Details Reference number 345772 Salary £36,466 GBP Job grade Higher Executive Officer Contract type Permanent Business area DFT - Corporate Delivery Group (CDG) - Group Communications Type of role Communications / Marketing Working pattern Flexible working, Full-time, Job share, Part-time Number of jobs available 2 Contents Location About the job Benefits Things you need to know Apply and further information Location London About the job Job summary We recognise the challenges that people with protected characteristics may experience on the job market and in their career progression. We are fully committed to being an inclusive employer and ensuring equal opportunities. We are keen to make our workforce as diverse as possible, and we hope to attract applications from underrepresented groups, including ethnic minorities, people with a disability, and people with gender diverse identities. Are you someone with experience in communications, journalism, news, or PR? Do you have excellent news sense and first-rate media handling skills? If so, we'd love to hear from you Were looking for confident and enthusiastic individuals to work at the heart of one of Whitehalls most high-profile Departments. Youll be helping to shape the news agenda every day, securing broadcast coverage across national news bulletins as well as front-page splashes on key government announcements. Whether it be helping to co-ordinate the governments response to industrial action across the countrys railways; reacting to travel disruption; or promoting our work to achieve net zero, getting more people walking and cycling, and encouraging the switch to electric at the Department for Transport you will be working on some of the most important issues facing the country. We believe that different perspectives and experiences improve the calibre of work we produce. Our press office 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. Find out what it's like working at the Press Office at DfTC Responsibilities include but are not limited to: You will play an important role in responding to media enquiries, working with policy and ministerial teams to inform the public. You will also work proactively on government announcements on a range of significant transport policies and campaigns. This will involve drawing up creative media handling plans and leading on ministerial visits and planning interviews and opportunities in a way that maximises positive coverage. You will play an important role in a 24-hour press office 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 and opportunities for flexible working. For an in-depth insight into the role please refer to the Role Profile. Person specification About you: As the successful candidate, you will: Have experience in communications, journalism, news or PR. Have excellent news sense and first-rate media handling skills. Demonstrate you can effectively rebut inaccurate or misleading reporting. Be effective at spotting proactive media opportunities. Be able to offer high quality advice on media handling for contentious issues. Be an enthusiastic team player with a can-do attitude - offering creative solutions to problems and leading the media agenda. Additional Information: A minimum of 60% of your working time should be spent at your principal workplace, although requirements to attend other locations for official business, or carry out detached duty in another DfT workplace, will also count towards this level of attendance. All members of the Media Team are expected to take part in the out of hours duty rota, for which overtime is paid. You will be required to travel on a monthly basis, accompanying senior officials and attending visits with stakeholders. Behaviours We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process: Communicating and Influencing Delivering at Pace Making Effective Decisions Working Together We only ask for evidence of these behaviours on your application form: Communicating and Influencing Delivering at Pace Technical skills We'll assess you against these technical skills during the selection process: Insight Ideas Implementation Impact Benefits Being part of our brilliant Civil Service means you will have access to a wide range of fantastic benefits. We offer generous annual leave, attractive pension options, flexible working, inclusive working environments and much more to support a healthy work/life balance. Find out more about what it's like working at the Department for Transport. Things you need to know Selection process details This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours, Experience and Technical skills. How to Apply As part of the application process, you will be asked to complete a CV and evidence of 2 Behaviours. Further details around what this will entail are listed on the application form. Each behaviour example will be limited to 250 words. Should a large number of applications be received, an initial sift may be conducted using the lead behaviour which is Communicating and Influencing. Candidates who pass the initial sift may be progressed to a full sift or progressed straight to interview. The sift is due to commence from Monday 29th April 2024. Interviews and assessments are likely to take place from Wednesday 15th May 2024. We will try to meet the dates set out in the advert. There may be occasions when these dates will change. You will be provided with sufficient notice of the confirmed dates. The selection process will be designed specifically for the role. As a result, your assessment will include: An interview A written exercise This interview will be conducted face to face at our London office. Further details will be provided to you should you be selected for interview. Youre encouraged to become familiar with the role profile and the Government Communication Framework (GCS), as you will be assessed against the criteria recorded within. The Department for Transport alongside other Government Departments recruit using Success Profiles. This means for each role we consider what you will need to demonstrate in order to be successful. This gives us the best possible chance of finding the right person for the job, drives up performance and improves diversity and inclusivity. For further information on Success Profiles visit our Careers website. Reasonable Adjustments As a Disability Confident Leader employer, we are committed to ensuring that the recruitment process is fair, accessible and allows all candidates to perform at their best. If a person with a visible or non-visible disability is substantially disadvantaged, we have a duty to make reasonable changes to our processes. Complete the Assistance required section in the Additional requirements page of your application form to tell us what changes or help you might need during the recruitment process. For instance, you may need wheelchair access at an interview, or if youre deaf, a Language Service Professional. If you need a reasonable adjustment so that you can complete your application, you should contact Government Recruitment Service via dftrecruitment.grscabinetoffice.gov.uk as soon as possible before the closing date to discuss your needs. Document Accessibility If you are experiencing accessibility problems with any attachments on this advert, please contact the email address in the 'Contact point for applicants' section. This job advert contains links to the DfT Careers website. Our website provides useful guidance and information that can support you during the application process. If you cannot access the information on our website for any reason, please email DRGCommsdft.gov.uk for assistance. Further Information For more information about how we hire, and for useful tips on submitting your application for this role, visit the How We Hire page of our DfT Careers website. You can find detailed information about the recruitment process and what to expect when applying for a role. Pre-employment Checking Applicants who are successful at interview will be, as part of pre-employment screening, subject to a check on the Internal Fraud Database (IFD). This check will provide information about employees who have been dismissed for fraud or dishonesty offences. This check also applies to employees who resign or otherwise leave before being dismissed for fraud or dishonesty had their employment continued. Any applicants details held on the IFD will be refused employment. A candidate is not eligible to apply for a role within the Civil Service if the application is made within a 5-year period following a dismissal for carrying out internal fraud against government. For further information on National Security Vetting please visit the following page https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/demystifying-vetting Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment. Security Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is security check (opens in a new window).See our vetting charter (opens in a new window). People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks. Nationality requirements This job is broadly open to the following groups: UK nationals nationals of the Republic of Ireland nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window) nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020 Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service