At Ofwat, we are looking for a Press Officer (Senior Associate) to join our team.
Press Officer (Senior Associate)
London (E14 4HD) or Birmingham (B5 4UA), with hybrid working
Full time flexible working, permanent
£35,328 - £42,000
Please Note: Applicants must be authorised to work in the UK
Ofwat (The Water Services Regulation Authority) is a non-ministerial government department. We regulate the water sector in England and Wales.
Safe, reliable and sustainable water and wastewater services are essential for our day-to-day lives, our well-being, and our natural world.
Our role is to help build trust and confidence with customers, the environment and wider society.
Our work is high-profile and fast-moving, within a dynamic and agile environment. The work that you’ll be involved in every day will be about helping us to deliver our strategy, and helping the sector to deliver outcomes that matter to customers and society.
About the role:
Corporate Communications in Ofwat is an essential tool for the delivery of our strategy, working across the business to encourage effective engagement and communication amongst our own people and with external audiences.
The successful candidate will lead Ofwat’s press office function, building our profile and reputation, developing proactive campaigns and lead reactive media handling. You will need to establish yourself as credible and reliable with all parts of the organisations – including the leadership team. You will have the ability to understand often complex, technical policy and turn it into accessible, compelling messages. You will develop and deliver a media relations strategy, building on our overall communications strategy and ensuring that we use the media effectively to reach our target audience.
Key deliverables:
As a Senior Associate, Press Officer you will:
Oversee the press office function within Ofwat, acting as the primary point of contact for the media – national print, broadcast and trade
Work closely with the relevant policy leads, to build proactive opportunity such as national broadcast interviews, op-eds, features etc.
Lead our reactive media handling. You will draft lines to take, statements and press releases
Coordinate closely with press offices in Ofwat’s key stakeholders including other regulators and government departments, ensuring timely sharing of information and insights
Ensure that Ofwat’s senior leadership are briefed on any relevant news stories or emerging issues
Be responsible for preparing senior colleagues in advance of broadcast or print media interviews. This will include drafting comprehensive briefing notes and prep interview sessions
Build strong relationships with key journalists across national print, broadcast and trade media
Manage Ofwat’s external media monitoring service and provide monthly media metrics and analysis for Ofwat’s Board
Ofwat operates an ‘out-of-hours’ media enquiry service. You will be required to manage the ‘out-of-hours’ rota and also to take part in it, including occasionally at weekends and public holidays.
Essential experience, skills and knowledge required for the role:
Significant experience in leading media relations activities in a high-profile organisation.
Experience of working in a demanding, high-pressure environment, with tight deadlines
Experience of horizon scanning; identifying issues and challenges in the external environment and developing appropriate responses
Strategic thinking and ability to plan ahead
Excellent writing skills, including a flair for turning complex technical material into compelling content for news outlets
Experience of challenging and influencing the thinking of internal and external stakeholders.
Attributes and behaviours:
Focused on delivering great outcomes
Builds trust with stakeholders internally and externally
Promotes collaboration and cross party working
Champions change
Benefits:
A generous Civil Service pension with an average employer contribution of 27%
Access to our package of benefits via our ‘Edenred’ scheme. This is a voluntary benefits scheme where staff have access to exclusive discounts on a range of goods and services such as retail outlets, theatre tickets, holidays, insurance and gym membership;
Cycle-to-work scheme;
Season ticket loan for travel between home and office;
Flexible working arrangements;
Fees paid for membership of relevant professional bodies;
Regular professional development;
A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity
Health and well-being initiatives
How to apply for the role:
If you have the skills and experience required for this position, click “apply” today and you will be directed to the company website where you will be able to submit an application form.
You must be authorised to work in the UK. No agencies please.
Other suitable skills and experience includes Press Officer, Media, Senior Associate, Team Leader, Communications, Comms, PR, Water Industry