The Bank of England is the UK's central bank. Our mission is to deliver monetary and financial stability for the British people.

The Bank of England is a diverse organisation. Each of its 4,000 people are committed to public service and dedicated to promoting the good of the people of the United Kingdom by maintaining monetary and financial stability.

The Communications Directorate is responsible for managing and developing the Bank's external and internal communications. We manage the relationships with key stakeholder groups including the Media and Parliament, as well as providing a Public Enquires function. We work with a wide range of colleagues to develop and deliver the Bank's programme of outreach and education, which includes building strategic partnerships with other organisations and running the Bank's Museum.

We also develop and maintain our external website and social media presence and produce the Bank's flagship publications, including the Inflation Report and Financial Stability Report. In addition we lead on the development of the Bank's strategic plan, helping to ensure it achieves its desired outcomes, monitoring and reporting on delivery of the plan to the Executive Director Committee, Court and the wider Bank.

The Communications Directorate is also responsible for meeting the Bank’s statutory obligations regarding the Freedom of Information Act, coordinating and responding to requests.
 

The Communications Directorate is responsible for managing and developing the Bank’s external and internal communications.  We manage the relationships with key stakeholder groups including the Media and Parliament, as well as providing a Public Enquires function. We work with a wide range of colleagues to develop and deliver the Bank’s programme of outreach and education, which includes building strategic partnerships with other organisations and running the Bank's Museum.

We also develop and maintain our external website and social media presence and produce the Bank’s flagship publications, including the Inflation Report and Financial Stability Report. In addition we lead on the development of the Bank's strategic plan, helping to ensure it achieves its desired outcomes, monitoring and reporting on delivery of the plan to the Executive Director Committee, Court and the wider Bank.

The Communications Directorate is also responsible for meeting the Bank's statutory obligations regarding the Freedom of Information Act, coordinating and responding to requests.

Department Overview

The Communications Directorate works in partnership with all other directorates across the Bank to drive internal and external communications.

One of our main aims is to improve understanding and trust in the work we all do.

To support our aims we:

• use our website and social media to communicate directly with people
• build relationships with external stakeholders eg Parliament, the media and businesses
• have conversations with local communities though our outreach events
• provide educational resources and activities for families and schools

Our directorate designs and publishes flagship reports such as the Monetary Policy Report and the Financial Stability Report.

We also work on high-profile public campaigns such as the launch of the £20 and £50 banknotes.

Communications Assistants work within the Stakeholder and Media Engagement division and the role encompasses a wide variety of tasks and responsibilities, operating in a fast-paced environment.

The division is responsible for all external interaction across media, parliamentarians, schools, city economists and relevant institutions, museum visitors as well as those requesting information through FOI or subject access. The division works closely with all areas of the Bank including individual members of the Executive Team, Financial Policy Committee (FPC), Monetary Policy Committee (MPC), and Prudential Regulation Committee (PRC).  

Job description

The Communications Assistant role provides support primarily to the Press Office but also the wider Stakeholder and Media Engagement division (which also includes our Parliamentary Affairs, Information Access and Outreach & Education teams). The role holder will understand the key external communication priorities for the Bank and help to deliver these.

Within Press Office, Communications Assistants are the first point of call for all journalists, answering the phone, monitoring emails and organising briefings or press conferences. They also arrange interviews, filming and provide media monitoring. Communications Assistants ensure that accurate records of all engagements are maintained and assist with admin and diary management for managers within the area.

Role Requirements
 

Minimum Criteria

• Good computing literacy including a working knowledge of Word, Excel and Outlook
• Experience working in a team and juggling competing priorities
• Confidence working in a fast paced environment
• Able to exercise discretion and sound judgement in a calm manner;
• High level of accuracy and attention to detail;
• Strong organisation and communication skills;
• Proactive, a self-starter and able to use own initiative
• Uses initiative and innovation to improve processes and procedures

Desirable Criteria

You should not be put off applying if you do not meet/ have all of these criteria – we would encourage you to get in touch to discuss what support you might need to close any gaps and/or any other skills you might have which you think could be helpful in role.

• Confident in communicating with all stakeholders both internally and externally up to the most senior levels
• A knowledge of CRM would be useful but can be learnt on the job
• An understanding of the external environment in which the Bank sits, the communication challenges it faces and its key audiences
• A willingness to take on new challenges, even when working under pressure
• Experience processing travel and expense claims

The Bank values diversity and inclusion – we want to reflect the society we serve better, we want the best people to work for us and we want our workplace to be inclusive.  We value all forms of diversity, including but not limited to age, disability, ethnicity, gender, gender identity, race, religion and sexual orientation.  One way we support diversity and inclusion is through our staff-run networks, which are summarised.

We are fully committed to having a diverse and inclusive working environment, and are open to considering how the role might be carried out with flexible working.  This role is therefore open to flexible working patterns. 

Where a role can be carried out from home, we are working towards colleagues spending at least half of their time in the office, so that we can all benefit from working together in person, while maintaining the flexibility offered by home working. From 6 June 2022, we expect colleagues to spend a minimum of 40% of their working time in the office per month.  Subject to that minimum requirement, individuals and managers should work together to find what works best for them and their team.

We are also committed to making adjustments for candidates and employees where possible, and have partnered with external expert organisations to support us in this.  We are a member of the Disability Confident scheme, summarised , and people who wish to apply under this scheme should check the box in the ‘Candidate Personal Information’ under the ‘Disability Confident Scheme’ section of the application.

We anonymise applications so hiring managers will not be able to see your personal information when reviewing your submission, including your CV. Please fully complete the application form questions as requested, as any incomplete submissions may not be reviewed.

The Bank of England is a distinctive institution and our rewards are one of the things that set us apart. As well as enjoying a competitive salary you will work in a collaborative, inclusive environment, with a subsidised restaurant, flexible working opportunities and plenty of wellbeing initiatives.  

This specific role offers a base salary of £24,225 - £25,740 per annum, along with our comprehensive benefits package as follows:

•    A non-contributory, career average pension giving you a guaranteed retirement benefit of 1/95th of your annual salary for every year worked. There is the option to increase your pension (to 1/50th) or decrease (to 1/120th) in exchange for salary through our flexible benefits programme each year.
•    A discretionary performance award based on a current award pool.
•    A 7% benefits allowance with the option to take as salary or purchase a wide range of flexible benefits.
•    25 days annual leave with option to buy up to 13 additional days through flexible benefits.
•    Private medical insurance and income protection.