Media Relations Manager

About Us:

British Transport Police (BTP) is the national police force for the rail network throughout Great Britain. We are the ‘Guardians of the Railway,’ putting passenger safety at the heart of what we do. Our values are simple: We Care, We Do the Right Thing, We Strive to Be Better Every Day, We Are One BTP, and We Are Proud to Protect. Join us and help create an environment where we can all be our best every day.

The Opportunity:

Salary: £41,773.05 plus £4427.65 London Allowance plus 10% on-call allowance per annum

Contract Type: Permanent

Location: London

Type of Working Arrangement: Blended approach of home and office-working is available

Hours: This is full-time role (37 hours per week)

Are you looking for your next exciting career move? British Transport Police have an excellent opportunity for a Media Relations Manager to join the External Affairs and Media department. As a Media Relations Manager with BTP, you will be the voice of BTP; managing the force’s media response to significant incidents and finding new and innovative ways to tell our stories and engage with the communities that we serve. You will be vital in supporting the Force to prevent and detect crime and build and protect lasting public confidence.

Main Responsibilities:

Drafting and releasing high-level press releases, statements and media strategies.

Manging the day to day running of the press office and having direct line management for four Media Relations Advisors.

Owning a number of national portfolios such as County Lines, Violence against Women and Girls or Counter Terrorism and act as a lead for the Force on traditional and social planning for that issue nationally.

Acting as a dedicated manager for Senior Investigating Officers during criminal investigations, supporting the investigative team by devising and implementing communication plans and strategies.

Building and maintaining relationships with the media, including local, national, specialist and trade journalists, and ensuring BTP is a key voice.

Being the first point of escalation for social media content that is considered a Media Relations concern by the Social Media Engagement Officers or the Force Contact Centre.

Participating in the 24/7 on-call rota, responding to incidents and enquiries out of hours and making decisions on responses to a wide range of complex issues and critical incidents.

Essential Skills:

Educated to degree level or able to evidence equivalent work experience in a relevant field.

Significant experience within a busy newsroom, press office or similar environment.

Excellent written and verbal communication skills with high attention to detail as well as the ability to write in a variety of styles.

Previous line management experience.

Ability to deliver high quality content to tight timescales and under pressure.

The confidence and gravitas to offer advice to Senior Management and challenge when necessary when in the Force’s best interests.

Ability to act swiftly and make decisions individually, particularly out of hours on breaking incidents and incoming media queries.

Further information about this vacancy can be found in the attached job description.

Vetting: Successful applicants will be required to pass Management Vetting (5 years minimum UK residency required), including a full background and financial disclosure. For more information and Top Tips, please see attached document.

Medical: We’ll ask for relevant health and medical history details to support employee wellbeing.

References: We'll ask for references to cover the past 5 years.

How to apply:

Applications will be via a detailed CV, Cover Letter and online application form. Your Cover Letter should outline why you are interested in the role and how your skills and experience demonstrate your suitability for the role.

Completed applications must be submitted by 11:59pm on Wednesday 7th May 2025.

What we offer:

28 days annual leave plus bank holidays, increasing to 30 days after 5 years.

Family-friendly policies, including up to 26 weeks paid maternity and adoption leave.

Bespoke benefits platform and Blue Light Card access.

Salary sacrifice options for cycles, home technology, gym membership, and electric vehicles.

Interest-free annual rail season ticket loan after 6 months.

Access to the Transport Benevolent Fund for health, welfare, and financial support.

Development opportunities, including fully funded apprenticeships.

Excellent Pension scheme: We offer the BTP GPP Police Staff Pension Scheme, administered by Royal London. This group personal pension plan is available to all police staff and is a defined contribution scheme. It provides the flexibility to vary your pension contributions from 4.4% to 12% of your salary. For more information, visit the Royal London dedicated pension page or email us at Pension-Queries@btp.police.uk. Note: If you are an existing member of Police Staff in the RPS, your pension will not be affected.

Inclusion & Diversity:

At BTP, we are committed to fostering an inclusive workplace where everyone feels valued. We believe diversity drives innovation and better decision-making. Our roles are open to everyone, and we encourage applications from underrepresented groups, including Black, Asian, and minority ethnic candidates, women, LGBTQI+ individuals, people with disabilities, and those who are neurodiverse. As part of our commitment we operate a ‘Disability Confident Scheme’ - all candidates who declare a disability and meet the essential criteria for the role will be offered an interview. 

For more information on Inclusion or the Disability Confident Scheme, please click the links Inclusion & Diversity Disability Confident Scheme

Join Us:

Grow your career with us. We can’t wait to hear from you! See why BTP is right for you and click here for more information. For further information, please contact our Resourcing Team at RecruitmentTeam@btp.police.uk.