About the job

Job summary

About the role:

We are looking for an all-round communications specialist who wants to develop their skills in a small and integrated communications team.  

As a key supporting member of the team, you will be working across all areas of our work, to give you a varied workload. 

One day, you may be developing a communications handling plan for a major case announcement, on another you could be coming up with innovative social media content or pulling together content for an internal or external communications newsletter or running a webinar for explaining the work of the TRA to new audiences. 

This varied portfolio will give you exposure across the range of communications functions, helping you build your skills and experience.  

As part of the Government Communication Service (GCS) we adhere to its professional standards and have access to the wider training and future career opportunities open to all government communication specialists.  

Role Purpose   

The TRA Communications Team delivers the organisation’s strategic goal to make the TRA well known, understood and respected. We deliver the TRA’s mission to defend the UK’s economic interests against unfair trading practices and in line with the vision to be a globally respected trade remedies body. 

As a Communications Officer, you’ll work across the full range of communications skills, but with a core focus on communications handling plans to announce our trade remedy investigations, social media, external affairs and stakeholder events, and evaluation of our performance and the impact our communications are having. 

Job description

Key Accountabilities

• Working with our other TRA teams to plan, draft, clear and publish communications content using a range of channels. 
• Achieving GOV.UK accreditation to draft, clear and publish content on our GOV.UK website pages. 
• Recording incoming media enquiries on our database and helping pull together our responses. 
• Option to participate in the out-of-hours duty press rota, which attracts an additional allowance.  
• Compiling and sharing a daily media summary with TRA staff and Executive and Board members, drawn from our monitoring service.
• Working with other TRA teams to coordinate their relationships with other organisations, helping ensure our external engagement is positive, proactive and consistent.  
• Supporting on delivering TRA-hosted stakeholder events.
• Lead on our external stakeholder newsletter Let’s Talk TRAde.
• Planning and producing ad-hoc marketing content such as videos, leaflets and slide packs.  

Person specification

Essential Experience

The following experience is essential for the post and will be assessed throughout the selection process:

• Previous experience working in communications 
• Strong verbal and written language skills
• Experience working with social media channels  
• MS tools  

Desirable Experience

• Media handling experience 
• Experience working on website or intranet content management systems  

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £34,565, Trade Remedies Authority contributes £9,332 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

Things you need to know

Selection process details

This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours, Strengths, Experience and Technical skills.

How to Apply

Application:

As part of the application process, you will be asked to complete a CV, a 750 words personal statement, and a 250 words Behaviour Statement - Working Together.

Within your personal statement please demonstrate how your experience, skills and attributes meet the requirements for the role.  

Shortlist:

The Panel will shortlist applications based on CV and Personal Statement.

Should a large number of applications be received, an initial sift may be conducted using the Lead Behaviour: Working Together.

Candidates who pass the initial sift may be progressed to a full sift, or progressed straight to assessment/interview. 

Interview:

The interview assessment will consist of a Presentation exercise followed by a Behaviour, Experience and Strength-based interview.

The behaviours that you will be assessed against at the interview are Delivering at Pace, Managing a Quality Service, Working Together and Changing and Improving.

Your interview will either be conducted face to face or by video. You will be notified of the location if you are selected for interview.

Expected Timeline:

Closing Date: 04 Aug 2024. 

Shortlist: Week commencing 05 Aug 2024. 

Interviews: Week commencing 19 Aug 2024. 

Offer: Week commencing 26 Aug 2024.

If successful and transferring from another Government Department a criminal record check may be carried out.

In order to process applications without delay, we will be sending a Criminal Record Check to Disclosure and Barring Service on your behalf.

New entrants are expected to join on the minimum of the pay band.

If you are experiencing accessibility problems with any attachments on this advert, please contact the email address in the 'Contact point for applicants' section.

Further Information

A reserve list may be held for a period of 12 months from which further appointments can be made.

Any move to Trade Remedies Authority from another employer will mean you can no longer access childcare vouchers. This includes moves between government departments. You may however be eligible for other government schemes, including Tax Free Childcare. Determine your eligibility at https://www.childcarechoices.gov.uk.

Reasonable Adjustment

If a person with disabilities is put at a substantial disadvantage compared to a non-disabled person, we have a duty to make reasonable changes to our processes. 

If you need a change to be made so that you can make your application, you should: 

Contact Government Recruitment Service via trarecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk as soon as possible before the closing date to discuss your needs. 

Complete the ‘Assistance required’ section in the ‘Additional requirements’ page of your application form to tell us what changes or help you might need further on in the recruitment process. For instance, you may need wheelchair access at interview, or if you’re deaf, a Language Service Professional. 

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check. People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

Nationality requirements

This job is broadly open to the following groups:

• UK nationals
• nationals of the Republic of Ireland
• nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
• Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service

Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.

We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window). The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.