Press Officer England
Job description
Location: Blended between office and home (England and Wales). Time in office negotiable
Citizens Advice offers confidential advice online, over the phone, and in person, for free. Through our national network of charities, we give people the knowledge and the confidence they need to find their way forward – whoever they are, and whatever their problem.
Do you want to work for an organisation that makes a difference, every single day, to people from all walks of life? The people that turn to Citizens Advice need help overcoming an obstacle in their lives – from debt to evictions to trouble at work – and you can be key to them getting the support they need in the quickest, easiest, and most effective way.
Citizens Advice is looking for a media relations specialist or journalist to join our award-winning news team. As a Press Officer you will help deliver high-impact media coverage on our key policy priorities as well as handling reactive media enquiries. You’ll also get to deepen your knowledge by having a particular area to specialise in. You’ll start by working on our energy brief, speaking up for the rights of consumers facing high energy prices during the cost-of-living crisis. You may also consider how the transition to net zero will affect people in their homes and how they could best be supported in that huge shift.
You’ll be an excellent communicator, able to identify and shape a story, and keen to spot fresh ways of achieving our goals. You will relish the challenge of pitching to journalists and producers across all major national channels and platforms. You’ll have a good understanding of the media landscape, including how people get their news from social media. This is a great opportunity to thrive in a friendly and supportive team working together to make things better for people.
Please evidence the following essential criteria in your cover letter:
1. A proven track record as a journalist or press officer, or equivalent experience.
2. Demonstrable ability to be creative, show initiative and work under pressure.
3. Excellent written and oral communication skills, using appropriate styles, methods and timing to maximise understanding and impact.
We’re a flexible employer, so this role may suit anyone who’d prefer a flexible arrangement to help their work/life balance, many of our colleagues spend most of their time working remotely. Whilst we prefer a blended approach between a local office, if one is near you, and home we’re open to being flexible on location, occasionally a role may require you to be based in a certain location if that's the case it will be detailed in the advert or job description. This can be discussed in more detail during your interview.
Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) is of strategic importance within the organisation and recognised as integral to all we do as a service.
Central to pursuing our EDI mission is building diverse and inclusive teams in which everyone has a sense of belonging. We believe inclusion is a social justice issue - a principle that underpins our all EDI work. To that end, we particularly welcome applications from people we would like to see better represented in our organisation and sector - people of colour, LGBTQ+ people and disabled people. If you are disabled and meet our minimum criteria you will be guaranteed an interview for this role and we will provide reasonable adjustments as needed. We follow the social model of disability.
The National Citizens Advice Operates from offices in England and Wales, with 4 regional offices based in Cardiff, London, Birmingham and Leeds, therefore all successful applicants must be based within England or Wales.
Our commitment to colleague wellbeing is reflected in us being awarded Gold in the Health & Wellbeing category, as well as Overall Winners, at the Employee Experience Awards 2022.
Please be aware that Citizens Advice is not a sponsoring organisation. Therefore the successful applicant must already possess the right to work in the UK or be able to secure the right to work in the UK independently.
In the event of a high number of applications, we reserve the right to close the application early.
This vacancy closes at 23.59 on the closing date.
For more information about the organisation, our values and benefits please see the following link - Information, values and benefits
Need help with your application, see our useful how to guides on the following page - Guidance notes for applicants
