Speechwriter to the Secretary of State

Posting date:	27 February 2026
Salary:	£62,000 to £69,105 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:	11 March 2026
Location:	London
Company:	Government Recruitment Service
Job type:	Permanent
Job reference:	450736/1

Summary

We are looking for an ambitious, talented and motivated Speechwriter to join our busy team at the heart of Government. 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) and its Arm's-Length Bodies is of huge public interest.

We are therefore delighted to offer an exciting opportunity for an outstanding communicator to join our fast-paced and high-performing team to create exciting written materials for our Secretary of State. Cultivating and maintaining strong relationships with our wide range of stakeholder groups, policy teams and across the communications directorate will play a crucial role in delivering on the department’s ambitious objectives.

A strong track record of producing high quality speeches, forewords and statements, as well as working at pace, will be essential. It should also be noted that successful candidates will be able to pivot to support across a wide range of policy areas as required. This means that wherever you find your focus, you’ll be working on priority pieces from across the Defra portfolio.

• Writing for the Secretary of State as the priority, alongside supporting the wider ministerial team.
• Devising, developing and delivering inspiring, informative and engaging external and internal communication products across the breadth of Defra’s remit.
• Producing products including speeches, statements, parliamentary materials and forewords aligned with departmental objectives and the wider governmental agenda.
• Working closely with the department’s communication teams to plan and deliver effective communication products ensuring they reflect the 'voice' and priorities of ministers and there is coherence between communication, parliamentary, correspondence and other stakeholder products.
• Overseeing a dynamic speech strategy for the Secretary of State, proactively looking for new and innovative opportunities and platforms to communicate policy/operational announcements.

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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.