Visits and Events Specialist

A role supporting the planning and delivery of ministerial visits and events for Defra group Communications. Working with the Visits and Events Lead, the postholder will help to ensure ministers are supported with well-organised, high-quality activity that communicates departmental priorities and creates meaningful engagement opportunities, managing logistics and coordination from initial scoping through to on-the-day delivery.

• Support development and maintenance of the visits and events programme, working with private offices, Special Advisers (SpAds), policy teams and thematic leads to identify opportunities, scope suitable venues and participants, and define clear objectives using the OASIS framework.
• Lead end-to-end logistics for ministerial visits and events, including site reconnaissance, scheduling, travel, security coordination, venue management, catering, branding and on-the-day delivery, escalating issues to the Visits and Events Lead as needed.
• Prepare logistical briefing materials for ministers and senior officials ahead of visits and events, coordinating with press office and digital teams to maximise communications opportunities and ensure activity is integrated with wider campaigns and announcements.
• Evaluate visits and events activity against objectives, capturing learning to inform future planning and contributing to cross-functional reporting on the communications forward look.
In addition, all Senior Executive Officer (SEO) communications professionals within Defra group Communications will:
• Act as a trusted strategic communications adviser to senior leaders and stakeholders, translating business objectives into clear communications plans and providing confident, expert guidance.
• Plan, deliver and evaluate high-quality communications activity, using insight and data to inform decisions, optimise approaches and demonstrate impact and value for money.
• Build and maintain effective working relationships across internal teams, partner organisations and external stakeholders, working collaboratively to ensure communications are joined-up and aligned to wider organisational and government priorities.
• Identify and manage risks to reputation and communications objectives, reacting quickly to changes in the political or policy landscape.
• Play an active role in incident communications, helping to ensure that partners and the public receive up-to-date and accurate information at pace. The post holder may be required to participate in an out-of-hours duty rota, for which additional pay is provided.
• Line manage and provide professional development support to direct reports, fostering a positive, inclusive team culture and contributing to building capability across the wider communications function.
• Ensure all communications activity adheres to government propriety, accessibility and data protection standards, upholding the standards set out in the Civil Service Code and Government Communication Service (GCS) guidance.
• Contribute to cross-government and cross-Defra group working, sharing insight, best practice and lessons learned to continuously improve the quality and effectiveness of communications.