News and Issues Management Lead - £44,825 p.a. + on call allowance + benefi

at  Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency

JOB SUMMARY

Keen to make the headlines…want to be part of the biggest news and social media stories relating to medicines and medical equipment? Then working for the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) and joining our award-winning news and media team is for you! A great opportunity has arisen for someone looking to progress their career within a news and media setting. Within a week of working here, your day could look like this; you take a call from a national print journalist about a fake batch of counterfeit medicines and liaise with the in-house expert to put together a statement. Meanwhile, you’re also handling an issue with faulty diabetes home testing kits. The next day, you are pulling together a media handling plan on an issue to do with a safety issue for an new innovative product on the UK market.

JOB DESCRIPTION

We are currently looking for a News and Issues Management Lead to join our Communications and Engagement Function within the Enablement group.
This is a full-time opportunity, on a permanent basis. The role will be based in 10 South Colonnade, Canary Wharf London, E14 4PU. Please be aware that this role can only be worked in the UK and not overseas.
We are currently implementing a flexible, hybrid way of working, with a minimum of 8 days per month working on site to enable the collaboration and contact with partners and stakeholders needed to deliver MHRA business. Attendance on site is driven by business needs so depending on the nature of the role, this can flex up to 12 days a month, with the remainder of time worked either remotely or in the office. Some roles will need to be on site more regularly.

PERSON SPECIFICATION

• Extensive knowledge and experience of working in a busy press office or media relations role in a large, complex, expert organisation.
• Extensive knowledge and experience of leading on the response to fast-breaking, high-profile news stories, to deliver business objectives and enhance reputation.
• Experience of evaluating traditional media content and social media to assess performance and inform business decisions.
• Excellent written, editorial, social media engagement and oral communications skills with a strong, proven understanding of what makes a good news story and interesting, accessible content.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills both written and oral, with the ability to develop good working relationships and influence journalists, social media influencers and senior managers, dealing with conflict and challenge in a calm, measured way
  If you would like to find out more about this fantastic opportunity, please read our Job Description and Person Specification!
  Please note: The job description may not open in some internet browsers. Please use Chrome or Microsoft Edge. If you have any issue viewing the job description, please contact careers@mhra.gov.uk
  Benefits

Alongside your salary of £44,825, Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency contributes £12,985 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

• Annual Leave: 25 days annual leave on entry, rising by one day for each completed year of service to a maximum of 30 days and pro-rata for part-time staff. PLUS 8 bank holidays
• Privilege Leave: 1 day
• Hours of Work: 37 hours (net) per week for full time staff in all geographical locations, including London and pro rata for part-time staff
• Occupational Sick Pay (OSP): One month full pay/one month half pay on entry, rising by one month for each completed year of service to a maximum of five months full pay/five months half pay
• Mobility: Mobility clause in contracts allowing staff to be mobile across the Civil Service
• Civil Service Pension Scheme. Please see the link for further information http://www.civilservicepensionscheme.org.uk/ For enquiries relating to the Civil Service Pension Schemes please contact MyCSP’s Pension Service Centre directly on 0300 123 6666
• Flexible working to ensure staff maintain a healthy work-life balance
• Interest free season ticket loan or bike loan
• Employee Assistance Services and access to the Civil Service Benevolent Fund
• Eligibility to join the Civil Service Motoring Association (CSMA)
• Variety of staff and Civil Service clubs
• On-going learning and development

Things you need to know

SELECTION PROCESS DETAILS

We use the Civil Service Success Profiles to assess our candidates, find out more here.

• Online application form, including questions based on the Behaviour, Experience and Technical Success Profiles. Please ensure all application questions are completed in full; your application may not be considered if any responses are left blank. Our applications are CV blind, and our Hiring Managers will not be able to access your CV when reviewing your application.
• Test, further information will be supplied when you reach this stage
• Interview, which can include questions based on the Behaviour, Experience, Technical and Strengths Success Profiles.

Applicants are assessed on whether they meet any mandatory requirements as well as the necessary skills and experience for the role. Applications are scored based on the competency-based answers provided- ensure you have read these thoroughly and allow sufficient time. You can view the competencies for this role in the job description.

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) (opens in a new window)
• 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 (opens in a new window)

THE ROLE WILL INCLUDE;

Manage the agency’s profile and reputation on high profile, sensitive and day-to-day news and issues affecting the organisation and its remit confidently with the media and social media, responding to media enquiries as well as promoting, explaining and justifying its scientific expertise and wider contribution to public health and science nationally and globally.
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- Implement and deliver effective news and issues management strategies at pace, developing and nurturing media and social media contacts, responding quickly and accurately to breaking or negative news stories to limit potentially damaging coverage and drive the agency’s reputation, evaluating outcomes and results.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Proactively and creatively initiate, lead, develop and implement news and issues management strategies that supports the business priorities and culture change set out in the agency’s business and corporate plans.
• Anticipate the emerging news agenda and lead on high-profile and sensitive media issues to manage the reputation of the agency and respond quickly and accurately to breaking or negative stories to limit potentially damaging media and social media coverage.
  Produce and oversee high-quality handling plans that include reactive lines to take, press releases, potential risks, core scripts, briefings and Q&As and considers the use of shareable social media content, ensuring work aligns and integrates with strategic communications priorities and narratives.
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• Develop, build and nurture professional relationships with journalists and social media influencers based on honesty, authority and credibility and stay up to date on media / social media trends. Work closely with others in the Communications and Engagement group and with senior managers across the agency to advise on media handling and to develop appropriate plans. Act as an agency spokesperson, displaying authoritative, clear and sensitive briefing to the media on agency issues. Participate in a 24-hour media on-call rota.