Press Officer

Press Officer £39,274 per annum - Grade 7 Leeds / Hybrid 37 hours per week / 11 months maternity cover Closing date – 9 March at 23:55 We are looking for an enthusiastic Press Officer to join our Press Office and help raise the profile of the Combined Authority and the Mayor. In this fast-paced role, you will have the opportunity to identify compelling news stories, create exciting media experiences, and collaborate with our wider Communications and Marketing team. You will play a key role in shaping the daily news agenda, managing media enquiries, and ensuring our messages reach the right audiences. As a Press Officer, you'll actively seek opportunities to advocate for the Combined Authority and its work, working with journalists at local, regional, and national levels. You will monitor the media and political landscape to provide timely, strategic advice to our leaders and the Mayor. With a focus on increasing the organisation's visibility, you will evaluate media coverage to ensure its effectiveness and contribute to the overall success of our communications efforts. This is a varied role, which will suit a flexible individual, proficient at managing multiple projects and working with a range of partners. Our Offer Alongside a competitive salary, we offer an excellent benefits package including: * 28 days Annual Leave (increasing upon years of service) plus Bank Holidays * Generous Employer-Contribution Pension Scheme * Free Travel on rail and buses across West Yorkshire with the M-Card (Zones 1-5) * Flexible Working Practices with Health & Wellbeing initiatives, including agile working options, as well as a generous flexi-time scheme to ensure you achieve the best work/life balance and career goals. * Bright, airy, modern office space, with all latest technology, just a 2-minute walk from Leeds Train Station. The Role of the Press Officer Reporting into Senior Press Officer, your key responsibilities will include: * Play a key role in delivering a proactive and reactive press and media relations function on behalf of the Combined Authority, the Mayor of West Yorkshire and the region’s leaders. * Form strong and robust relationships with journalists, whilst raising the profile of the Mayor of West Yorkshire. * Promote the organisation’s successes to relevant audiences through the media, including writing press releases, social media copy and thought leadership pieces. * Provide a professional out-of-hours service on a rota basis, where you will be the single point of contact for media enquiries and responsible for communications and media relations on behalf of the organisation and the Mayor. Please review the Role Profile on our website for more information about the responsibilities. About You You will have the following key skills, attributes, education and experience: Be news hungry and passionate about current affairs, politics and West Yorkshire. * Be a positive team player with a track record of delivering comms work in a collaborative environment. * Have strong press office or media experience in a busy environment, including excellent writing skills. * Have experience of securing media coverage to support corporate goals. * Confidence when working with senior stakeholders and the ability to win confidence when advising on media matters . * Capable of working flexibly and collaboratively as part of a multi-disciplinary communications and marketing team. To Apply If this sounds like your next role, please complete the application form and tell us within the supporting statement why you would be a great fit for our role and how your skills, knowledge and experience align with the requirements within the Role Profile. Please visit our Advice for Candidates webpage and review the guidance on this page for support in completing your application form. Further Information The Combined Authority is passionate about creating an inclusive workplace that promotes and values diversity. We know through experience that different ideas, perspectives and backgrounds create a stronger and more creative work environment that delivers better outcomes. We welcome applications irrespective of people's age, disability, neuro-divergence, sex, gender identity and gender expression, race or ethnicity, religion or belief, sexual orientation, pregnancy or maternity, or other personal circumstances. We have policies and procedures in place to ensure that all applicants are treated fairly and consistently at every stage of the recruitment process, including the consideration of reasonable adjustments for people who have a disability and/or who are neuro divergent. To find out more about inclusivity at the West Yorkshire Combined Authority please visit our dedicated webpage. Under the Disability Confident Scheme, applicants with a disability are guaranteed an interview, subject to the minimum criteria being met. Please note that whilst it is our policy to recruit at SP1 for all appointments, which is the salary stated above, each role includes career salary progression, with incremental increases applicable in most cases on an annual basis