Media Officer - London, United Kingdom - Ministry of Justice

Ministry of Justice
Ministry of Justice
Verified Company
London, United Kingdom

3 weeks ago

Tom O´Connor

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Tom O´Connor

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Description
Salary 1
- £37,174 - £40,403

Number of jobs available - 1

Detail of reserve list - 12 Months

Region - London

City/Town - London

Building/Site - 102 PETTY FRANCE (MOJ) LONDON, SW1H 9AJ

Grade - HEO

Organisation Grade for MoJ - HEO

Post Type - Permanent

Working Pattern - Full Time

Role Type - Communications / Marketing, Press Relations

Job description 1


Media Officers


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.


You could have responsibility for setting up and managing media facilities, organising interviews, drafting sharp, reactive statements and briefing journalists to generate and influence our coverage.

There will be opportunities to advise Ministers and provide them with media handling advice on announcements, visits and speeches, and to help us boost our social media presence.


About the role
We currently have one role available in our office.

The team works across a wide range of areas, from proactive announcements on specific policies such as prisons and probation to reactive work, fielding calls from journalists on our busy news desk.

While responsibilities will depend on the desk you join, all media officers are expected to:

  • Create proactive announcements and media strategies, using everything from traditional broadcast and print media to consumer websites and social media.
  • Provide regular media handling advice to Ministers, officials and colleagues on sensitive, complex and highprofile issues.
  • Anticipate and spot news stories so you can swiftly prepare and issue robust responses to potentially negative stories.
  • Develop and maintain strong relationships with Ministers, officials, journalists, stakeholders and colleagues in other departments.
  • Work effectively with the Communications team and wider Government so media plans are joinedup with digital, internal and strategic communications.
  • Understand departmental and Ministerial priorities so you can communicate key messages clearly, accurately and creatively to media.
If joining our planning team you will also be expected to:

  • Coordinate the department's day-to-day and long-term announcements and play a key part in developing and maintaining the strong Press Office relationship with Number 10.
  • Help in horizon scanning work, identifying risks and opportunities for proactive communications
  • Represent the department at the weekly Number 10 planning meeting.
You would also contribute to the Press Office out-of-hours service, for which overtime is paid.


Salary


The salary range for this post is £37,174 - £40,403 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.


Application process

Behaviours
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.

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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).


Technical skills
We'll 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.
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Ideas
Work up ideas for stories and case studies to help increase media interest in a positive news story.
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Implementation
Draft high-quality press releases that maximise media coverage and punchy statement
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