About the job

Job summary

We are currently looking for a Social Media Specialist to join our Enablement within the Communications and Engagement group.

This is a full-time opportunity, on a permanent basis. The role will be based in 10 South Colonnade, Canary Wharf London, E14 4PU.   Please note that there might also be a requirement to travel to South Mimms, Hertfordshire or other locations as appropriate.  Please be aware that this role can only be worked in the UK and not overseas.  

Government departments and agencies are working towards implementing a minimum 60% attendance in office sites.

We are currently implementing a flexible, hybrid way of working, with a minimum of 4 days per month working on site to enable the collaboration and contact with partners and stakeholders needed to deliver MHRA business. Attendance on site is driven by business needs so depending on the nature of the role, this can flex up to 8 days a month, with the remainder of time worked either remotely or in the office. Some roles will need to be on site more regularly.

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency enhance and improve the health of millions of people every day through the effective regulation of medicines and medical devices, underpinned by science and research.  

The MHRA Communications and Engagement Group is a multi-award-winning team that has a consistent track-record of achievement and providing value for money. Our focus is to support the agency to deliver its business outcomes by putting patients and the public at the centre of all our work. We are organised in the following teams: News & Media, Communications, Patient and Public Stakeholder Engagement and Customer Experience. This role is in our News and Media team.

The proactive media and science communications team leads on generating proactive media and social media strategies to communicate the agency’s scientific expertise and wider contribution to public health and science. 

 

Job description

What’s the role?

• Scope, write, edit, produce and publish social media content creatively and proactively, enhancing the agency’s reputation and promoting the wider contribution the agency makes to public health and science nationally and globally.  
• Manage the agency’s social media channels, and support communications, media and marketing campaigns, using social media channels and communities to communicate effectively and appropriately. Evaluate and improve our social media content and channels, advising on best practice and propriety.

Key responsibilities: 

• Plan and create social media content according to what works for the platform and its audience, with an understanding of accessibility and usability requirements, and embedding social media channels in all media handling for both proactive announcements and reactive media handling. Capable of using communications skills to develop interesting, accessible content and implement this across a range of channels.

 

• Manage the agency’s social media accounts and advise staff and senior leaders including the executive committee and chief executive. Identify and work with key influencers on social media and collaborate across patient, public, stakeholders, the wider healthcare system and government to amplify social media messaging.

 

• Ensure social media content is engaging and fresh, working with the visual and creative content lead to produce or effectively commission products such as video and images for social media e.g. infographics, and supporting the delivery of online events including podcasts, live chats, broadcasts, blogs and Tweets.

 

• Repurpose content for different social media channels and audiences to ensure it is effective based on detailed research as well as monitoring, evaluating and reporting social media coverage. Build audience insight using appropriate tools to monitor content and listen to conversations on social media. Act as an agency spokesperson, providing authoritative, clear, honest and credible communications to the media and social media on agency issues, and participate in a 24-hour media on-call rota.

 

Person specification

• Good knowledge and experience of working with the traditional media in a busy press office in a large, complex, expert organisation, including ability to react to fast-breaking news stories.
• Experience of planning, proactively creating and delivering social media content at pace and to a high quality.
• Experience of evaluating social media tools to assess performance and inform business decisions.
• Working Together - Ability to develop good working relationships and influence social media influencers and senior managers, dealing with conflict and challenge in a calm, measured way
• Communicating and Influencing - Good written and social media engagement skills with a strong, proven understanding of what makes interesting, and accessible social media content.
• Managing a Quality Service - Good planning, project and time management skills, with ability to work on own initiative and in team to problem solve and prioritise own work according to changing business needs.
• A relevant qualification along with membership of CIM, CIPR or other relevant professional body desirable.
• Analytical - You seek and analyse information to inform decisions based on the best available evidence.
• Organiser - You make plans and are well prepared. You seek to maximise time and productivity. 

If you would like to find out more about this fantastic opportunity, please read our Job Description and Person Specification! 

 

Please note: The job description may not open in some internet browsers. Please use Chrome or Microsoft Edge. If you have any issue viewing the job description, please contact careers@mhra.gov.uk 

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £34,841, Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency contributes £9,407 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

 

We use the Civil Service Success Profiles to assess our candidates, find out more here. 

 

• Online application form, including questions based on the Behaviour, Experience and Technical Success Profiles. Please ensure all application questions are completed in full; your application may not be considered if any responses are left blank. Our applications are CV blind, and our Hiring Managers will not be able to access your CV when reviewing your application.
• Test, further information will be supplied when you reach this stage.
• Interview, which can include questions based on the Behaviour, Experience, Technical and Strengths Success Profiles.

Applicants are assessed on whether they meet any mandatory requirements as well as the necessary skills and experience for the role. Applications are scored based on the competency-based answers provided- ensure you have read these thoroughly and allow sufficient time. You can view the competencies for this role in the job description. 

Applicants must ensure that anything submitted must be factually accurate and truthful. Plagiarism ‘can include presenting the ideas and experience of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own.

If you require any disability related adjustments at any point during the process, please contact careers@mhra.gov.uk as soon as possible. 

  

Closing date:  25th March 2024

Shortlisting date: 26th March 2024

Interview date: 2nd April 2024

Candidates will be contacted within a week of the sift and the interviews completed to inform them of the outcome.

 

If you need assistance applying for this role or have any other questions, please contact careers@mhra.gov.uk 

 

Candidates will be subject to UK immigration requirements as well as Civil Service nationality rules. Further information on whether you are able to apply is available here. 

Successful candidates must pass a disclosure and barring security check as well as animal rights and pro-life activism checks. People working with government assets must complete basic personnel security standard checks.

Applicants who are successful at interview will be, as part of pre-employment screening subject to a check on the Internal Fraud Database (IFD). This check will provide information about employees who have been dismissed for fraud or dishonesty offences. This check also applies to employees who resign or otherwise leave before being dismissed for fraud or dishonesty had their employment continued. Any applicant’s details held on the IFD will be refused employment. A candidate is not eligible to apply for a role within the Civil Service if the application is made within a 5 year period following a dismissal for carrying out internal fraud against government.

Any move to the MHRA 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 here.

 

Successful candidates may be subject to annual Occupational Health reviews dependent on role requirements. If you have any queries, please contact careers@mhra.gov.uk.

 

In accordance with the Civil Service Commissioners’ Recruitment Principles our recruitment and selection processes are underpinned by the requirement of selection for appointment on the basis of merit by a fair and open competition. If you feel your application has not been treated in accordance with the Recruitment Principles and you wish to make a complaint, you should firstly contact Mira Mepa, Head of Recruitment and Operations, Mira.Mepa@mhra.gov.uk.  

 

If you are not satisfied with the response you receive, you can contact the Civil Service Commission at: civilservicecommission.independent.gov.uk 

 

info@csc.gov.uk 

Civil Service Commission 

Room G/8 

1 Horse Guards Road 

London 

SW1A 2HQ 

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. The Civil Service also offers a Redeployment Interview Scheme to civil servants who are at risk of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the advertised vacancy.