Media Officer

Job summary As a media officer at the Department for Transport (DfT) you could be helping shape the national news agenda every day, creating headlines from transport policy and showcasing the latest announcements through creative communications approaches and visuals. No two days are the same in the communications directorate. You might be communicating our reform of the railways, highlighting the department’s work to improve bus services, or promoting transport’s key role in encouraging the transition to electric vehicles.

You’ll need to be a confident and talented writer and at ease working in a fast-paced environment. You’ll also need to show a flair for spotting when there are factual inaccuracies in media stories and be able to build strong relationships with key partners, including journalists, stakeholders, Ministers and Special Advisers. You will need to be organised, proactive, and confident in taking the lead when it comes to handling news stories.

Strong attention to detail and excellent communication skills are a must. We are a modern communications team and are looking for someone with a good understanding of new media, including online outlets and podcasts, social media, and the ability to build partnerships with content creators to extend the reach of campaigns. We believe that different perspectives and experiences improve the calibre of the work we produce.

Our communications directorate represents a variety of backgrounds and previous careers, and those who join our team are supported every step of the way as they learn about government communications, develop their skills, and kickstart an exciting career with us. Joining our department comes with many benefits, including: Employer pension contribution of 28.97% of your salary. Read more about Civil Service Pensions here 25 days annual leave, increasing by 1 day each year of service (up to a maximum of 30 days annual leave), plus 8 bank holidays a privilege day for the King’s birthday Read more in the Benefits section below!

Find out more about what it's like working at DfT Communications: Communications - Department for Transport Careers Job description The communications team work closely with Private Offices, Special Advisers, policy officials and external stakeholders. Key responsibilities of the role include: You will play an important role in responding to media enquiries, working with policy and Ministerial teams to inform and educate the public.

You will also work proactively on government announcements on a range of significant transport policies and campaigns, using insight and creative communication handling to speak to our audiences on the platforms they use, including new media and social media. This will involve exciting Ministerial visit opportunities, planning interviews and maximising positive coverage. You will play an important role in a 24-hour communications team and will be part of a duty rota able to respond to enquiries out-of-hours.

This includes working weekends and evenings and comes with a competitive remuneration package. Our communications are based around campaigns, and you will employ a range of skills and channels to deliver our messages. This includes working alongside strategic communication colleagues to set the direction for the department and creating social media content to tell our stories in the most effective way.

Colleagues are expected to work with a degree of flexibility, meaning responsibilities may change to support priority delivery. For further information on the role, please read the attached role profile. Please note that the role profile is for information purposes only - whilst all elements are relevant to the role, they may not all be assessed during the recruitment process. This job advert will detail exactly what will be assessed during the recruitment process.

Person specification Required experience: To be successful in this role you will need to have the following experience: Experience of working w