Senior Communications Officer

Job Title: Senior Communications Officer

Responsible to: Head of Media

Salary: from £35,000

Hours: Full Time

Tenure: Permanent

Location: LDHQ, Westminster, London

This is an exciting opportunity to join the Liberal Democrat media team, supporting the party’s record 72 Liberal Democrat MPs. The Senior Communications Officer will play a critical, leading role in shaping and delivering the Liberal Democrats' national media output. 

Reporting to the Head of Media, the role holder will be responsible for developing and implementing proactive communication plans that support the party’s spokespeople and peers in securing high-impact, positive national coverage.

The candidate will be a resilient, autonomous, and ambitious communications professional seeking an opportunity to influence political news and debate significantly. You will have a record of building and maintaining a strong network of contacts with leading journalists across the national media and an expert understanding of the modern media landscape, including the interplay between traditional platforms and social media. You must demonstrate exceptional written and verbal communication skills and the ability to translate complex policy issues into compelling narratives rapidly.

The ideal candidate will have an excellent understanding of UK politics, the opportunities facing the Liberal Democrats in the current political landscape, and the methods the party can use to leverage its larger presence in Parliament to maximise impact across a range of channels.

• Lead the development and execution of proactive communications plans to secure high-impact coverage promoting the party’s work and national campaign priorities.
• Act as an expert adviser to spokespeople and their offices, identifying and creating opportunities to generate influential national media coverage across print and broadcast platforms.
• Work closely with senior management to assist with crisis communications in the normal course of duties, managing complex narratives and mitigating media risks.
• Drive the integration of media and digital outputs, generate creative content ideas to get our message across, and ensure media stories are optimised for social channels.
• Build and maintain relationships with senior network broadcast journalists to secure agenda-setting interviews and news packages.
• Proactively spot emerging trends and risks, using strategic planning to maintain and update the communications grid and ensure consistent, high-quality coverage.
• Contributing to the overall goals of and professional development within the Liberal Democrat media team, including supporting more junior colleagues.
• Take part in the media team’s out-of-hours duty system, including handling breaking news and providing senior-level advice when required.
• Undertake any other ad hoc duties as required to support senior leadership and wider team goals and responsibilities.

How to apply

All applicants must have the unrestricted, legal right to live and work in the UK. Please note that we are currently unable to offer visa sponsorship for this role. 

To submit an application, please email recruitment@libdems.org.uk  attaching:

1. A copy of your CV, including your complete work history

2. A Covering Letter: no more than one page of A4 in length, indicating clearly how your experience and skills meet the criteria stated in the job and person specification

3. A completed diversity monitoring form

4. Please ensure we have the means to contact you by phone and email

We will be reviewing applications as they come in on a rolling basis. Unfortunately, we won't let applicants know if their applications are unsuccessful at the shortlisting stage.

Please note: We will not be able to employ you if you are not eligible to work in the UK. Unfortunately, we won't be able to obtain a work permit for you.

Applicants are encouraged to inform us if any reasonable adjustments are needed at any stage of the recruitment process.

Please provide details of your current salary and two referees, including one from your current employer. If you would prefer that we not contact them until a later stage of the selection process, please let us know.

We will not notify applicants if their applications are unsuccessful at the shortlisting stage.

The Party believes it is essential to foster equity, equality, diversity, and inclusion within our workforce. We want our employees to thrive in an environment where everyone is welcome and supported to achieve their potential. It is important to celebrate what makes us unique and to feel valued, appreciated, and free to be who we are.