Grade 7 News – Chief Press Officer - #1735211

London

Job Summary

The Ministry of Defence and the single services (Royal Navy, RAF and British Army) are subject to intense public, Parliamentary and media scrutiny. The Directorate of Defence Communications (DDC) communicates departmental and military activities externally to the media, stakeholders, and the public, and internally to our people.

The news team is within DDC and is responsible for communicating externally to media all Ministerial, departmental and senior military announcements and engagements. The news team is the front of house for journalists requesting comment from the department and protects and promotes the government’s reputation by maximising positive national and international media coverage, producing engaging digital content and rebutting inaccuracies.

The Chief Press Officer role is a key part of the news team’s senior management and will play an important role in planning and delivering proactive and reactive communications for Ministers and the department.

This position is advertised at 37 hours per week.

Job Description

This is a demanding and pressured role, requiring excellent communications skills and experience (both written and verbal), strong news judgement, political nous and the ability to engage effectively with the MOD Ministerial team, including the Secretary of State, and senior figures across the military and the civil service, including No.10.

Key Responsibilities Include:

• Play a full and proactive role in the Directorate’s leadership team
• Line manage a team of Press Officers, including a Senior Press Officer, to ensure a well-motivated, effectively functioning News team, which provides a high quality service for the Department.
• Ensure the news team can surge effectively to support major events or deal with crises including operational events.
• Work to lead, inspire and develop staff within the News team.
• Provide coaching/training and development by mentoring the news team
• Work closely with the Ministers, the Army, Royal Air Force and Royal Navy and other senior personnel on strategic and organisational issues, areas of reputation risk and specific news matters.
• Be involved in the strategic planning process from an early stage working with communications teams across the Directorate, policy teams, Private Offices and Special Advisors to produce robust delivery plans to inform communications activity.
• Engage proactively in high level and senior cross-Government news planning efforts including No.10 meetings and the work of partner departmental Media Teams.
• Proactively work with the wider management team to ensure coherence of message between external communications and sustained longer term pieces of work or campaigns.
• Work effectively with the campaigns, events and digital teams so day-to-day reactive and media management work is joined up with wider communications strategies and campaigns.
  
  

The post holder will also take part in a back-up rota to provide guidance to the out of hours duty press officers

This is a demanding and pressured role, requiring excellent communications skills and experience (both written and verbal), strong news judgement, political nous and the ability to engage effectively with the MOD Ministerial team, including the Secretary of State, and senior figures across the military and the civil service, including No.10.

Key Responsibilities Include:

• Play a full and proactive role in the Directorate’s leadership team
• Line manage a team of Press Officers, including a Senior Press Officer, to ensure a well-motivated, effectively functioning News team, which provides a high quality service for the Department.
• Ensure the news team can surge effectively to support major events or deal with crises including operational events.
• Work to lead, inspire and develop staff within the News team.
• Provide coaching/training and development by mentoring the news team
• Work closely with the Ministers, the Army, Royal Air Force and Royal Navy and other senior personnel on strategic and organisational issues, areas of reputation risk and specific news matters.
• Be involved in the strategic planning process from an early stage working with communications teams across the Directorate, policy teams, Private Offices and Special Advisors to produce robust delivery plans to inform communications activity.
• Engage proactively in high level and senior cross-Government news planning efforts including No.10 meetings and the work of partner departmental Media Teams.
• Proactively work with the wider management team to ensure coherence of message between external communications and sustained longer term pieces of work or campaigns.
• Work effectively with the campaigns, events and digital teams so day-to-day reactive and media management work is joined up with wider communications strategies and campaigns.
  
  

The post holder will also take part in a back-up rota to provide guidance to the out of hours duty press officers

Person specification

You will have proven and extensive media relations experience and strong interpersonal and leadership skills. You will have a proven track record in building and managing news teams in a busy Whitehall department and the ability and confidence to respond to unfolding events and crises while keeping a cool, clear head. You will ensure your teams meet immovable deadlines while delivering work to the highest standard.

You will be adept at building strong working relationships across Whitehall with key partner departments in particular No.10, the Cabinet Office and Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office. You will have strong persuasive skills and be able to negotiate to achieve the right outcome for Defence, often in the face of competing cross-Government agendas and priorities both inside Defence and across Whitehall.

You should be able to show you have the confidence and ability to influence or make your case to anyone from senior officials and the military through to Ministers and special advisers in order to deliver appropriate communications outcomes.

Behaviours

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

• Seeing the Big Picture
• Leadership
• Changing and Improving
• Working Together
  
  

Technical skills

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

• Communications: Ideas (https://gcs.civilservice.gov.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Government-Communication-Service-Career-Framework.pdf)
  
  

Alongside your salary of £59,690, Ministry of Defence contributes £17,292 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 employer contribution of 28.97%
• London weighting of £3250 per annum
• Free use of gym at Main Building
• Season ticket advance to assist with travel costs to/from home and your permanent work location
  
  

The post does not offer relocation expenses.

External recruits who join the MOD who are new to the Civil Service will be subject to a six-month probation period.

Please Note: Expenses incurred for travel to interviews will not be reimbursed.

Please be advised that the Department is conducting a review of all pay related allowances which could impact on those allowances that the post currently being advertised attracts.

Any move to MOD from another employer will mean you can no longer access childcare vouchers. This includes moves between government departments. You may however be eligible for other government schemes, including Tax-Free Childcare. Determine your eligibility at https://www.childcarechoices.gov.uk/.

The Ministry of Defence is committed to providing a safe and healthy working environment for its staff which includes educating them on the benefits of not smoking, protecting them from the harmful effects of second-hand smoke and supporting those who want to give up smoking. Under the Smoke-Free Working Environment policy, Smoking and the use of all tobacco products (including combustible and chewing tobacco products) will not be permitted anywhere in the Defence working environment however some exemptions are in place, please refer to local guidance. The policy is Whole Force and includes all Defence personnel, contractors, visitors and other non-MOD personnel. All applicants seeking, considering, or accepting employment with the Ministry of Defence should be aware of this policy and that it is already in place at a number of Defence Establishments.

MOD Recruitment Satisfaction Survey – We may contact you regarding your experience to help us improve our customer satisfaction. The survey is voluntary and anonymous. You may however be given the opportunity to provide additional information to help us improve our service which includes the collection of some personal data as defined by the United Kingdom General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR). The MOD Privacy Policy Notice sets out how we will use your personal data and your rights.

Selection process details

This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours, Experience and Technical skills.

• Apply with a CV and personal statement (750 words) outlining how you meet the person specification.
  
  

When choosing your Behaviour examples, please make sure you use real life scenarios that relate to your own experiences. Whilst technology may help to enhance your written submission, presenting the ideas of others or those generated by technology, could result in your application being rejected.

• Civil Service behaviours and GCS behaviours (GCS Career Framework) assessed at interview.
• Seeing the Big Picture
• Leadership
• Change and Improving
• Working Together
• Communications: Ideas
  

The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equality of opportunity. There is a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.

If you need to advise us that you need additional help or reasonable adjustments for the recruitment process, please contact: [email protected] .

As a result of the changes to the UK immigration rules which came in to effect on 1 January 2021, the Ministry of Defence will only offer sponsorship for a skilled worker visa under the points based system, where a role has been deemed to be business critical. This role does not meet that category and we will not sponsor a visa. It is therefore NOT open to applications from those who will require sponsorship under the points based system.

Should you apply for this role and be found to require sponsorship, your application will be rejected and any provisional offer of employment withdrawn.

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours, Experience and Technical skills.

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check.

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.

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check.

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
  
  

Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.

We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window).

The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.

The Civil Service also offers a Redeployment Interview Scheme to civil servants who are at risk of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the advertised vacancy.

The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.

We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window).

The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.

The Civil Service also offers a Redeployment Interview Scheme to civil servants who are at risk of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the advertised vacancy.

Diversity and Inclusion

The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see the Civil Service People Plan (opens in a new window) and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (opens in a new window).

This vacancy is part of the Great Place to Work for Veterans (opens in a new window) initiative.

Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.

Contact point for applicants

Job Contact :

• Name : Dan Hatton
• Email : [email protected]
  
  

Recruitment team

• Email : [email protected]
  
  

Further information

Please ensure you read the attached candidate information document prior to completing your application. If you are dissatisfied with the service you have received from DBS, or believe that DBS has failed to follow the recruitment process in line with the Civil Service Commission principles of selection for appointment on merit on the basis of Fair and Open competition, you can raise a formal complaint by writing to DBS at the following address: Defence Business Services, Scanning Hub, Room 6124, Tomlinson House, Norcross Lane, Blackpool, FY5 3WP. If after raising your complaint with DBS you remain dissatisfied you can complain directly to the Civil Service Commission at the following address: Civil Service commission, Room G/8, 1 Horse Guards Road, London, SW1A 2HQ Or by email: [email protected]