate information
  • Support, train and provide professional advice to spokespeople and social media champions
  • Ensuring that team members contribute to common planning/communications grids
  • Develop, deliver and evaluate communications plans
  • Respond to reactive media enquiries and initiate proactive media activity, drafting press releases, selling in stories and identifying potential opportunities to generate coverage on priority topics (area based communications specialists only)
  • Protect and enhance the reputation of Defra group through horizon scanning, issue
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