CLOSING DATE: June 9, 2017
Grade Band D (HEO) (B2) The salary for the role is 27,912 to 30,942 and the successful applicant will start at the bottom of the scale. The role also attracts a recruitment and retention allowance of £3,000 on entry, rising to £5,000 after one year satisfactory performance in media post.
Eligibility Please see the note for applicants regarding minimum entry requirements and information about working for the Civil Service.
Number of vacancies One
Contract terms Permanent, full-time. Please note that any application for the post will be expected to meet the standard working requirements of the vacancy unless approval has been sought by the applicant through the HR Resourcing Team in advance of application.
Job description: main duties
The Crown Office & Procurator Fiscal Service is the organisation responsible for the prosecution of crime in Scotland; the investigation of sudden or suspicious deaths and the investigation of complaints of criminal conduct by police officers on duty.
We have a vacancy for an experienced and talented communications professional to join the team in Edinburgh.
You will help meet the strategic goals of Scotland’s Law Officers as well as media report complex stories accurately and effectively.
You will be the first point of contact for daily media enquiries as well as using proactive communications to help maintain confidence in the prosecution service of Scotland.
You will have good contacts in the media, with experience of working in a busy newsroom or press office.
Please note the main responsibilities, activities and duties of the role
General responsibilities, activities and duties
* Reactive and proactive communications work;
* Providing senior officials and Law Officers with communications advice;
* Media management of high profile criminal cases;
* Drafting media lines for COPFS;
* Monitoring of, and responding to, COPFS issues on social media;
* Maintaining strong relationships with stakeholders; and
* Write clean, crisp and accurate copy.
Specific responsibilities, activities and duties
* Responsibility for defined specialist media work mirroring areas of expertise across the business;
* Attending meetings with senior staff in other agencies, including Police Scotland and Scottish Government;
* Post holder may be required to take on line management duties for one staff member once established in post;
* Post holder may be required to attend senior management meetings, including meetings with Law Officers; and
* Post holder will be expected to undertake on call duties on a rota basis to deal with urgent out-of-hours issues.
Information about the office/unit/team
The communications team includes head of Communication, communications manager, three senior communications officers and a communications officer.
Person specification
All competencies, as indicated within the competency framework, are relevant to the role and illustrate the level of competence expected of an employee in this grade.
However, for the purposes of assessment the following competencies will apply:
* Leading and communicating;
* Collaborating and partnering;
* Delivering at pace;
* Changing and improving – please see full application pack for full guidance.
Essential criteria
The above competencies form the key essential criteria for this post.
The post holder is also expected to have:
* Strategic communications experience;
* Experience of working in a busy press office or media organisation;
* Good working knowledge and understanding of the media; and
* Good knowledge and understanding of the news agenda and justice issues in Scotland.
Desirable criteria
* A strong background in media working or communications including excellence in managing and developing social media;
* knowledge and experience in video and photo editing; and
* strong understanding of the justice system in Scotland.
Special conditions of post
You will also be required to participate in the out-of-hours duty communications rota on weekday evenings, weekends and public holidays.
Other conditions of post
Successful candidates will be expected to remain within their new post for a minimum of two years unless they are successful in obtaining a post in a higher grade or moved to address a business need.
For further information about the post, please contact: Lorraine Davidson, head of Communications; email: Lorraine.Davidson@copfs.gsi.gov.uk
Other information
Please note that COPFS is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (1974). All convictions whether they are spent or not, will be considered.
COPFS must also adhere to strict Civil Service and Cabinet Office Baseline Personnel Security Standards regarding nationality, identity and history verification rules.
For an application form and further information, please download a full application pack from our website: http://www.copfs.gov.uk/careers.
If you have any queries, please email Recruitment@copfs.gsi.gov.uk.
Please note that we do not accept CVs.
Selection will be competency based.
Closing date for these vacancies is: 5pm 09 June 2017
We are an Equal Opportunities Employer.
Please return completed application forms to Recruitment@copfs.gsi.gov.uk no later than 5pm on the closing date.
Contact: Andrew Campbell
Phone: 0844 561 4138
Email: Recruitment@copfs.gsi.gov.uk
Website: http://www.copfs.gov.uk/careers.
