Communications Officer London, England
Job description
We are recruiting for the role of Communications Officer, within our communications team covering work across the organisation.
We trust and empower colleagues to work in a hybrid way, providing the resources, equipment, and support, so that individually and collectively, we can be the voice of children and young people when the family court makes critical decisions about their futures.
Whilst this role is part of a team based from our office in Central London, our teams work flexibly and remotely, your proximity to the office doesn’t always have to be a critical consideration.
We are a diverse, inclusive organisation that is a safe space for colleagues with shared aspects of identity and lived experience, which helps ensure we provide a service which promotes the diversity and uniqueness of children and families from all backgrounds. We especially welcome applications from people from diverse backgrounds as we strive to ensure our workforce reflects the diversity of the children and families we work with.
We provide extensive wellbeing support for colleagues, as well as excellent benefits, all of which we hope encourages you to join us.
Let us tell you a bit more about the role…
You will draw on your awareness and expertise of media and stakeholder engagement to make a significant contribution to the output from our communication team.
As Communications Officer you will be expected to:
co-ordinate proactive and reactive media activity, ensuring all media enquiries are responded to efficiently and with confidence;- support Cafcass’ media spokespeople with statements and interviews;
- draft news announcements and press releases; and
- lead on analysis of Cafcass’ profile through press, social media, parliamentary & sector scanning.
The above is just a flavour of what the role entails and if you’re thinking of applying, we encourage you to read the full Job Description (which is available prior to applying) to gain a better understanding.
… and what we’re looking for.
experience of working in a news, digital, design, print or publishing environment and/or working in an internal/external stakeholder engagement environment – preferably in a Press Officer type role- knowledge and/or interest and/or experience of government and the social care / public sector;
- excellent oral and writing skills with an understanding of what makes news – both inside and outside Cafcass and to be capable of obtaining and writing up accurate and engaging copy for publication; and
- an ability to cope at times of crisis and to work under pressure.
Next steps / timelines
If and when you are ready to apply, our application process is straightforward and quick to complete. You don’t need to complete your application in a single visit, you can start it and come back and amend your responses / update your CV, just make sure you come back before the closing date to submit.
Below we have given you an indication of a timetable we are hoping to work towards, although dates are subject to change.
Closing Date:
We understand that starting a new role is a big decision, and you may require further information before applying. You can find out more about the role in the Job Description and there is a wealth of information about Cafcass on our Cafcass Careers page.
If you wish to speak with a member of the team about more specific information you can contact from our HR Resourcing team, providing your contact information and best times / methods to get hold of you.
Whilst we will always try and respond quickly we wouldn’t want you to miss the closing date before we were able to get back to you. If this is the case, we recommend you apply anyway and ask any questions as part of your application. This may allow us to contact you and provide you with the required information that will help you decide if you still wish to be considered.
Finally, in anticipation of your application being successful, you might want to read about the offer and pre-employment checks process. As part of your application you can highlight any concerns or questions about the pre-employment checks and we encourage all applicants to do so, safe in the knowledge such information will not be shared with individuals involved in the selection process.
We look forward to hearing from you.
Please be advised successful applicants will be subject to a range of pre-engagement checks, including a Disclosure and Barring Service check (DBS). In accordance with the DBS code of practice and our own policy, should an individual have a declared criminal offence an individual assessment will be completed. Further information on what the assessment covers can be found by viewing the Cafcass DBS policy.
