From keeping drugs out of prisons, to overhauling divorce laws and making upskirting illegal – the Ministry of Justice is one of only a handful of Government departments that can truly dominate the news agenda.

And our press office, bursting with talent, is widely recognised as the gold standard within government for shaping stories and influencing news across print, broadcast and online. With a diverse remit including prisons and probation, family justice, legal aid and modernising the courts system, our office is always busy, with no two days are ever the same.

We are looking for creative, hard-working, passionate people to join our friendly and collegial team so if you’re looking for a job where you can develop with genuine support and encouragement from experienced communications professionals, keep reading.

You will have responsibility for setting up and managing media facilities, organising interviews, drafting sharp reactive statements and briefing journalists to generate and influence our coverage. You will have the opportunity to advise Ministers and provide them with media handling advice on announcements, visits and speeches.

If these challenges sound exciting and you enjoy the buzz from working in a busy environment –apply now to be a Ministry of Justice media officer. You are exactly who we’re looking for.

Due to a number of recent promotions, we currently have five media officer vacancies available across our offices, such as Prisons Desk and Courts Desk, a news planning desk which works with 10 Downing St to coordinate announcements and our Newsdesk.

All media officers are expected to:
• Create proactive announcements and media strategies, using everything from traditional broadcast and print media to consumer websites and social media.
• Provide regular media handling advice to Ministers, officials and colleagues on sensitive, complex and high-profile issues.
• Anticipate and spot news stories so that you can prepare and issue robust responses to potentially negative stories swiftly.
• Develop and maintain strong relationships with Ministers, officials, journalists, stakeholders and colleagues in other departments.

You would also contribute to the press office’s out-of-hours service to the department and to the media, for which overtime is paid.