Press Officer

What is the purpose of this role?
To protect and enhance the reputation of Britain’s biggest water company through the use of streetwise, customer-friendly media communications.

What makes this role unique?
We serve the Thames Valley and London, Britain’s economic hub. All of the country’s MPs, main national media and key business leaders are based in the capital. The challenge is delivering a 21st century service using largely 19th century infrastructure, put in the ground by the Victorians. Fixing burst pipes and replacing worn-out sections of the network, while balancing disruption and cost to customers, are part of daily life for the 4,500 staff working at Britain’s biggest water and sewerage firm.

What will this role involve?
The 24-hour press office at Thames Water never has a quiet day. As press officer you will deal with crises as and when they happen. You will also exploit the rich labyrinth of positive stories that lies within this complex organisation. As press officer you will unearth those often technically-worded topics into clean, simple copy to drive proactive media coverage that engages customers and strengthens the Thames Water brand. One minute you could be giving a radio interview. The next, you could be crafting a line on investment for the CEO. Ultimately, customers are the people you need to explain things to, and be accountable to, via the media.

What skills are we looking for?
We’re looking for someone with outstanding written and verbal communication skills who is also high-energy, commercially savvy, customer-focused and a team player. A hard grafter who relishes being ‘thrown in at the deep end’.

Thames Water information & Salary
£30,000 – £36,000 basic; on-call duty payments for taking part in a one-in-four-week out-of-hours press office rota. This role will be based at our Head Office, Clearwater Court, central Reading.

Why Thames Water?
Thames Water provides the essential service for 14 million people, a quarter of England’s population, 24/7, 365 days a year. Every day it cleans, treats and sends 2.6bn litres of water to customers through its 20,000-mile network of mains. And every day it treats and returns safely to the environment a staggering 4.2bn litres of wastewater across its 68,000-mile grid of sewers.

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Pertemps is an Equal Opportunities Employer