Communications Manager

Job title:

Communications Manager

Company

Scottish Government

Job description

Overview:Transport Scotland is the national transport agency for Scotland and is accountable to Parliament and the public through Scottish Ministers. As an agency of the Scottish Government, and with a budget of around £3.9 billion per year, our purpose is to deliver the Scottish Government’s vision for transport which is set out in the National Transport Strategy 2. Our vision is for a sustainable, inclusive, safe and accessible transport system helping deliver a healthier, fairer and more prosperous Scotland for communities, businesses and visitors. For more information please visit www.transport.gov.scotAre you interested in a dynamic and high profile role in one of the busiest news desks in public sector communications?Applications are invited for the role of Communications Manager within the Transport Scotland news team. This is a rare opportunity to use your communications skills as part of a supportive team who prioritise professional development and best practice.We promote transport policy and investment in Scotland through media relations and digital communications. We protect the reputation of Ministers and the agency through a rapid rebuttal service. We work closely with policy teams, special advisors and Ministers on a daily basis – working in partnership with SG, LA, emergency service and transport operator communications teams across the country.The successful candidate will have the chance to develop and strengthen their experience across media relations, digital communications, strategic communications and stakeholder engagement, all while contributing clearly to strategic priorities of the agency and Scottish Ministers. Crisis and resilience communications also features heavily in this role – particularly in the winter months or in relation to various public transport service or roads issues.The successful candidate is likely to come from a PR or journalism background and will have an interest in politics and current affairs. An ability to think creatively and use a wide range of channels to target the right audiences is critical. They must have a good news sense, able to manage media engagements and be comfortable providing advice to senior officials and Ministers. From buses to bikes, and from ferries to freight – personal resilience will be required in what can be a high-pressure environment and where short deadlines are a common feature of the role.Pay Supplement
This post qualifies for the communications pay supplement.Important InformationScottish Government is preparing for the implementation of a new HR and Finance platform and, as a result, some job offers will be subject to an October 2024 start date at the earliest. This will be confirmed as your application progresses. Responsibilities:

• Proactive media relations – use insight to design and deliver on digital by default communications strategies for a portfolio of policy areas, which take account of the media cycle and enable key messages to be delivered to target audiences.
• Reactive media relations – anticipating reactive media pressure before it materialises, working with policy colleagues to develop clear and concise lines to take.
• Crisis and resilience communications – with an understanding of resilience doctrine and the communications landscape, work with partners during periods of crisis to warn and inform the public around travel and transport.
• Duty press officer – be comfortable handling any and all proactive and reactive media relations requests out of hours as part of a 24/365 news operation (full training and support provided)
• Media evaluation – ensure evaluation opportunities are built into communications plans from the outset and produce best practice evaluation reports to develop new insight which supports continuous improvement.
• Content creation – supporting digital colleagues with AV content obtained at media events and to be willing to support the design and editing process.
• Stakeholder engagement – representing TS communications at wider external communications meetings, senior forums and statutory emergency exercises (both desk-based and live-play) which can also support the delivery of major national events.

CompetenciesApplicants will be assessed against all four competencies in the Scottish Government’s specialist communications competency framework (Insight, Ideas, Implementation and Impact) as well as the following core skills from the Skills for Success competency framework :Self -AwarenessPeople ManagementImproving performanceAnalysis and Use of Evidence Essential Criteria & Qualifications:Relevant communications qualifications / professional accreditation (CIPR/PRCA/GCS) is desirable but not essential. In absence of formal qualifications – a minimum of two years experience in a substantive communications role would be expected.Essential Criteria
1. Evidence of building relationships with a wide range of people, including senior leaders, journalists and other key influencers.
2. An understanding of the constantly changing way in which news content is created and consumed, alongside the ability to create dynamic content for a variety of channels. Doing so with the ability to produce crisp and clear copy which translates complex policy ideas into plain English.
3. The ability to work at pace when opportunities or problems arise, reacting quickly and giving timely and professional advice – including to Ministers.
4. Experience of working as part of a busy communications team, putting forward ideas and maintaining personal resilience through periods of pressure. Comfortable handling media at location, including the facilitation of interviews and the provision of rapid read-outs.Minimum Time in Post
You will be expected to remain in post for a minimum of three years unless successful at gaining promotion to a higher Band or Grade.Location
This post is based in Glasgow, with hybrid working in line with current Transport Scotland policies. You will be expected to be office based twice per week, pro rata.The post is a full time role, but staff with different working patterns are invited to apply, and we will assess proposed working patterns against the business requirements for this post.On call and out of hours working is a feature of this role. Any out of hours working will be paid with staff eligible for the on-call allowance. Travel is a feature of this role, including to rural/island locations and more rarely, internationally – in order to provide close media support to Ministers during high-profile media engagements.Additional Information
To apply please fully complete the application and submit evidence based examples to demonstrate your knowledge/skills (300 words). Remember, your answers should be clear, concise and reflect what actions you undertook. You may want to use the STAR(R) approach to respond to each criterion.Sponsorship Information
Changes to legislation concerning Skilled Worker Visa Sponsorship were implemented on 04/04/2024. If you think you may require Visa Sponsorship it is important that prior to applying you read the official to confirm eligibility.Any applicants that are not eligible for sponsorship will be withdrawn at either application stage or the point of offer, with any provisional offer of employment withdrawn.Important Information regarding Interviews
Interviews may be conducted in a virtual/remote setting. All applicants must ensure that they have a suitable space to complete the virtual interview via MS Teams and ensure that Wi-Fi/Broadband capacity will be sufficient to carry both audio and video feeds to undertake the interview.For information on this post please contact Hiring Manager Matthew Millar by email atThe Scottish Government is a diverse and inclusive workplace and we want to help you demonstrate your full potential whatever type of assessment is used. If you require any adjustments to our recruitment process, please let us know viaAs part of any recruitment process, Scottish Government and associated public bodies collects and processes personal data relating to job applicants and applicants for public appointments.Personal information you provide in the recruitment process will be made available to Scottish Government and our additional data processors.

Expected salary

£36585 per year

Location

Glasgow

Job date

Wed, 14 Aug 2024 00:13:22 GMT

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