About the Ministry of Justice
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.
About the role
Government press officers handle many of the news stories you read, watch, listen and react to every day. You will be operating at the very heart of government, helping to shape news coverage on issues that affect everyday lives. This role on our Newsdesk represents the front line of the Ministry of Justice’s media relations. You will be responding to multiple incoming queries from journalists, working at pace to find answers, curate lines, and delivering these to journalists. You will be expected to be able to confidently brief journalists and set out the Government’s position to them.
Alongside these responsibilities you will also take part in our out‑of‑hours duty rota. This will involve proactively monitoring for breaking news and coverage that might require correction or clarification, providing swift and effective responses to requests for comment and keeping the department abreast of developments.
Key Responsibilities
* Reactive media management – dealing with breaking stories, drafting and providing statements and information to journalists, and keeping the department updated on news coverage.
* News management – the ability to quickly spot both potential problems and opportunities to insert a government voice positively.
* Presenting summaries of the day’s coverage to the wider team and providing insight on media handling.
* Providing regular media handling advice to Ministers, officials and colleagues on sensitive, complex and high‑profile issues.
* Working with other communicators in the MoJ on digital, stakeholder and internal communications.
* Developing and maintaining strong relationships with Ministers, officials, journalists, stakeholders and colleagues in other departments.
With the support of an experienced network of peers and a strong focus on professional development, you will develop skills in line with these areas.
You would also contribute to the Press Office out‑of‑hours service, for which overtime is paid. While the posts are based on Newsdesk, there will be opportunities in future for successful candidates to move to other positions within Press Office.
About the Government Communication Service
By joining our team, you will also become a member of the Government Communication Service (GCS), a profession of over 7000 communicators working in government departments, agencies and arm’s length bodies. You’ll benefit from continuous professional development from our new learning and development curriculum, a network of skilled communicators sharing best practice, mentoring opportunities and more!
For more information on how becoming a part of the Communications Profession can support your career and development please visit the GCS careers page.
For our top tips on how to write your application, please take a look at the GCS’s recruitment top tips for candidates guide.
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