Head of News

Description

The TS news team is at the front line of the Scottish Government's external communications, reporting directly to the Cabinet Secretary for Transport and Minister for Connectivity. You will work with Ministers, special advisers, policy officials and other communications disciplines such as digital and marketing colleagues, to develop and deliver integrated strategies and products. You will lead a team which is tasked with promoting and explaining policies and ministerial decisions to the public via news media and social media channels, and by working closely with external partners and other communications professionals.

You will have experience of leading and managing a driven team and have the ability to balance workloads to ensure priority work is delivered effectively and on time. You will have the ability to think creatively and communicate using a wide range of traditional and emerging media channels to target the right audiences. You will have a developed news sense, be organised and able to work in a very pressurised environment. You should also have experience of working strategically and at a senior executive level.

This is a permanent posting as Head of News, working to the Head of Communications, based in Glasgow. You will work flexibly, with regular travel to the Scottish Parliament and supporting Ministers at events across Scotland.  It covers a busy period in the run-up to May's Scottish Parliament elections – transport is at the forefront of the climate emergency, and shaping behaviour change has arguably never been more important, and already has a considerable media profile, with greater public interest and focus than ever before.

Successful candidates are likely to come from a public relations or journalism background. You will have a strong knowledge and interest in politics and current affairs. You should be organised and able to work in an often pressurised environment, with very tight deadlines. You will have an excellent news sense and be creative in using different channels and methods to reach diverse, often difficult to reach, audiences.

The successful candidate will have experience of working strategically and at a senior level – leading and managing people to balance workloads to deliver priority work effectively, on time and to a high standard.

Supplement

This is a specialist post and carries the Communications Pay Supplement of £3,000 per annum pro rata, rising to £5,000 on completion of 12 months' successful service. This is paid in addition to salary. 

Responsibilities

• Leading and managing a team – support all team members to thrive by setting clear direction, ensuring meaningful, challenging and rewarding work and seeking continuous improvement. You'll represent communications at Senior Management Team and Ministerial portfolio meetings and provide detailed strategic communications and media handling advice and solutions. You will manage the news and media function and an experienced team of press officers, set priorities, and help manage internal budgets, matched against priorities and resources.
• Strategic planning – work with Ministers, policy colleagues and special advisers to maintain a sharp focus on Programme for Government priorities, providing strategic advice, identifying risks and opportunities and overseeing cross-portfolio communications planning 
• Media and news management – work with journalists and key influencers, with the ability to spot potential problems or opportunities and react quickly, ensuring Ministers and officials receive timely and professional advice
• Social media management – ensure the team is working to a dynamic and creative social media content strategy that takes account of the opportunities and risks of running social media channels 
• Campaigns – work with marketing and insight colleagues to play an active and supportive role promoting Scottish Government campaigns 
• Out-of-hours cover – participate in our duty rota system providing senior support and advice to Ministers and spads and the media at weekends.
• Crisis management - You should be experienced in spotting problems in advance and providing staff, directors and Ministers with timely and professional advice. A key aspect of the role will be planning ahead and ensuring there are no surprises, with detailed communications planning for areas like major events, resilience, severe weather and major projects.
• Content creation - You will help create, shape, share and exchange dynamic content through social media channels. Support the head of comms, corporate services and digital strategy by refreshing the organisation's over-arching communications and engagement strategy. Set a clear direction for communications and media services across Transport Scotland. You will be expected to support improvements within the communications function and come up with your own ideas, and implement them. You will develop positive internal and external networks across the public, political and private sector. 

Responsibilities
Success profile Success profiles are specific to each job and they include the mix of skills, experience and behaviours candidates will be assessed on.  

Technical / Professional Skills:

Insight 

Ideas 

Implementation

Impact

For further information about required Communications profession skills and those for News & Media staff at Band C please see the following link: Scottish Government Communications Competencies. 

Experience 

• Experience of working in a senior news/external communications role, including leading and managing comms staff and influencing senior staff and/or Ministers. 
• Understanding of the ever changing way in which news is created and consumed, including news consumption habits, social media platforms and industry trends, and experience of applying this knowledge in government.
• The ability to prioritise and maintain personal and team resilience through periods of sustained pressure caused by workloads, external events or emergencies.

Behaviours:

• Seeing the bigger picture - Level 4
• Delivering at pace - Level 4
• Making effective decisions - Level 4 

You can find out more about Success Profiles here: Success profiles: candidate guide -
  How to apply   Apply online, providing a CV and Supporting Statement of no more than 1500 words which provides evidence of how you meet the skills, experience and behaviours listed in the Success Profile above.   Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools can be used to support your application, but all statements and examples provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, and presented as your own) applications will be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action.    

Please see our candidate guidance for more information on acceptable and unacceptable uses of AI in recruitment.

If invited for further assessment, this will consist of an interview and presentation.    Assessments are scheduled for w/c 19 January however this may be subject to change.  

Further Information 

Further information about this opportunity is available from Danny Chalmers, Head of Communications –  

Qualifications
About us Transport Scotland is the national transport agency, seeking to deliver a safe, efficient, cost-effective and sustainable transport system for the benefit of the people of Scotland. Transport Scotland is accountable to Parliament and the public through Scottish Ministers, with a budget of around £4 billion per year. Transport is a vital feature of the Scottish Government's focus on increasing sustainable economic growth, and transport investments and policies have major impacts on the economy, people, and the environment.    The Scottish Government is the devolved government for Scotland. We have responsibility for a wide range of key policy areas including: education, health, the economy, justice, housing and transport. We offer rewarding careers and employ people across Scotland in a wide range of professions and roles.   Our staff are part of the UK Civil Service, working for Ministers and senior stakeholders to deliver vital public services which improve the lives of the people of Scotland.   We offer a supportive and inclusive working environment along with a wide range of employee benefits. Find out more about what we offer.   As part of the UK Civil Service, we uphold the Civil Service Nationality Rules.   Working pattern and Location   

The post is based in 177 Bothwell Street, Glasgow, and involves providing in-person advice and support to Ministers in the Scottish Parliament and at engagements and interviews across Scotland. The post aligns with Transport Scotland's hybrid working arrangements. 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.

Equality statement   We are committed to equality and inclusion and we aim to recruit a diverse workforce that reflects the population of our nation.    Find out more about our commitment to diversity and how we offer and support recruitment adjustments for anyone who needs them.   Further information   Find out more about our organisation, what we offer staff members and how to apply on our Careers Website.   Read our Candidate Guide for further information on our recruitment and application processes.  

Apply Before: 7th December :59) - This role is open to internal candidates and Common Citizenship organisations only. 

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