JOB SUMMARY

Discover a career in your hands at HMRC. Whether you’re seeking purpose, growth, or a workplace that gives you a true sense of belonging, hear from some of our employees as they share their story about what it’s really like to work at HMRC.
Visit our YouTube channel to watch the full series and come and discover your potential.
Are you passionate about shaping public perception and handling high-profile media stories?
Do you have experience in managing complex media relations or working in busy external communication roles?
If so, continue reading to find out more about this fantastic opportunity to join HMRC’s Press Office.
Our Press Office runs one of the most high-profile 24-hour news operations in government, dealing with subjects from Self Assessment to Inheritance Tax, and tax avoidance and offshore evasion to Child Benefit.
We are responsible for liaising with journalists from all media outlets on both a pro-active and reactive basis, ensuring that inaccurate information is rebutted and that we represent HMRC policies and activity clearly and accurately.
With a proactive approach to media and stakeholder engagement, we are breaking new ground in digital and social media news management, directly influencing the daily lives of every UK citizen.

JOB DESCRIPTION

Our team is dispersed across the UK, making teamwork and support among colleagues essential. Building strong relationships with HMRC teams, other government departments and the media is crucial for promoting and explaining HMRC’s policies effectively. This role requires strong interpersonal skills and the ability to present compelling communications strategies to senior leaders.
Job holders in this grade will carry out a range of activities across communications professional disciplines to support efficient running of the directorate. This may involve being deployed to support emerging priority work.
We provide a 24/7/365 service to the media running an on call service outside of normal working hours, which are 9am to 6pm Monday to Friday. All colleagues at grade Higher Officer (HO) and above joining the press office team will be part of the on call rota.
If you’re up for a dynamic challenge and enjoy a fast-paced role where every day is different, this could be the perfect opportunity for you.

TECHNICAL SKILLS

We’ll assess you against these technical skills during the selection process:

• Successful candidates will be required to complete a written exercise at interview which will be provided on the day – no preparation is necessary.
• GCS - Insight – press & media
• GCS - Ideas – press & media
• GCS - Implementation – press & media
• GCS - Impact– press & media

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

• GCS - Implementation – press & media

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)
• 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

RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Develop and implement proactive media plans that align with HMRC’s campaigns and business milestones across all platforms.
• Respond to media enquiries within agreed deadlines, working closely with colleagues and officials to agree on suitable messaging.
• Collaborate across the press, digital, external affairs, campaigns and business partner teams to deliver effective, targeted communication strategies.
• Evaluate results and use insights to inform and improve future activities.
• Anticipate and address potential issues before they arise, handling them effectively and rebutting inaccurate media stories.
• Keep the Press Office Planner updated on key events and opportunities.
• Identify opportunities for specialist media coverage and lead the execution of those stories.
• Monitor media coverage to stay informed on relevant stories.
• Build strong relationships with journalists, stakeholders and officials across HMRC and other government departments to ensure accurate, timely messaging.
• Supporting, colleagues across the Press, Digital and External Affairs team and the wider communications team to ensure delivery of priority work.
• Participate in the out-of-hours press office on call rota.