Senior Media Officer (SEO) Cabinet Office Apply before 11:55 pm on Sunday 9th March 2025 Reference number: 390800 Salary: £42,382 - £45,920 A Civil Service Pension with an employer contribution of 28.97% Contract type: Permanent Location: Newcastle-upon-Tyne About the job In recognition of the hurt caused by the infected blood scandal and highlighted by the Infected Blood Inquiry (IBI), compensation will be paid to those infected and affected. This role is an opportunity to join a new Arms Length Body – the Infected Blood Compensation Authority (IBCA) – as we build a team of Communications and Engagement professionals to put the infected and affected community at the heart of our communications and support them to get the compensation they are entitled to. The number one goal for this new organisation is to build and maintain trust with its users. Effective, open and transparent communications will play an important part in this. The Communications and Engagement team sits at the heart of IBCA to ensure we explain the new compensation scheme with clarity, simplicity and effectiveness. Opportunities to move to the new Infected Blood Compensation Authority (IBCA). At the moment all IBCA roles are hosted by Cabinet Office within the Civil Service. However, once IBCA becomes operational, it is anticipated that most of these roles will transfer to IBCA, which is a new Arms Length Body (ALB) separate from the Cabinet Office. Roles that transfer to IBCA from Cabinet Office will maintain the same or substantially the same terms and conditions of employment that are overall no less favourable. It is anticipated that employees who move from Cabinet Office to IBCA will be able to continue to participate in the Civil Service Pension arrangements with no break in their pensionable service. Roles commencing after IBCA has become operational will be with IBCA itself on similar terms and conditions. All successful candidates will receive full details of the terms and conditions of employment for their role with their formal job offer. Please note that the mission of IBCA means that it is likely to be operational for a period of approximately 5 to 7 years. When IBCA’s work begins to wind down, IBCA employees will receive support and practical guidance to find a new role, whether in the Civil Service, another Arms Length Body (ALB), or an external employer. Job description We are building a Communications and Engagement Team unlike any other with one aim: to deliver compensation to the infected blood community. As a Team we collaborate, we lead and we work at pace. With a big job to do you’ll be striving for innovation and excellence as we build the team together. We’re looking for an experienced, driven and creative communications professional with a deep understanding of the modern media landscape. You have what it takes to land compelling stories across a range of media platforms, you understand the contemporary news cycle and you’re unafraid to guide senior leaders through media interviews and opportunities. The role will sit in the media and digital team in the Communications and Engagement Team, overseeing the delivery of dynamic and intelligent media communications and products. The role requires a flexible attitude and desire to work in a hands-on environment, managing multiple priorities simultaneously, meeting deadlines and supporting the growth of a skilled team. You will be passionate about producing and landing intelligent, factual and clear communications. As IBCA is a community-first organisation, you will be passionate about user centric communications that understands the audience. You will develop and deliver a programme of strategic media products that meets the full range of our audience’s needs. Job holders in this grade will carry out a range of activities across communications. This will give you the opportunity to work flexibly across the team to support communication and IBCA community priorities. The job holder will be expected to sometimes work out of hours including weekends and evenings. Responsibilities You will be required to: Create and deliver a targeted long-term media strategy, in collaboration with the wider Communications and Engagement Team and external agencies; Lead on crafting and landing media stories that highlight information and news about IBCA as well as showing the organisations progress; Expertly manage live media questions; Lead and coach your team to deliver the highest quality communications products; Create media content, including press notices, social media content, reactive responses to media queries and communications plans; Land stories in a range of media outlets including print, online, radio and broadcast; Work with internal and external stakeholders to best tell IBCA’s story, and the story of the infected blood community, in regional and national media; Lead the use of intelligent evaluation to optimise our approach to media including sentiment and evaluation reporting to represent our users voices, influence decision making and inform future work; Provide media advice, counsel and constructive challenge to senior managers and others as required on how communications can help support IBCA objectives; Identify and manage emerging issues and trends which might impact or benefit IBCA's work; Build and maintain strong relationships across the organisation and externally with appropriate stakeholders so we can create and deliver accurate, appropriate and timely key messages; Contribute to strategic plans, evaluation documents, reports and other IBCA communications materials and briefings. Person specification Essential criteria Experience of delivering clear, accurate and effective media products and strategies; Excellent written skills with the ability to produce clear and easy to understand content from complex policy information; Experience of writing and landing a range of media products for a range of media outlets including print, online, radio and broadcast; Experience of monitoring and evaluation and using metrics to inform your communications approach; Experience of working collaboratively across teams and leading colleagues at all levels and external stakeholders; Experience developing and implementing strategic communications and engagement plans; Proven ability to work in a fast-paced, demanding and unpredictable environment, being able to prioritise your own work, often under pressure; Proven ability to identify communications trends and opportunities to build and strengthen our media footprint; Strong interpersonal and leadership skills and the confidence to challenge decisions if necessary. Desirable Criteria Experience of managing colleagues; Experience of working in a press office; Journalism experience.