Communications Manager

at  Scottish Government

Overview:
Transport Scotland is the national transport agency for Scotland and is accountable to Parliament and the public through Scottish Ministers. As an agency of the Scottish Government, and with a budget of around £3.9 billion per year, our purpose is to deliver the Scottish Government’s vision for transport which is set out in the National Transport Strategy 2. Our vision is for a sustainable, inclusive, safe and accessible transport system helping deliver a healthier, fairer and more prosperous Scotland for communities, businesses and visitors. For more information please visit www.transport.gov.scot
Are you interested in a dynamic and high profile role in one of the busiest news desks in public sector communications?
Applications are invited for the role of Communications Manager within the Transport Scotland news team. This is a rare opportunity to use your communications skills as part of a supportive team who prioritise professional development and best practice.
We promote transport policy and investment in Scotland through media relations and digital communications. We protect the reputation of Ministers and the agency through a rapid rebuttal service. We work closely with policy teams, special advisors and Ministers on a daily basis – working in partnership with SG, LA, emergency service and transport operator communications teams across the country.
The successful candidate will have the chance to develop and strengthen their experience across media relations, digital communications, strategic communications and stakeholder engagement, all while contributing clearly to strategic priorities of the agency and Scottish Ministers. Crisis and resilience communications also features heavily in this role – particularly in the winter months or in relation to various public transport service or roads issues.
The successful candidate is likely to come from a PR or journalism background and will have an interest in politics and current affairs. An ability to think creatively and use a wide range of channels to target the right audiences is critical. They must have a good news sense, able to manage media engagements and be comfortable providing advice to senior officials and Ministers. From buses to bikes, and from ferries to freight – personal resilience will be required in what can be a high-pressure environment and where short deadlines are a common feature of the role.

• Proactive media relations – use insight to design and deliver on digital by default communications strategies for a portfolio of policy areas, which take account of the media cycle and enable key messages to be delivered to target audiences.
• Reactive media relations – anticipating reactive media pressure before it materialises, working with policy colleagues to develop clear and concise lines to take.
• Crisis and resilience communications – with an understanding of resilience doctrine and the communications landscape, work with partners during periods of crisis to warn and inform the public around travel and transport.
• Duty press officer – be comfortable handling any and all proactive and reactive media relations requests out of hours as part of a 24/365 news operation (full training and support provided)
• Media evaluation – ensure evaluation opportunities are built into communications plans from the outset and produce best practice evaluation reports to develop new insight which supports continuous improvement.
• Content creation – supporting digital colleagues with AV content obtained at media events and to be willing to support the design and editing process.
• Stakeholder engagement – representing TS communications at wider external communications meetings, senior forums and statutory emergency exercises (both desk-based and live-play) which can also support the delivery of major national events