Senior Media Relations Officer

House of Commons

The House of Commons is a unique and exciting place to work right at the heart of the UK's thriving democratic system. 

Behind the scenes, the House of Commons Service is made up of more than 3,000 employees who support and facilitate the smooth day to day running of the House. They provide professional services to Members of Parliament, their staff, and the wider parliamentary community.

Staff Benefits

In addition to your salary, we offer an attractive range of benefits including: 

• 30 days’ annual leave (increasing to 35 days after first full leave year). 
• Civil Service pension with an average employer contribution of 27%. 
• Access to training and development. 
• Flexible working. 
• Interest free season ticket loan and bicycle loan. 

Introduction 

The Media Relations team is part of the Communications Office and based in the Office of the Executive. The Media Relations Team provides tailored media support to the House of Commons, including a number of bicameral offices. The team manages the Commons Press Office, a 24/7 service for media enquiries related to Chamber business and procedure, as well as corporate issues related to the House of Commons.

The Role 

The post-holder will work alongside other Senior Media Relations Officers within a busy team at the frontline for the House of Commons’ contact with the media.

It will be your job to engage journalists on the work of the House of Commons through reactive reputational media work and proactive external communications. As well as answering incoming media enquiries, you will ensure enquiry logging systems are up to date, prepare briefing materials and responses on behalf of the organisation, and be part of a team that produces daily internal news briefings and weekly business bulletins for journalists.

This role requires versatility and creativity and needs a committed self-starter. We are looking for someone who can demonstrate a considerable working knowledge of media relations and UK politics, with strong writing experience, excellent stakeholder management skills and the ability to produce engaging and accessible information on complex subjects, often to deadline.

Some of the responsibilities for this role include:

• Respond to and log media enquiries on a range of issues relating to the business and procedure of the House of Commons, the House Service and Domestic Select Committees, providing answers or seeking advice/referring on enquiries as appropriate, often working under pressure to fulfil short deadlines.
• Effectively respond to breaking stories: providing a timely, accurate and professional service to journalists - as well as to internal stakeholders across the House Administration.
• Oversee the monitoring of print, broadcast and online media for relevant coverage, and assist preparation of or produce daily internal briefings.

Skills and Experience 

To be successful in this role you will demonstrate:

• Excellent written and oral communications skills, with the ability to grasp complex issues quickly and communicate them accurately and effectively to different audiences.
• Good awareness of the media landscape, experience of news handling and/or responding to media enquiries, providing an outstanding service.
• Experience of creating and placing news stories across a range of media channels, with an awareness of audience diversity and an ability to tailor messages and channels to attract the interest of people from a broad range of backgrounds.
• Ability to remain focused under pressure, organise priorities and tackle complex tasks and issues, with determination in a busy environment.
• Working knowledge of Parliament and Government, with experience of exercising political awareness and providing impartial information.

Next Steps and Additional Information

• CV & Supporting Statement – If you would like to apply for this role, please submit your CV and covering letter with a 500 word limit. 

More information on the role and the full criteria can be found in the Job Description. 

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