Communications Officer

Posting date:	16 March 2026
Salary:	£34,765 to £41,375 per year
Additional salary information:	National: £34,765-£37,080. London: £38,795-£41,375. For details of our pay on appointment policy, please see below under the heading ‘Salary’.
Hours:	Full time
Closing date:	25 March 2026
Location:	Newcastle-upon-Tyne
Company:	Government Recruitment Service
Job type:	Permanent
Job reference:	452217/3

Summary

Would you like to work on exciting issues that really make a difference to people’s lives? As the UK government department responsible for safeguarding our natural environment, supporting our world-leading food and farming industry, and sustaining a thriving rural economy, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) plays a pivotal role in people's day-to-day life, from the food we eat, the water we drink, to the air we breathe.

Within the Defra Communications Directorate you will be welcomed into a collaborative, professional network and supported to build a fulfilling and impactful career. We provide a communications service to the department and other Defra group bodies, such as the Environment Agency, the Rural Payments Agency (RPA), Natural England and the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA).

Successful candidates will be placed in various teams within the Defra Communications Directorate. Candidates invited to interview will be able to indicate their preference for which team they would like to join. Whilst we will take these preferences into account, we cannot guarantee that successful applicants will be allocated to their preferred team.

• Taking the lead on creating and delivering multi-channel communications plans across media, digital, stakeholder or internal channels, working with policy and external delivery colleagues.
• Leading on evaluating the success of our communications to help us continually improve how we communicate with our target audiences, gathering insight and data to help design and evaluate communications and apply lessons learnt.
• Work with teams to develop and deliver accurate, engaging and accessible content across the full range of communications formats – including news articles, op-eds, blogs, social media graphics, video, photography and animation – repurposing and optimising assets across owned, earned and paid channels.
• Using digital tools to provide issue monitoring, reporting and rebuttal advice to Defra and the ALBs group Communications supports.
• Building strong working relationships with peers and clients and being able to deliver work at pace to short timescales, as well as proactively seeking opportunities to expand our reach by engaging with new groups, including journalists and stakeholders.
• Maintaining a forward planner to support planning for key communications milestones.
• Protecting and enhancing the reputation of Defra group through horizon scanning, issues management or internal communications.
• Supporting the organisation and delivery of internal or external events – both in person and digitally through the use of Microsoft Teams Town Hall or other digital engagement tools.

Proud member of the Disability Confident employer scheme

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.