Assistant Press Officer

Vacancy title

Assistant Press Officer

Closing date

22/04/2026, 16:00

Advertising basis

Permanent

Actual starting salary

The starting salary will be at £30,754 per annum

Salary range or pay band

EO £30,754 to £34,997

Allowances

No

Work pattern

Full time (applications are welcome from people who work part time, as part of a job share or who work full time)

Group

First Minister’s Group

Directorate

Strategic Communications

Branch

Press Office

Location (s)

Pan Wales

Purpose of post

The Welsh Government Communications Service supports Ministers in delivering effective public sector communications.

The service supports the Government by informing people of legislation and polices that affect them, and delivering responsive and informative communications 24 hours a day, 365 days a year

The press office is a busy and interesting place to work, which handles lots of media enquiries, while also developing proactive, creative opportunities to promote the Government’s agenda.

As assistant press officer, you will work with your team to communicate important and high-profile issues facing Wales today.

You will also work alongside our digital media colleagues to develop creative and effective digital content on behalf of the Welsh Government and its Ministers.

Working with policy, marketing and digital colleagues, you’ll communicate Government messages through the media, engaging with different audiences and developing exciting press plans.

Working with your Senior Press Officer/Press Officer, you will play a supporting role in providing media advice and support to Ministers and senior officials.

You will contribute to monitoring and evaluation of media work.

Delivering positive coverage in the media is a central part of the job, so a good news sense, creativity and enthusiasm is essential. A big part of this is successfully selling-in stories to news editors and journalists – so, we’re looking for someone with a positive, resilient, can-do attitude.

Working as part of a team, you will be required to respond swiftly and accurately to breaking news by drafting concise, accurate responses.

After being part of the press office for six – 12 months, you will be expected to take part on the out-of-hours duty rota, for which overtime is paid.

Key tasks

• Work as part of a team to provide Minister with press and media relations advice and support.
• Draft press releases, reactive statements and digital content to communicate Government policies.
• Alongside your press office team, meet with Ministers, Special Advisers, and senior officials to plan media activity and handling.
• Contribute to the development of communications plans to support key announcement or issues.
• Provide regular evaluation of media activity for Ministers and officials.
• Accompany Ministers on engagements, advising on media arrangements, organising and managing interviews, and capturing social media content.
• Maintain strong links with UK, Welsh, regional and specialist media.
• Establish and maintain good working relations with a range of individuals and organisations including Ministers, special advisers, policy colleagues, external agencies, stakeholders and contractors.
• Adhere to high professional standards, including good writing skills.
• Keep abreast of developments in the communications landscape.
• Provide general administrative support to your wider press team, including co-ordinating requests for translations.
• Take part in the evening and weekend press office duty rota as required.
  
  

Development opportunities

Press Office is a fast paced environment, where there will be opportunities to progress.

Other vacancy related information

• In the event of a large number of applications, an initial sift will be conducted against the lead assessment criterion: Communicating and influencing. Candidates who pass the initial sift may be progressed to a full sift or progressed straight to assessment/interview.
• A reserve list may be held for this opportunity. Any candidate who is successful in being offered a reserve status, will remain on the reserve list for 12 months.
  
  

Vetting level

CTC - Candidates applying for a role that requires CTC clearance must have normally resided in the UK for a minimum of 3 years out of the last 5

Number of posts

1

Contact point for further information regarding the post

Chris Seal - chris.seal@gov.wales

Welsh language requirements

3 - Welsh language skills are not essential for this post, they are however desirable and will be considered if two or more candidates receive the same score at the application or interview stage.

Understanding by reading

0 - No skills

Speaking and being understood

0 - No skills

Understanding by listening

0 - No skills

Writing and being understood

0 - No skills

Welsh Government, like all other Government Departments use Success Profiles when we recruit. For each role we consider what you will need to demonstrate to be successful. This gives us the best possible chance of finding the right person for the job. It raises performance and improves diversity and inclusivity.

Behaviour 1

The selection process and stages are:

Communicating and Influencing

Take time to consider the best communication channel to use for the audience, including making the best of digital resources and considering value for money.

Behaviour 2

Delivering at Pace

Regularly check performance against objectives, making suggestions for improvement or taking corrective action where necessary.

Behaviour 3

Making Effective Decisions

Take responsibility for making effective and fair decisions, in a timely manner.

Behaviour 4

Seeing the Big Picture

Understand how your work and the work of your team supports wider objectives and meets the diverse needs of stakeholders.

Evidence to provide

Experience questions

Experience 1

Ability to draft clear and concise written work.

You will be asked about your nationality and if you are legally allowed to work in the United Kingdom. This is to find out if you are eligible to apply for this vacancy. This is a requirement for working within the Civil Service. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/nationality-rules

If you do not meet the eligibility criteria your application will not progress. If it becomes clear at a later stage in the process that you are not eligible to apply, your application may be withdrawn, or the offer retracted.

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)
• 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
  
  

All Welsh Government staff are members of the Civil Service, and as a result are eligible for:

• Civil Service Pension Scheme
• 31 days annual leave (pro-rated for part time)
• training and development opportunities
• Cycle2Work Scheme
• Smart Working flexible working arrangement
• Green Car Scheme (subject to availability)
  
  

If you are an active Civil Service Pension member you can continue your membership throughout your employment with us.

If you are an active Civil Service Pension member you can continue your membership throughout your employment with us.

We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition. Please see the Civil Service Commissions recruitment principles on the Commissions website.

If you feel your application has not been treated in accordance with these principles and wish to make a complaint please email complaints@gov.wales . Please ensure that you refer to the vacancy reference number.

If you are not satisfied with the response you receive from the Welsh Government, you can contact the Civil Service Commission: info@csc.gov.uk.

How To Apply

All applications for this vacancy must be made using our online application system.

Unless stated otherwise in the Other vacancy-related information for advert, the Welsh Government cannot offer Visa sponsorship. Welsh Government holds a Visa sponsorship licence, but this can only be used for certain roles and this campaign does not qualify.

Applications are welcomed from people with a diverse range of lived and professional experiences. We are actively committed to becoming an increasingly diverse organisation which represents the diverse communities we serve. There are a number of Diversity networks that staff can participate in, which include the Disability Awareness and Support Staff Network; Minority Ethnic Staff Network; Mind Matters (Mental health and well-being); PRISM (LGBTI+), Women Together and the Neurodivergence Network.

If you have an impairment which prevents you from applying online, please email our recruitment team. You can:

• request an application pack in an alternative format
• request a recruitment adjustment to help you submit your application
  
  

Use the Apply button to submit your application. You will be asked to register if you dont have an account or sign in if you do. Registration takes a few minutes and you will need an email address.

You should check your Application Centre regularly for updates to your application. Please also check your spam/junk folder in case any communication regarding your application and/or assessment details finds its way there.

Once youve registered for an account and logged in, youll be taken to the online application form. You must complete this and submit it before the deadline on the closing date. We will not consider an incomplete application form.

If you would like to apply for this vacancy in Welsh, please use the Change Language link on this page. We welcome applications in Welsh, and applications submitted in Welsh will not be treated less favourably than applications submitted in English.

Please see the candidate guidance for more information on the recruitment process.

For information on Civil Service Success Profiles please click here .

For TS to G6 recruitment schemes: When presenting your evidence, you may find it useful to consider the expectations of the grade as set out in the Grade Description as well as the main responsibilities that are essential for the role.

Use the Apply button to submit your application. You will be asked to register if you dont have an account or sign in if you do. Registration takes a few minutes and you will need an email address.

You should check your Application Centre regularly for updates to your application. Please also check your spam/junk folder in case any communication regarding your application and/or assessment details finds its way there.

Once youve registered for an account and logged in, youll be taken to the online application form. You must complete this and submit it before the deadline on the closing date. We will not consider an incomplete application form.

If you would like to apply for this vacancy in Welsh, please use the Change Language link on this page. We welcome applications in Welsh, and applications submitted in Welsh will not be treated less favourably than applications submitted in English.

Please see the candidate guidance for more information on the recruitment process.

For information on Civil Service Success Profiles please click here .

For TS to G6 recruitment schemes: When presenting your evidence, you may find it useful to consider the expectations of the grade as set out in the Grade Description as well as the main responsibilities that are essential for the role.

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