Overview
Details
Reference number
402132
Salary
£37,635
London minimum – £41,751
A Civil Service Pension with an employer contribution of 28.97%
GBP
Job grade
Higher Executive Officer
Information Officer
Contract type
Permanent
Business area
DFE – Strategy Group – Communications Directorate
Type of role
Communications / Marketing Press Relations
Working pattern
Flexible working, Full-time, Job share, Part-time
Number of jobs available
2
Contents
Location
About the job
Benefits
Things you need to know
Apply and further information
Location
Sheffield, Yorkshire and the Humber, S1 2FJ : City of Westminster, London (region), SW1P 3BT
About the job
Job summary
The Department for Education (DfE) is recruiting for a creative, enthusiastic and politically aware person to join our media team.
As the department for opportunity, our work is guided by our desire to build an education system that works for all.
We are responsible for:
Teaching and learning for children in the early years and in primary schools.
Teaching and learning for young people in secondary schools.
Teaching, learning, and training for young people and adults in apprenticeships, traineeships, and further education.
Teaching and learning for young people and adults in higher education.
Supporting professionals who work with children, young people, and adult learners.
Helping disadvantaged children and young people to achieve more.
Making sure that local services protect and support children.
We aim to develop all our staff to enable them to make a full contribution to meeting the Department’s objectives, and to fulfil their own potential.
Job description
The Department for Education has an exciting, diverse brief that is full of key priorities for Number 10. We are looking for a media officer to help us tell the public and media about our work to transform early years, schools, colleges, universities and children’s services in an exciting, innovative way, that drives forward the government’s Opportunity Mission.
You will be joining a busy, high-performing and inclusive communications team that is highly valued by, and works with, Ministers, special advisors and senior officials to communicate key public policy and education priorities.
Job Responsibilities:
Create, research, develop and draft media handling for a range of channels to promote key announcements and policies from the Department.
Establish and maintain key relationships with journalists, keeping them across future announcements from the Department and regularly pitching ideas to them to ensure coverage.
Develop a good understanding of the business priorities for each Ministerial portfolio and identify and flag risks and issues identified.
Monitor and evaluate media to improve future media handling.
Use media and audience insight to inform your approach and adapt messaging and narratives based on the audience.
Provide advice – and constructive challenge where required – to policy teams, the Permanent Secretary, ministers, and special advisers on the communication implications of new, developing and existing policy.
Create and implement communication strategies and integrated media campaigns that keep us on the front foot.
Demonstrate excellent written communication skills across both reactive issues handling and proactive media products to ensure appropriate content, messaging, tone and consistency in media communication.
Represent the DfE in cross-government meetings, and work with external stakeholders to gain insight, to influence where necessary, to suggest joint initiatives where appropriate and to contribute to the existing or proposed initiatives of others.
Participate in the out-of-hours duty rota providing an on-call service to members of the media.
Person specification
Essential Criteria:
Extensive experience working in media, public relations, or other communications roles.
Experience of delivering audience-focused proactive and reactive communications.
Strong oral and written communications skills.
Ability to utilise insight to communicate effectively with different audiences.
Ability to remain calm under pressure, prioritise workload and deal with competing priorities.
Evidence of using evaluation to learn lessons and improve communications.
Ability to build and maintain networks with counterparts in other organisations.
Ability to develop and deliver creative campaigns to tackle issues and promote topics using audience insight.
Behaviours
We’ll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:
Delivering at Pace
Technical skills
We’ll assess you against these technical skills during the selection process:
GCS – Insight: Press and Media
GCS – Implementation: Press and Media
GCS – Ideas: Press and Media
GCS – Impact: Press and Media
Benefits
Alongside your salary of £37,635, Department for Education contributes £10,902 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.
Applicants currently holding a permanent post in the Civil Service should note that, if successful, their salary on appointment would be determined by the Department’s transfer / promotion policies.
As a member of the DfE, you will be entitled to join the highly competitive Civil Service Pension Scheme, which many experts agree is one of the most generous in the UK. You will have 25 days leave, increasing by 1 day every year to a maximum of 30 days after five years’ service. In addition, all staff receive the King’s Birthday privilege holiday and 8 days’ bank and public holidays.
We offer flexible working arrangements, such as job sharing, term-time working, flexi-time and compressed hours.
Most DfE employees will be working a hybrid pattern, spending at least 60% of their time in an office or work setting. Changes to these working arrangements are available in exceptional circumstances but must be agreed with the line manager and in line with the requirements of the role.
Travel to your primary office location will not be paid for by DfE, but costs for travel to an office which is not your main location will be covered.
As an organisation, which exists to support education and lifelong learning, we offer our staff excellent professional development opportunities.
Things you need to know
Selection process details
This vacancy is using Success Profiles , and will assess your Behaviours, Experience and Technical skills.
Step 1: Application
At this stage, we will assess Experience.
To apply for this role, you will be required to provide a CV and Statement of Suitability (statement max word count 750 words).
We will use your CV and statement to assess your suitability for the role against the essential criteria listed in the person specification section above.
The sift will be restricted to just assessing personal statements in the event of a large volume of applications.
More guidance on personal statements can be found here – completing your application.
Step 2: Interview
If successful at sift, candidates will be assessed via interview.
At interview you will be asked questions to assess your experience in line with the essential criteria listed above.
At interview you will be asked questions around the behaviour “Delivering at Pace”.
At interview you will be asked questions around the technical skills GCS – Insight: Press and Media, GCS – Implementation: Press and Media, GCS – Ideas: Press and Media and GCS – Impact: Press and Media.
Sift and interview dates to be confirmed.
Other Information
In your application, please don’t include personal information that identifies you.
This means we can recruit based on your knowledge and skills, and not background, gender or ethnicity – it’s called name blind recruitment .
Please ensure that you remove from your application, all references to your:
name/title
educational institutions
age
gender
email address
postal address
phone number
nationality/immigration status
We understand that you might use AI and other resources for your application; however, please ensure all information you provide is factually accurate, truthful, and original and doesn’t include ideas or work that isn’t your own. This is so that your application is authentically and credibly your own.
We reserve the right to raise the minimum pass mark in the event of a high volume or strong field of candidates.
Please be aware that this role can only be worked in the UK from the location options provided and not from overseas.
The government is committed to supporting apprenticeships, enabling people to learn and progress in a role whilst earning. We want to monitor the number of people who have completed apprenticeships who are now applying to progress further in their career and are asking this question to all candidates, on all vacancies. You will be asked a question as part of the application process about any previous apprenticeships you have completed. Your response to this question will not affect your application and it is not a requirement of the role to have completed a previous apprenticeship.
If successful and transferring from another Government Department a criminal record check maybe carried out.
In order to process applications without delay, we will be sending a Criminal Record Check to Disclosure and Barring Service on your behalf. However, we recognise in exceptional circumstance some candidates will want to send their completed forms direct. If you will be doing this, please advise Department of Education of your intention by emailing Pre-Employment.Checks.DFE@education.gov.uk stating the job reference number in the subject heading.
Department for Education do not cover the cost of travel to your interview/assessment unless otherwise stated.
A reserve list may be held for a period of 6 months from which further appointments can be made.
Candidates will be posted in merit order based upon location preference. Where more than one location is advertised you will be asked to state your preferred location.
New entrants are expected to join on the minimum of the pay band.
Applicants who are successful at interview will be, as part of pre-employment screening subject to a check on the Internal Fraud Database (IFD). This check will provide information about employees who have been dismissed for fraud or dishonesty offences. This check also applies to employees who resign or otherwise leave before being dismissed for fraud or dishonesty had their employment continued. Any applicant’s details held on the IFD will be refused employment.
Terms and conditions of candidates transferring from ALBs and NDPBs
Bodies that are not accredited by the Civil Service Commission and are not able to advertise at Across Government on Civil Service jobs will be treated as external new starters and will come into DfE on modernised terms and conditions with a salary at the band minimum.
Bodies that are accredited by the Civil Service Commission but do not have civil service status will be offered modernised terms and will not have continuous service recognised for leave or sickness benefits. Salaries should be offered at band minimum, but there is some flexibility where this would cause a detriment to the individual.
Bodies that are accredited by the Civil Service Commission and do have Civil Service status will be treated as OGD transfers. Staff appointed on lateral transfer will move on to pre-modernised DfE terms (unless they were on modernised terms in their previous organisation). Staff appointed on promotion will move on to modernised DfE terms. Staff will transfer over on their existing salary (on lateral transfer) and any pay above the DfE pay band maximum will be paid as a mark time allowance. Staff moving on promotion will have their salaries calculated using the principles set out in the attached OGD transfer supplementary information.
Reasonable adjustment
If a person with disabilities is put at a substantial disadvantage compared to a non-disabled person, we have a duty to make reasonable changes to our processes. If you need a change to be made so that you can make your application, you should:
Contact Department of Education via centralrecruitment.operations@education.gov.uk soon as possible before the closing date to discuss your needs.
Complete the “Assistance required” section in the “Additional requirements” page of your application form to tell us what changes or help you might need further on in the recruitment process. For instance, you may need wheelchair access at interview, or if you’re deaf, a Language Service Professional.
Please refer to the attached ‘Reasonable Adjustments Guide 2025 – accessible version’ at the bottom of the advert, for further information.
Childcare Vouchers
Any move to Department for Education (DfE) will mean you will no longer be able to carry on claiming childcare vouchers. This includes moves between government departments. You may however be eligible for other government schemes, including Tax-Free Childcare. Determine your eligibility at https://www.childcarechoices.gov.uk/ Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.
Security
Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check.
People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.
Nationality requirements
This job is broadly open to the following groups:
UK nationals
nationals of the Republic of Ireland
nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service
Further information on nationality requirements
Working for the Civil Service
The Civil Service Code sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants. We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission’s recruitment principles .
The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.
The Civil Service also offers a Redeployment Interview Scheme to civil servants who are at risk of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the advertised vacancy.
Diversity and Inclusion
The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see the Civil Service People Plan and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy .
Apply and further information
This vacancy is part of the Great Place to Work for Veterans initiative.
Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.
Contact point for applicants
Job contact :
Name : Emine Tarim
Email : Emine.tarim@education.gov.uk
Recruitment team
Email : Centralrecruitment.operations@education.gov.uk
Further information
The Department for Education’s recruitment processes are underpinned by the Civil Service Commissioners Recruitment Principles, which outlines that selection for appointment is made on merit based on fair and open competition. You have the right to complain if you feel a department has breached the requirement of the Recruitment Principles. In the first instance, you should raise the matter directly with the department concerned via CentralRecruitment.Operations@education.gov.uk. If you are not satisfied with the response, you may bring your complaint to the Commission. For further information on bringing a complaint to the Civil Service Commission please visit their web pages