JOB SUMMARY

The AGO is a ministerial department serving the Attorney General and the Solicitor General (the Law Officers). The Law Officers are the Government’s chief legal advisers.
The Law Officers make important decisions that affect public life. Among other things, they decide whether to send criminal sentences that may be too low to the Court of Appeal; whether to open inquests into deaths (for example, the Attorney General made the decision to open new inquests into the deaths at Hillsborough); are the Government’s chief legal advisors, providing advice to both the Prime Minister and Secretaries of State on a range of pressing issues touching on every aspect of daily life in the UK; and they represent the Crown Prosecution Service and Serious Fraud Office in Parliament.
The Office comprises around 67 multidisciplinary, engaged and high performing team members advising and supporting the Law Officers in all aspects of their work. We pride ourselves on our problem-solving creativity, sophisticated political and handling awareness, and smart ways of working.
The Law Officers also work alongside the Justice Secretary and Home Secretary to provide a more efficient, effective, and accountable criminal justice system for victims and the public.
The AGO comprises a high-performing, multi-disciplinary, engaged, and resilient team that prides itself on our:
• legal professional excellence and creativity;
• role and reputation;
• team spirit, ethos, and values; and
• individual development and wellbeing.
While the workload can be demanding and there may be times of pressure, the AGO is committed to staff wellbeing and ensuring colleagues have all the support and resources they need to succeed and ensuring our staff maintain a healthy work-life balance. AGO operates a hybrid working policy where there is a requirement of 60% office attendance.
AGO supports the Civil Service vision of being recognised as the UK’s most inclusive employer, by setting stretching diversity and equality objectives for our organisation.
AGO is an employer which promotes equality and aims to reflect the diversity of the society in which we live. It is committed to maximising the skills and potential of all its staff. We welcome applications from all suitably qualified persons irrespective of disability, race, colour, nationality, ethnic or national origins, gender, age, sexual orientation, gender reassignment, marital status or religion/belief.
Further information about the work of the Law Officers and the Office can be found at www.gov.uk/ago

JOB DESCRIPTION

As a Senior Press Officer for the Attorney General’s Office, you will be part of a dynamic and collaborative team at the forefront of shaping public understanding of the Law Officers and the Law Officers’ Departments.
You will play a central role in the AGO’s press office responding to breaking news, managing crisis communications and proactively shaping news stories across traditional and digital media channels.
You will be responsible for taking the lead in strategically planning media activity and ensuring that is integrated with social media and other external events.
This role requires someone who can build strong relationships with journalists, collaborate with internal and external stakeholders, work effectively with ministers, special advisers and senior officials, and lead communications through challenging situations.
You will be a creative thinker, with the ability to spot an opportunity or design a communications campaign to help deliver the Law Officers’ priorities.
You will likely have at least one HEO Press Officer reporting directly to you. As a result, you will need to be able to be able to manage both your own and others’ workloads, juggling competing priorities to tight deadlines.

Responsibilities will include:

• Working with the G7 Deputy Head of Communications to oversee all media activities across the AGO.
• Write, edit and produce engaging, persuasive and accurate copy for key audiences and channels. This includes but isn’t limited to press releases, reactive statements, news stories for GOV.UK, video scripts, and social media.
• Working with the HEO press officer, act as a first point of contact for journalists, ensuring requests are handled quickly and effectively.
• Lead the AGO’s planning function, managing the communications pipeline, engaging with No.10 planners and attending weekly cross-government planning meetings.
• Support the Attorney General’s Rule of Law taskforce with communications planning and delivering proactive campaigns.
• Building and maintaining constructive working relationships with key media contacts, including print, broadcast, and trade media.
• Regular engagement with key internal AGO stakeholders, as well as communications officers working for the Law Officers’ Departments.
• Perform as a communications specialist, writing succinct tactical briefings for senior officials and the Law Officers on media opportunities and sensitive issues
• Ability to monitor traditional and social media landscape, ensuring the right people in AGO have sight of emerging stories and identifying those which AGO should seek to rebut or respond
• Deputise for the Deputy Head of Communications when necessary.

You will be required to join the Press Office duty rota, providing cover over evenings and weekends.

PERSON SPECIFICATION

We are looking for the below skills, experience and behaviours and we will ask you to demonstrate these in your application form.

• You will be a skilled communicator, with strong news judgement who can land compelling messages with journalists, key stakeholders and the public.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with a strong ability to turn complex information into clear and compelling media coverage and content.
• A strong news sense with a good understanding of the media and political landscape.
• Be able to strategically plan activity, with due regard to potential sensitive issues, and risks, through effective horizon planning.
• Experience of evaluating traditional media
• Strong organisation and time-management skills with the ability to manage competing deadlines in a fast-paced environment.

You will be required to join the Press Office duty rota, providing cover over evenings and weekends. You will be provided training if you have not done this before

TECHNICAL SKILLS

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

• Impact
• Ideas

REQUIRED SKILLS, EXPERIENCE AND BEHAVIOURS

Applicants must be able to demonstrate the following Success Profiles behaviours in your application and at the interview at SEO level:

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 will include:

• Working with the G7 Deputy Head of Communications to oversee all media activities across the AGO.
• Write, edit and produce engaging, persuasive and accurate copy for key audiences and channels. This includes but isn’t limited to press releases, reactive statements, news stories for GOV.UK, video scripts, and social media.
• Working with the HEO press officer, act as a first point of contact for journalists, ensuring requests are handled quickly and effectively.
• Lead the AGO’s planning function, managing the communications pipeline, engaging with No.10 planners and attending weekly cross-government planning meetings.
• Support the Attorney General’s Rule of Law taskforce with communications planning and delivering proactive campaigns.
• Building and maintaining constructive working relationships with key media contacts, including print, broadcast, and trade media.
• Regular engagement with key internal AGO stakeholders, as well as communications officers working for the Law Officers’ Departments.
• Perform as a communications specialist, writing succinct tactical briefings for senior officials and the Law Officers on media opportunities and sensitive issues
• Ability to monitor traditional and social media landscape, ensuring the right people in AGO have sight of emerging stories and identifying those which AGO should seek to rebut or respond
• Deputise for the Deputy Head of Communications when necessary