Interim Senior Associate - Press Office

Tender description

The successful candidate will help Ofwat's press office function, building our profile and reputation, developing proactive campaigns and lead reactive media handling. You will need to establish yourself as credible and reliable with all parts of the organisation - including the leadership team. You will need to be able to understand often complex, technical policy and turn it into accessible, compelling messages. You will also need to provide wider support to the Corporate Communications resource pool, as required. Key deliverables • Help to oversee the press office function within Ofwat, acting as a primary point of contact for the media - national print, broadcast and trade. • Work closely with the relevant policy leads, to build proactive opportunity such as national broadcast interviews, op-eds, features etc. • Contribute to our reactive media handling. You will draft lines to take, statements and press releases. • Coordinate closely with press offices in Ofwat's key stakeholders including other regulators and government departments, ensuring timely sharing of information and insights. • Ensure that Ofwat's senior leadership are briefed on any relevant news stories or emerging issues. • Be responsible for preparing senior colleagues in advance of broadcast or print media interviews. This will include drafting comprehensive briefing notes and arranging mock interview sessions. • Build strong relationships with key journalists across national print, broadcast and trade media. • As a member of Ofwat's Communications team, you will actively support broader communications activities and campaigns. • Like many other organisations, Ofwat operates an 'out-of-hours' media enquiry service. You will be required to be part of the 'out-of-hours' rota and also to take part in it, including occasionally at weekends and public holidays.