Press Officer (Band 2)

Job title: Press Offiacer

Salary: £34,750 plus on call allowance

Grade: Band 2

Contract type: TfL    

Reference: 4844

Number of roles: 1 x Full Time Contract details: Perm, Hybrid Location: Palestra - Southwark, London Application closing date: Monday 20th July

All offers of employment are subject to satisfactory right‑to‑work checks.  Candidates must be able to demonstrate their right to work in the UK.  At the present time TfL is unable to offer visa sponsorship for

About the role:

TfL’s award-winning Press Office is looking for a creative and proactive Press Officer to join this supportive and collaborative team. As a well-known and much-loved heritage brand that touches the lives of people in a way no other organisation does, public and political scrutiny of TfL is always high, and no two days in the Press Office are the same.  

You will have a passion for public relations and a nose for news and will play a key part in cementing TfL as the green heartbeat of the capital. You will effectively and efficiently manage media issues, protect TfL’s reputation and promote public transport, cycling, walking and its green initiatives, as well as its financial and commercial property interests. You will have a role in developing and delivering engaging PR campaigns and supporting other communications channels with their public messaging. 

This is an exciting and challenging opening with development opportunities for someone who can enhance TfL’s reputation through:

• Creating engaging news releases and pitching news and feature stories to national, consumer, regional and trade press and broadcast media.
• Designing and delivering creative PR  campaigns, amplify large-scale cross-channel communications and supporting compelling social media content. 
• Proactively promoting the work of TfL to media by identifying positive PR opportunities, responding quickly and sensitively to negative or critical news stories to protect TfL's reputation.
• Arranging media visits and preparing spokespeople for interviews.
• Identifying and preparing for issues that have the potential to adversely affect TfL’s reputation.
• Building effective relationships with a broad range of people, from senior management and frontline colleagues, to external partners and brands and skilful at developing positive relationships with journalists across all media.
• Being the first point of contact for media on issues affecting TfL’s reputation.  
• Confidently taking part in a rota providing media with out-of-hours service (evenings and weekends).

About you:

You will be an energetic, positive and creative communications professional, who has: 

• Proven sustained experience and success in planning, co-ordinating and delivering PR campaigns for a range of audiences and writing for large audiences.
• At least a year’s experience in a busy and high-profile media environment, and of handling questioning from journalists on deadline.
• A good knowledge of the media landscape and knowledge of current PR techniques, including best practice of visual and copy-led media. 
• High-quality written and verbal communication skills.  
• The talent to create compelling PR campaigns, news stories and visual content
• The flexibility to work collaboratively, prioritise own workload, react to fast-paced events and the judgement to escalate issues when needed. 
• The ability to form effective relationships with a broad range of people, including operational staff, policy officials, senior management and media. 
• An awareness of the relationship between TfL and the Greater London Authority (GLA) and TfL in the wider political context. 

Application Process:

• Please provide a covering letter and CV, the length of each should be no longer than two sides of an A4 page.
• Think carefully about the skills, knowledge and experience in the advert and cover this in your CV
• PDF format preferred and do not include any photographs or images
• We may close this advert early if we receive a high volume of suitable applications. 

We will make every effort to give you as much notice as possible, however some interviews/assessments could be organised at short notice.

Equality, diversity and inclusion:

We are committed to equality, diversity and inclusion. We want to represent the city we serve, which will help us become a more innovative and efficient organisation. Our goal is to make our recruitment as inclusive as possible. We are a disability confident employer who guarantee an interview to any disabled candidate who meets all of the essential criteria. We also use anonymising software that removes identifying information from CVs and cover letters to make the process fair.

Benefits:

In return for your commitment and expertise, you will enjoy excellent benefits and scope to grow. Rewards vary according to the level of role but mostly include the below:

On call allowance

Final salary pension scheme 
Free travel for you on the TfL network 
Reimbursement of 75% of the cost of a standard class Ticket for National Rail travel from home
30 days annual leave plus public and bank holidays 
TfL is committed to work-life balance, operating a hybrid working approach where business and role requirements allow
Private healthcare discounted scheme (optional) (Delete if not applicable – LU spot grades/Q grades)
Tax-efficient cycle-to-work programme
Retail, health, leisure and travel offers 
Discounted Eurostar travel
 
We will make every effort to give you as much notice as possible, however some interviews/assessments could be organised at short notice.

Hybrid working within this role enables a balance of 50 per cent of time split between the office and home over a 4-week period. Hybrid working arrangements can evolve subject to business requirements. 

Vetting Process:

At Transport for London, safety, trust and fairness sit at the heart of how we recruit. Our Vetting Charter (https://tfl.gov.uk/corporate/careers/our-vetting-process) explains the checks we carry out before you join us, helping ensure we create a safe, inclusive and reliable network for everyone who depends on our services. We simply ask that the information you provide is honest and accurate so we can progress your application smoothly. If something doesn’t match or can’t be verified, we may not be able to move forward with your application, but we’ll always treat you with transparency, respect, and clear communication throughout.

TfL is currently unable to provide sponsorship to candidates for this role as the Home Office’s eligibility criteria for sponsorship will not be met. TfL keeps its approach under review in line with changes to UK immigration rules. We are also unable to provide advice or guidance on individual immigration queries and advise candidates to check the Government’s website for further information. 

You may be required to undergo a Metropolitan Police NPPV1 (non-police personnel vetting) vetting process.