Press & Communications Secretary to the Secretary of State
| Posting date: | 15 May 2025 |
|---|---|
| Salary: | £59,900 to £67,090 per year |
| Additional salary information: | For details of our pay on appointment policy, please see below under the heading ‘Salary’. |
| Hours: | Full time |
| Closing date: | 28 May 2025 |
| Location: | London |
| Company: | Government Recruitment Service |
| Job type: | Permanent |
| Job reference: | 404130/1 |
Summary
You will be a highly experienced communications professional with excellent knowledge of communications handling, combined with strong news judgement, political awareness and the ability to confidently present your work.
This is a brand new role within Defra communications, working on high profile issues, directly supporting the Secretary of State to communicate the important work of Defra and its Arm's Length Bodies (ALBs) to the media and the public. The objective is simple – to strategically plan and deliver long term communications using clear, creative and original content to reach our audiences. As part of a high-performing team, you will combine first-class communications skills, insight and exceptional news judgement to deliver creative communications plans which cover a full range of high profile media and non-traditional media, creative digital content and stakeholder engagement. You will demonstrate resilience working under pressure to short deadlines.
You will work closely with the Secretary of State and his political team, also spending time in the private office. Working with the speechwriter and the senior Defra communications team you will help shape the Secretary of State’s communications to match his voice.
This is a high-profile role and you will need to develop influential and trusted relationships with a diverse range of internal and external stakeholders, including ministers and special advisers and of course the Secretary of State, with evidence of dealing with high-profile sensitive issues, professionalism and the ability to command confidence. As a senior member of the communications team, you will be required to work collaboratively across communications disciplines including Media, Digital and Strategic Communications.
Roles and responsibilities:
- Provide communications and media advice to the Secretary of State
- Help shape Secretary of State communications content to ensure it matches his voice
- Brief the Secretary of State ahead of media engagements and attend visits
- Work with the high-performing communications team to develop proactive strategies that set the news agenda across the full range of channels including political, business and consumer audiences
- Contribute to a pipeline of positive Defra stories, assisting with strategic planning
- As part of an out of hours duty rota, provide media advice to the Secretary of State, ministers, department and wider Defra Group
- Have personal impact in the full range of media work from briefing journalists to advising ministers face-to-face
- Advise ministers, special advisers and senior policy colleagues on sensitive, complex or high-profile issues
- Build a strong network of relationships with key media across the brief
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