Communications Officer

Job summary

About the VMD

The VMD is the regulatory and policy lead responsible for issues concerning the authorisation, use, and manufacture of veterinary medicines in the UK.

Our aim is to protect public health, animal health, and the environment, and promote animal welfare by assuring the safety, quality and effectiveness of veterinary medicines.

Find out more at: About us - Veterinary Medicines Directorate - GOV.UK

About the Job

We are looking for a Communications Officer to join our team and play a key role in supporting the Communications Team, and the wider organisation by acting as a primary point of contact for external enquiries. This includes managing the correspondence database, the public-facing mailbox, main telephone line and incoming post, ensuring all enquiries are accurately logged, appropriately triaged and resolved within agreed timelines. You willprovide internal communications support by coordinating information from across the VMD to create and deliver weekly staff newsletters, and maintain the reception PowerPoint slides. You will be responsible for publishing external communications on GOV.UK in line with style and accessibility guidelines, while maintaining accurate contact records and databases using Microsoft Office applications.

Job description

You will provide efficient business support by:

• handling general enquiries and complaints, including phone calls into our mainline using MS Teams telephone.
• managing and maintaining our correspondence management system (eCase), ensuring enquiries and call-back requests are accurately recorded, assigned, tracked, and closed within set service standards.
• publishing website edits for VMD content on GOV.UK (training provided), ensuring adherence to style guides.
• managing our internal and external contact records.
• undertaking routine and ad hoc administrative tasks as required to support team objectives and delivery plans.
• contributing to wider business compliance activities, including quality management, information security, and data protection.
• complying with ISO 9001 (quality management) and ISO 27001 (information security) standards, as well as GDPR and record management requirements.
• acting corporately by meeting, role-modelling, embedding, and championing VMD corporate objectives.

You will be responsible for:

• Delivering internal communications by collating news items and publishing weekly staff bulletins on the Intranet using our in-house style, proactively sourcing content from across the organisation.
• Updating and maintaining Reception TV PowerPoint slides to ensure accurate and up-to-date messaging.

Person specification

We’re looking for you to have experience:

• Following style guides and using best practice to deliver content utilising various channels.
• Working in websites and/or content management systems.
• Providing administrative support in a business environment with internal and external stakeholders.

We’re looking for someone that:

• Enjoys working collaboratively with different business areas; you are able to build working relationships and demonstrate an understanding of your audience and how to communicate with impact.
• Has good organisational skills and attention to detail; you will be able to prioritise your workload to achieve deadlines.
• Has good written English and can draft emails and internal communications.
• Is proficient in the use of Microsoft Office 365 packages, particularly Microsoft Teams, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook, and can learn in-house packages quickly.
• Is comfortable asking questions and seeking clarification when needed.

Behaviours

We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:

• Communicating and Influencing
• Delivering at Pace

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £29,770, Veterinary Medicines Directorate contributes £8,624 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides (opens in a new window).

• Learning and development tailored to your role

• An environment with flexible working options

• A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity

• A Civil Service pension is one of the best workplace pension schemes in the UK public sector, with an average employer contribution of 28.97%

• Onsite gym

• Access to a prayer room

• Free onsite parking

• Free eyesight test

Awork-life balance is key for us all. We offer flexible working as well as health, well-being and discount schemes. The annual leave package starts at 25 days per year and increases to 30 days over five years. We offer generous maternity, paternity, shared, and adoption leave.

This gives you a flavour of what’s available, but there is so much more we could mention – see Civil Service Employee Benefits , Civil Service Careers for further information.

Things you need to know

Artificial intelligence

Artificial intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Please see our candidate guidance (opens in a new window) for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.

Selection process details

This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours, Strengths and Experience.

Further information about success profiles with guidance on how to complete your application form is available here - About the application process , Civil Service Careers

As part of the application process, you will be assessed on your experience and will be asked to complete:

• A CV which should include your job history, skills and experience
• A 250-word personal statement: “Referring to the 'responsibilities and 'skills and experience' sections of the job advert, please demonstrate how you are suitable for the role by providing relevant examples”.

Further details around what this will entail are listed on the application form. Success Profiles: Experience - GOV.UK

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