Senior Press Officer
| Posting date: | 25 July 2025 |
|---|---|
| Salary: | £41,220 to £49,020 per year |
| Additional salary information: | National: £41,220 - £45,400. London: £44,500 - £49,020. Plus additional overtime payments for out of hours duty shifts. For details of our pay on appointment policy, please see below under the heading ‘Salary’. |
| Hours: | Full time |
| Closing date: | 07 August 2025 |
| Location: | Newcastle-upon-Tyne |
| Company: | Government Recruitment Service |
| Job type: | Permanent |
| Job reference: | 418552/3 |
Summary
We are looking for an ambitious, talented and motivated senior press officer for this role.
Whether it's actions to enhance and improve the environment, protecting the nation from flooding and animal disease outbreaks, or preparing new approaches to farming and fishing, the work of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) is of huge public interest.
You’ll lead a team to help communicate our policies and operational activities on both a reactive and proactive basis, briefing journalists on key announcements, arranging media facilities and preparing Ministers for interviews. You will be a highly motivated individual with excellent news judgement, the ability to plan and implement communication strategies, provide advice to Ministers and senior officials from across the Defra group and communicate complex technical information clearly and concisely.
You will manage a team of press officers, develop strong relationships with our delivery agencies and work closely with policy officials across the Defra group to ensure communications are fully integrated into how we deliver our policies.
At all times you’ll be juggling priorities and working to tight deadlines in a fast-moving, constantly changing environment.
Whether it's actions to enhance and improve the environment, protecting the nation from flooding and animal disease outbreaks, or preparing new approaches to farming and fishing, the work of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) is of huge public interest.
You’ll lead a team to help communicate our policies and operational activities on both a reactive and proactive basis, briefing journalists on key announcements, arranging media facilities and preparing Ministers for interviews. You will be a highly motivated individual with excellent news judgement, the ability to plan and implement communication strategies, provide advice to Ministers and senior officials from across the Defra group and communicate complex technical information clearly and concisely.
You will manage a team of press officers, develop strong relationships with our delivery agencies and work closely with policy officials across the Defra group to ensure communications are fully integrated into how we deliver our policies.
At all times you’ll be juggling priorities and working to tight deadlines in a fast-moving, constantly changing environment.
You will also be expected to participate in the out of hours duty rota for which there is additional pay.
Your role would include managing and motivating a small team of press officers, as well as:
- Providing timely proactive and reactive media handling advice to ministers, senior officials and leaders from across the Defra group.
- Organising ministerial or senior leader interviews, visits, announcements and publicity around speeches and events.
- Effectively briefing journalists accurately and with authority.
- Working closely with ministers’ and senior leaders’ private offices, officials and communications colleagues to plan and implement media strategies across a broad range of media outlets including specialist, lifestyle, online and other new media.
- Negotiating with private offices and Number 10 on timing and handling plans.
- Developing an understanding of issues across the Defra group so you to play an effective part in the wider communications team.
- As part of the management team, acting as a role model across the office and helping contribute to cross cutting issues that support the delivery of our objectives.
Proud member of the Disability Confident employer scheme
Disability Confident
About Disability Confident
A Disability Confident employer will generally offer an interview to any applicant that declares they have a disability and meets the minimum criteria for the job as defined by the employer. It is important to note that in certain recruitment situations such as high-volume, seasonal and high-peak times, the employer may wish to limit the overall numbers of interviews offered to both disabled people and non-disabled people. For more details please go to Disability Confident.