Communications Officer

Job summary

We are looking for an all-round communications specialist who wants to develop their skills in a small and integrated communications team.

In particular, we would welcome applications from those with some press office experience. However, as a key supporting member of the team, you will be working across all areas of our work, to give you a varied workload.

One day, you may be developing a communications handling plan for a major case announcement, on another you could be coming up with innovative social media content or pulling together content for an internal or external communications newsletter or running a webinar for explaining the work of the TRA to new audiences. This varied portfolio will give you exposure across the range of communications functions, helping you build your skills and experience.

The Communications Team sits within our Policy, Strategy and Engagement Directorate and works closely with both Policy and the TRA’s technical industry-focused Advisory Service.

As part of the Government Communication Service (GCS), we adhere to its professional standards and have access to the wider training and future career opportunities open to all government communication specialists.

Role Purpose

The TRA Communications Team manages the organisation’s external reputation and ensures its work is understood by its wide stakeholder network and wider public audiences and that its services are available to industries that need its help. We are also responsible for managing internal communications and helping develop the TRA as a friendly, supportive and productive place to work.

As a Communications Officer, you’ll work across the full range of communications functions, but with a core focus on preparing handling plans to announce key milestones in our trade remedy investigations, as well as supporting social media, external affairs and stakeholder events.

Job description

Key Accountabilities:

• Working with other TRA teams to plan, draft, clear and publish communications content using a range of channels;
• Achieving (if not already completed) GOV.UK accreditation to draft, clear and publish content on our GOV.UK website pages;
• Responding to incoming media enquiries and recording them on our database;
• Participating in the out-of-hours duty press rota, which attracts an additional allowance;
• Compiling and sharing a daily media summary with TRA staff and Board members, drawn from our monitoring service;
• Working with other TRA teams to coordinate their relationships with other organisations, helping ensure our external engagement is positive, proactive and consistent;
• Supporting TRA-hosted stakeholder events;
• Planning and producing ad-hoc marketing content such as videos, leaflets and slide packs;
• Supporting our evaluation work to make sure our communications are effective and good value;
• Other work that may arise as part of our directorate’s commitment to delivering an excellent service to the TRA.

Person specification

Personal Attributes & Skills

We are looking for an enthusiastic and proactive self-starter who will enjoy taking forward projects under their own steam (with support) and will relish a varied workload.

You will have excellent writing skills and sound attention to detail, to help us offer a professional communications service to both our internal and external audiences.

Essential and Preferred Experience

The following experience is essential for the post and will be assessed throughout the selection process:

Essential:

• Experience working in a communications role, ideally including press office/media handling;
• Strong verbal and written language skills;
• Experience working with a varied stakeholder/audience base.

Desirable:

• Experience working with social media channels.
• Experience working on website or intranet content management systems.
• Experience working in a business or trade-focused communications role.

Behaviours

We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:

• Communicating and Influencing
• Delivering at Pace
• Managing a Quality Service
• Working Together

We only ask for evidence of these behaviours on your application form:

• Communicating and Influencing

Technical skills

We'll assess you against these technical skills during the selection process:

• Presentation

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £36,952, Trade Remedies Authority contributes £10,704 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

Please refer to the candidate pack attached for further information.

Useful Information for Existing Civil Servants:

Existing Civil Servants should note that working for the TRA, you will be employed as a public servant. This means:

This vacancy is for a position in the Trade Remedies Authority (TRA). TRA employees are not Civil Servants. Individuals applying for this role from the Civil Service are advised to review terms prior to accepting the offer. Key terms are outlined in the benefits section of this advert (these are not exhaustive). Individuals can also discuss with hiring managers and the TRA People Team on resourcing.enquiries@traderemedies.gov.uk.

Your continuity of service for employment protection will start on the day you join us. We are not an employer of the Crown and therefore cannot recognise previous employment with the Civil Service for the purpose of qualifying for Employment Rights. An employee must have 2 years’ length of service with TRA before Employment Rights are recognised.

If you are a member of the Civil Service Pension scheme, your membership and reckonable service will continue with us, providing there is no break between your Civil Service employment and your employment as a public servant with TRA.

We will recognise the annual leave you have built up, up to a maximum of 30 days, and the sick pay entitlement taking account of your length of service in the Civil Service.

If you choose to re-join the Civil Service at any point in the future, this will be according to the policies of the department you are joining following your resignation from TRA. You may also wish to be aware that under Exception 5 of the Civil Service Commission’s Recruitment Principles, the re-employment of a former Civil Servant is possible within a maximum of five years of leaving the Civil Service, subject to qualifying criteria being met and depending on the policies of the department you are joining.

Things you need to know

Artificial intelligence

Artificial intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Please see our candidate guidance (opens in a new window) for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.

Selection process details

This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours, Strengths, Experience and Technical skills.

Apply:

Please submit a CV and a personal statement of no more than 750 words demonstrating how your experience, skills and attributes meet the requirements for the role and a behaviour statement of no more than 250 words for the lead behaviour: Communicating and Influencing.

Further details around what this will entail are listed on the application form.

Sift:

The Panel will consider your application against the essential and desirable criteria for the role and successful candidates will be invited to an interview.

If a high number of applications are received, an initial sift will be conducted based on the Communicating and Influencing behaviour statement. Candidates who pass the initial sift may be progressed to a full sift, or progressed straight to assessment/interview.

Interview:

The interview assessment will consist of a presentation exercise followed by a behaviour, experience and strength-based interview. The behaviours you will be assessed against are Communicating and influencing ,Delivering at Pace, Managing a Quality Service and Working Together.

We will share the Civil Service behaviour questions and the presentation topic prior to the interview to allow candidates to prepare.

Application Closes: 19th April 2026.

Shortlist: From 20th April 2026.

Interviews: Week commencing 13th May 2026.

Sift and interview dates to be confirmed.

Your interview will either be conducted face to face or by video. You will be notified of the location if you are selected for interview.

Further Information

We are Inclusive

We are fully committed to being an inclusive employer and ensuring equal opportunities. We are keen to make our workforce as diverse as possible and recognise how important inclusivity is to achieve the best outcomes. We hope to attract applications from all underrepresented groups.

We will ensure that individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable adjustments if required to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform crucial job functions, and to receive other benefits and privileges of employment. Please contact us to request adjustments.

Near Miss

Candidates who are judged to be a near miss at interview may be offered a post at the grade below the one advertised.

A reserve list may be held for a period of 12 months from which further appointments can be made.

Any move to Trade Remedies Authority from another employer will mean you can no longer access childcare vouchers. This includes moves between government departments. You may however be eligible for other government schemes, including Tax Free Childcare; for further information visit the Childcare Choices website.

Reasonable Adjustment

If a person with disabilities is put at a substantial disadvantage compared to a non-disabled person, we have a duty to make reasonable changes to our processes.

If you need a change to be made so that you can make your application, you should:

Contact Government Recruitment Service via TRARecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk as soon as possible before the closing date to discuss your needs.

Complete the ‘Assistance required’ section in the ‘Additional requirements’ page of your application form to tell us what changes or help you might need further on in the recruitment process. For instance, you may need wheelchair access at interview, or if you’re deaf, a Language Service Professional.

If you are experiencing accessibility problems with any attachments on this advert, please contact the email address in the 'Contact point for applicants' section.

If successful and transferring from another Government Department a criminal record check may be carried out.

In order to process applications without delay, we will be sending a Criminal Record Check to Disclosure and Barring Service on your behalf.

However, we recognise in exceptional circumstances some candidates will want to send their completed forms direct. If you will be doing this, please advise Government Recruitment Service of your intention by emailing Pre-EmploymentChecks.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk stating the job reference number in the subject heading.

New entrants are expected to join on the minimum of the pay band.

Feedback

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check.People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

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) (opens in a new window)
• 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

Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.

We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window).The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.

Diversity and Inclusion

The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see theCivil Service People Plan (opens in a new window) and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (opens in a new window).

Apply and further information

Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.

Contact point for applicants

Job contact :

• Name : Simon Varcoe
• Email : Simon.Varcoe@traderemedies.gov.uk

Recruitment team

• Email : TRArecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk

Further information

The law requires that selection for appointment is on merit based on fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's Recruitment Principles, which can be found at: https://civilservicecommission.independent.gov.uk/wp-content/uploads/20…. If you feel your application has not been treated in accordance with the Recruitment Principles, please contact: resourcing.enquiries@traderemedies.gov.uk. If you are not satisfied with the response you receive, you can contact the Civil Service Commission (at: https://civilservicecommission.independent.gov.uk/recruitment/civilserv…).

Attachments

TRA Candidate Pack (1) Opens in new window (pdf, 368kB)