Contents Location About the job Benefits Things you need to know Apply and further information Location We offer great flexible working opportunities, and have offices in Belfast, Cardiff and York. Please be aware that this role can only be worked within the UK and not overseas. Travel within the UK will be required on an occasional basis, possibly with overnight stays. About the job Job summary The FSA is a non-ministerial department of over 1600 people. We play a critical role in protecting public health and consumers wider interests in food across England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Our vision is an important one - to drive change, delivering food you can trust and working towards a healthier and more sustainable food system. We are looking for passionate and talented communications professionals to join us as Senior Communications Managers Media. This is a fantastic opportunity to make a real impact on public health and consumer interests in relation to food in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland. Job description As a Senior Communications Manager - Media, you will deliver high-profile media relations activities in support of the FSA's corporate priorities. Youll manage the organisation's reputation both internally and externally, collaborating with colleagues across the UK to deliver key initiatives and responses to serious food incidents. Your role will involve both promoting positive stories about the FSA and its priorities, as well as defending the Agencys reputation against hostile comments and reporting. This is an opportunity to build your networks youll collaborate across the FSA and have the opportunity to influence and build relationships with decision-makers and communication professionals across government and beyond. Youll benefit from being part of a tight-knit, supportive team of communicators, working to bring a unified approach to activities across England, Wales, and Northern Ireland. We are looking for a candidate with proven experience working in a busy press office. If you enjoy developing and delivering media strategies and have a knack for creating high-quality written content for various platforms, including press releases and briefings for senior staff, these roles are perfect for you. Your excellent news sense will be invaluable in spotting media opportunities and handling sensitive issues thoughtfully. Additionally, your experience in advising senior members of staff on recommended strategies and channels to communicate messages effectively will make you a key player in our team. Join us and make a real impact with your skills and expertise Working pattern guidance If applying as a job share partnership you should both complete separate application forms on Civil Service Jobs but should make it clear that you are applying as job sharers. Further details on job sharing can be found here JSF What is the recruitment process for job sharers?, Civil Service Careers (civil-service-careers.gov.uk) Applicants who wish to work compressed or part time hours are welcome to apply - however your preferred working pattern may not be available and you should discuss this with the vacancy holder before applying. Due to the nature of the role, we are unable to consider requests for part time working of less than 30 hours per week. Please read before applying This recruitment campaign is for two posts. 1 post will be offered as a permanent appointment and one as a Fixed Term/Loan appointment until 9 January 2026 (with the possibility, but no guarantee, of extension or permanency). The highest scoring candidate at interview will be offered the permanent role. Candidates that are already established Civil Servants or from non-departmental public bodies (NDPBs) will come to the FSA on a Loan basis (if appointed to the fixed term post) and will need to request permission from their Home Department for the Loan prior to applying for this recruitment campaign. Note for FSA employees You must seek approval from your substantive manager before applying for any recruitment campaign that includes a non-permanent vacancy - please refer to the Temporary internal appointments framework on the FSA intranet for more details. Please note that if applying for a temporary post within the FSA or elsewhere on promotion, successful appointment will not automatically result in a permanent promotion - you will revert to your current substantive grade at the end of the Fixed Term or Loan period (unless funding has been approved to make the post permanent). Person specification Please read the attached Candidate Pack to discover further details about the role, our organisation, who we are looking for and the criteria we will assess against during the selection process. We look forward to receiving your application and wish you every success. Behaviours We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process: Seeing the Big Picture Making Effective Decisions Delivering at Pace Benefits Alongside your salary of £40,800, Food Standards Agency contributes £11,819 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides. Our candidate pack details the benefits that the FSA has to offer. Please also refer to the attached Terms and Conditions statement. Things you need to know Selection process details This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours and Experience. Full details of the selection process are detailed in the attached candidate pack. Application and shortlisting You will be asked to provide personal details (not seen by the Panel) and to confirm your eligibility to apply for the role. You will then be asked to complete an application which will be used to assess you against the following essential criteria. Essential criteria Experience Lead criteria: Evidence of developing and delivering media communications plans, from planning to evaluation. Experience of working in a fast moving and high-pressured media relations environment. Excellent knowledge of the media landscape and the ability to handle sensitive issues thoughtfully. Experience in advising senior members of staff on recommended strategies and channels to communicate messages effectively. Lead Criteria An initial sift will take place on the Lead Criteria. In the event that we receive a large number of applications, the minimum pass mark for the Lead Criteria may be raised at shortlisting stage. Candidates who apply under the DCS or RIS schemes and meet the minimum requirements will be unaffected by the pass mark raise. Interview If successful at shortlisting stage, you will be invited to a final interview in which we will assess you against the following Experience requirements of the role and Civil Service Behaviours. Behaviours Seeing the Big Picture Making Effective Decisions Delivering at Pace Full details of the positive indicators being assessed for each Behaviour can be found in the Candidate Pack. Experience (assessed via Seen Presentation) Evidence of developing and delivering media communications plans, from planning to evaluation. Assessment exercise As part of the interview process, you will be asked to prepare a seen presentation. Further information will be provided to you on the day / invitation to interview email. Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) You must ensure that any evidence submitted as part of your application or used during interview, including your CV and any statements or examples, are truthful and factually accurate. Please note that plagiarism can include presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own. Expected Timeline Advert closes: 12 February 2025 (23:55) Sift: Expected to take place 13-21 February 2025 Final panel interview: Expected to take place during week commencing 3 March 2025 Interviews will be held remotely via MS Teams. (If you do not have the Microsoft Teams application installed on your computer, you can join on the web without installing the application). Please note that indicated dates may be subject to change. Childcare Vouchers Any move to the Food Standards Agency from another employer will mean you can no longer access childcare vouchers. This includes moves between government departments. You may however be eligible for other government schemes, including Tax Free Childcare. Determine your eligibility at https://www.childcarechoices.gov.uk Reserve List A reserve list will be held for a period of up to 12 months from which further appointment may be made. Candidates that do not pass the interview but have demonstrated an acceptable standard may be considered for similar roles at a lower grade. Visa Sponsorship Please note that the FSA does not hold a licence to sponsor any visa applications and we are unable to provide any advice about visas. Eligibility Current Civil Servants (all contract types) will need to ensure that they are still employed as a civil servant at the point of starting in the relevant new post. If their contract ends (e.g. end of FTA contract or resignation) at any point during the recruitment/onboarding process for the advertised role, they will no longer be eligible and will be withdrawn. Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment. Security Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check. People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks. 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) Working for the Civil Service The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants. We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window). The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria. The Civil Service also offers a Redeployment Interview Scheme to civil servants who are at risk of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the advertised vacancy. Diversity and Inclusion The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see the Civil Service People Plan (opens in a new window) and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (opens in a new window). Apply and further information This vacancy is part of the Great Place to Work for Veterans (opens in a new window) initiative. The Civil Service welcomes applications from people who have recently left prison or have an unspent conviction. Read more about prison leaver recruitment (opens in new window). Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records. Contact point for applicants Job contact : Name : Chloe Jackson Email : chloe.jacksonfood.gov.uk Recruitment team Email : hr.recruitment.campaignsfood.gov.uk Further information If you wish to raise a complaint then please email hr.recruitment.campaignsfood.gov.uk in the first instance. Attachments Final Candidate Pack - Senior Communications Manager - Media (SEO) (1 x Perm 1 x FTA) - 389314 Opens in new window (pdf, 1150kB) Terms and Conditions as at April 2020 Opens in new window (pdf, 42kB) Share this page Print Email Facebook Twitter LinkedIn GMail