Description
Job Description - City of WestminsterJob Title: Media Officer
Department:Chief Executive's
Division:Policy and Communications
Section:Communications Unit
Responsible to:Head of Media Relations
1. Purpose of the job
To promote the City Council and its policies through the delivery of an effective proactive and reactive media and public relations service.
2. Main responsibilities & activities supporting them
To deliver an effective proactive and reactive media and public relations service for the authority
To deal with enquiries from print, broadcast and online media and ensure that the council's position is credible and effectively communicated.
To provide advice and strategies to maximise positive media coverage for the Council.
To research and write press releases/briefing notes and fact sheets on Council services and initiatives
To build and maintain close links with national, regional, trade and local media and develop contacts within specialist area of activity
To organise photocalls and briefings for journalists
To provide advice and support to officers and elected Members
To write copy for a range of Council publications
To undertake other duties as directed in line with the overall communications objectives of the Council
3. The Work
Responsibilities will include:
To deal with enquiries from media and ensure that the council's position is credible and effectively communicated
Dealing with media enquiries accurately within target times agreed as part of the annual workplan.
Responding to enquiries and proactively briefing journalists by acting as a credible spokesman for the City Council
Providing an out of hour's service in the evenings and at weekends on a rota basis. This duty requires being able to issue media statements and respond to enquiries during non-office hours
Provision of an emergency media service as directed by the City Council or Police in the event of a major emergency.
Recording enquiries and stories in the Newsflash system.
Contributing to the evaluation of the effectiveness of media work
To organise photocalls and briefings for journalists
Organising media briefing events including planning and delivering events to a high standard
Organisation of photocalls including planning and assessing risks and opportunities of such events.
To provide advice and strategies to maximise positive media coverage
To provide advice and support to officers and elected Members
Briefing officers and elected Members to take part in interviews with print, broadcast and online journalists
Considering the media implications of policy and committee decisions and advising accordingly.
Working with officers from a wide range of different service areas across the Council
To research and write press releases/briefing notes and fact sheets
Production of accurate and newsworthy press releases that have gone through the necessary clearance procedures.
Production of briefing notes, Q&As and other media information in liaison with council departments.
To produce copy for a range of Council publications including the Westminster Reporter.
Communicating effectively with outside organisations in the community and across London
Building contacts and relationships with individuals and groups in Westminster, GLA, government and other national and regional organisations.
Attending meeting and representing the City Council at external meeting, for example residents groups and the Greater London Authority.
To undertake other duties as directed in line with the overall communications objectives of the Council
Taking the lead in some projects and supporting other officers in a variety of Council-wide initiatives
Keeping up with best practice in media relations, attending meetings of professional bodies, training events and reading material as agreed as part of the annual workplan
Production of the morning news summary, requiring coverage of print, broadcast and e-media and briefing senior staff for 0900 hrs to be done on a rota basis.
The Head of Media Relations will identify and allocate additional major areas of work, and discuss their prioritisation
Much of the work will be demand driven, responding quickly to new requests or events. These will all need to be prioritised in order to meet deadlines and produce work of an acceptable high standard.
He/she will liaise, negotiate and represent the Council with high profile external organisations and agencies
Work across the team
Contribute to the work of the team by undertaking team-wide activity eg by writing articles for WestWords and the Westminster Reporter or proofing the Council s A-Z
Attending and participating in team training seminars
Attending daily morning meetings and weekly full team and section meetings
Provide cover for colleagues as directed by the Head of Media Relations
To undertake work in the unit to agreed standards and targets
4. Supervision
The post holder will report to the Head of Media Relations who will allocate work and set deadlines and priorities. The post holder will be responsible for planning, shaping and adjusting his/her work plan to meet deadlines and changing circumstances.
In the course of managing their projects he/she will be required to manage cross departmental project teams often involving more senior officers than themselves.
The post holder will be expected to discuss the following aspects of the job with his/her manager:
- significant policy or strategic decisions
- resolving of problems where an impasse has been reached
- contentious or controversial issues
- problems with overall work prioritisation
5. Records, reports and other written work
The post holder will be responsible for the production, consultation on, and clearance of press releases, bulletins and statements and copy for Council publications.
6. Contacts
The post holder will have contacts at all levels within the organisation to brief councillors and officers on media enquiries, and to clear draft press releases.
Contact with the media will be to explain and promote council policy; gain opportunities for council spokespeople to explain policy; correct inaccurate reportage, develop relationships and to answer queries.
7. Financial Accountability/Influence
The post holder holds no direct budgetary responsibilities, but is expected to have regard for delivering value for money at all times
8. Education and Experience
NCTJ Proficiency certificate or other relevant qualification or a minimum of 2 years experience in a PR or press office setting or as a working journalist
Experienced in writing news releases, features and copy
Used to working closely with journalists in all types of media
9. Competencies
The most important skills and abilities required for the job are listed below:
Management Skills
Sets objectives, targets and service standards.
Develops and maintains effective individual and team working relationships within and outside the organisation
Ensures appropriate monitoring and control processes are in place
Manages resources effectively
Speedy and effective decision making
Evaluates situations quickly, foresees problems and selects effective solutions
Ensure risk and consequences are analysed before taking decisions.
Manages crises calmly and efficiently
Organisational culture and job knowledge
Applies knowledge and experience in the formulation and development of corporate policy and initiatives.
Proactively share professional knowledge, experience and experience of the organisation.
Keeps up-to-date with professional knowledge, expertise and best practice.
Communication and personal impact
Negotiates, persuades, influences and instructs as necessary in order to achieve the desired results.
Represents the organisation professionally outside the organisation.
Disseminates information appropriately ensuring that communication systems are in place and work effectively.
Displays sensitivity, tact and diplomacy in all situations and displays flexibility in responding to rapidly changing circumstances.
Gain respect of colleagues and clients at senior level within and outside the organisation.
Contributes to internal and external meetings and presentations
10. Additional Information
The post holder will need to develop and maintain an excellent network of contacts throughout the Council
Must be able to provide out of hours/weekend cover on a rota basis.
Contract duration 3-6 months
Please note there will be compliance documents to be completed when applying for this role before presenting to the hiring manager
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