Communications Officer - London, United Kingdom - Department for Business and Trade

Department for Business and Trade

Verified Company

London, United Kingdom

4 weeks ago

Posted by:

Tom O´Connor

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Description

Details:

Reference number:

Salary:

- £36,583 - £38,272

A Civil Service Pension with an average employer contribution of 27%
Job grade:
Higher Executive Officer
Contract type:
Fixed term
Loan
Secondment
Length of employment:
12 months with possibility of extension
Business area:
Post Office Horizon IT Inquiry
Type of role:
Communications / Marketing
Digital
Press Relations
Working pattern:
Flexible working, Fulltime, Compressed hours, Part year
Number of jobs available:
1Contents

Location

About the job

Benefits:

Things you need to know

Location

LondonAbout the job

Job summary:

About the Inquiry:
In 1999, Post Office Limited introduced Horizon software and hardware into their post office branches. Over the lifecycle of Horizon, sub-postmasters and sub-postmistresses experienced discrepancies and shortfalls in their branch transaction data and accounting.

Disputes between Post Office Limited and postmasters have occurred over the last two decades, and the lack of satisfactory resolution of the Horizon issues, the suspension and termination of postmasters' contracts with Post Office Limited and the prosecution and conviction of postmasters led ultimately to the launch of successful group litigation by postmasters against Post Office Limited.

On 26 February 2020, the Prime Minister committed to an Independent Inquiry, and in September 2020 the Chairman, Sir Wyn Williams, was announced.

It was converted to a statutory inquiry from 1 June 2021, following a request from Sir Wyn Williams.

The Inquiry is tasked with ensuring there is a public summary of the failings that occurred, as set out in its Terms of Reference.

The Inquiry has completed its first four phases; phases 5 and 6, in which Sir Wyn Williams will hear evidence from witnesses including senior figures at Post Office, Fujitsu and Royal Mail; politicians and civil servants; and campaigners, will commence in April 2024.

The Sponsoring Department:

The Department for Business and Trade (DBT) is the sponsor department for the Inquiry. However, the Inquiry operates independently from DBT.

Job description:

As a member of the Communications Team, your responsibilities will include:

Drafting informative and engaging press releases, briefing materials and other communications products to tight deadlines.
Drafting social media copy and visuals for X, Instagram, and LinkedIn.
Daytoday running of the Inquiry's website and social media channels, to ensure these are regularly updated with accessible, timely content.
Assisting with media operations and logistics on hearing days for a high profile public inquiry and around key events such as the Inquiry's final report launch. This may include anything from managing media accreditation to liaising with technical teams and broadcasters to ensure broadcast feeds are available for news outlets.
Monitoring the Newsdesk inbox, including handling daytoday media queries.
Contributing to high quality media monitoring, capturing insight, and sharing relevant information.
Participation in an outofhours press office rota, for which additional allowances are payable.

Person specification:

Essential Criteria

Experience of working in a fastpaced communications team, such as press, strategic communications, marketing, or digital, working to tight deadlines.
Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with an ability to change communication styles to fit different audiences.
Ability to quickly understand and distil complex legal and policy information into media and publicfriendly language.

Desirable Criteria

Experience creating content for websites and social media.
Experience with graphic design
An interest in the work of the Inquiry.

Personal Attributes & Skills

Excellent knowledge of, and interest in, the UK news agenda and landscape, combined with strong judgement and the ability to spot stories and emerging issues.
Ability to adapt and thrive in a changing environment.

Behaviours:

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

Delivering at Pace
Seeing the Big Picture
Communicating and Influencing

Benefits:

Alongside your salary of £36,583, Department for Business and Trade contributes £9,877 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.
Learning and development tailored to your role
An environment with flexible working options
A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity
A Civil Service pension with an average employer contribution of 27%

Things you need to know

Selection process details: