Senior Media Officer

Job summary

Ofqual is the independent qualifications regulator for England. We currently regulate 200+ awarding organisations, and approx. 11,600 certified qualifications.

These include GCSEs, AS and A levels, and a broad range of vocational and technical qualifications.

For more information about the work we do please visit our website and our Careers Pages https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofqual and
https://www.civil-service-careers.gov.uk/ofqual-hub/

The communications team at Ofqual plays a vital role in helping the organisation achieve its mission as the regulator of qualifications, examinations and assessments in England. We help build understanding and trust in Ofqual's work through strategic communications, media engagement, digital channels and internal communications.

Whether we're managing high-profile media moments, developing internal campaigns to engage staff, or shaping long-term strategies to protect Ofqual's reputation, we pride ourselves on being creative, collaborative and always focused on impact.

Job description

As a senior media officer, you'll play a leading role in delivering Ofqual's proactive and reactive media activity, helping to shape public understanding of our work and protect the organisation's reputation.

We’re looking for someone who is experienced working in a press office, successfully builds and manages internal relationships, and can work with nuanced topics and complex information.

You'll be confident providing strategic media advice to senior leaders, preparing spokespersons for interviews and supporting them during high-profile and potentially challenging media engagements.

You will lead and contribute to multi-channel communications campaigns supporting Ofqual’s priority areas of work.

You'll be a strategic thinker who can see the bigger picture, with excellent judgement and the confidence to advise and constructively challenge senior colleagues when needed.

You'll have significant experience in a press office or media relations role, together with a strong understanding of digital communications, social media and the evolving media landscape.

Person specification

Please refer to the job description attached for a full list of essential criteria to support your application.

Behaviours

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

• Delivering at Pace
• Seeing the Big Picture
• Making Effective Decisions
• Communicating and Influencing

We only ask for evidence of these behaviours on your application form:

• Seeing the Big Picture
• Making Effective Decisions
• Communicating and Influencing

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £41,935, Ofqual (Office of Qualifications and Examinations Regulation) contributes £12,148 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).

As a Civil Servant, you will benefit from a leading, modern employment offer which includes flexible working arrangements that support people at different stages in their lives, and pensions among the best available in the UK, as well as generous annual leave entitlements.

Other benefits you can enjoy include:

• Organisational performance related bonus
• Cycle-to-work scheme
• Regular professional development
• Health and wellbeing initiatives such as mini-medicals, flu vaccinations
• Employee assistance programme and occupational health
• Free eye tests and contribution towards lenses/spectacles for VDU users, if appropriate
• Family friendly policies
• Interest free rail season ticket loan
• Access to exclusive discounts
• Free car parking

We are committed to promoting Equality, Diversity, Inclusion and Wellbeing throughout the organisation. We are proud of the action we are taking to support this. We welcome applications from individuals from all backgrounds to support our ethos of creating a diverse culture that is reflective of both our employees and the learners we support.

Due to our continued commitment and focus in relation to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion, our inclusion and fair treatment score based on the Civil Service 2024 annual people survey ranks us joint 5th out of 104 participating departments.

Ofqual is a rewarding, dynamic place to work. We offer employees the opportunity to develop within their role and progress through the organisation via a number of Learning and Development opportunities and activities.

Ofqual has a highly engaged workforce. Our 2024 Civil Service People Survey score on engagement was 71%, against 64% for the whole Civil Service, and was the joint 12th highest of the 104 participating CS departments.

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.

Please note that Ofqual does not offer Visa sponsorship.

You will be assessed on the Behaviours shown above at interview stage.

Ofqual has adopted anonymised recruitment. This means that your name, date of birth and other personal details will not be seen by the sift panel. You’ll be asked to remove all personal details from your CV when you apply.

When you press the ‘apply now’ button, you will be asked to complete personal details (not seen by the shortlisting panel), your career history and qualifications.

You will then be asked to provide a personal statement evidencing how you meet the essential criteria shown on the job description attached to this advert. Once this job has closed, the job description will no longer be available. You may wish to save a copy for your records.

Please ensure you demonstrate clearly, within your personal statement, how you meet these requirements as this will form a key part of your evidence when the panel is scoring your application, against the requirements of the role.

Should a large number of applications be received, an initial sift will be undertaken using the work history and personal statement against the lead essential criteria, which is experience of news management in a corporate communication setting, media office or busy media environment in a similar capacity.

During the interview process, this vacancy will include a task. This will take place on the day prior to your interview. This will be a written test to check planning, spelling and grammar skill and ability to work at pace