Communications Officer (Taxi Private Hire)

Salary – up to £34,000, depending on skills, knowledge and experience
Location – Stratford, London E20 with hybrid working
(Hybrid working within this role enables a balance of 50 per cent of time split between the office and home over a 4-week period. Hybrid working arrangements can evolve subject to business requirements.)
Contract Type – TfL

Overview of project/role

London’s taxi and private hire industries play a vital role in our city’s transport network, providing crucial services at times and places where other public transport modes are often unavailable. Transport for London (TfL) works hard on how it engages with taxi & private hire stakeholders.

Taxi & Private Hire (TPH) now has opportunities in our busy communications team as a Communications Officer, supporting and developing TfL’s relationship with crucial partners, both internally and externally.

Working flexibly; and employing your broad range of communication and engagement skills, you’ll respond to VIP correspondence on behalf of TfL, owning the associated research, and collating and drafting materials. Whether drafting responses to political stakeholders such as Members of Parliament and Assembly Members, or internally, you’ll ensure your written communications are timely, accurate and of high quality.

You’ll handle responses to sensitive Freedom of Information (FOI) requests; and you’ll develop strategic papers and presentations that will be used by senior Taxi & Private Hire colleagues for effective engagement with senior taxi & private hire trade stakeholders.

Key Accountabilities

Your duties will include, but not be limited to:

• Managing all activities involved in collating, investigating and providing high quality responses to significant levels of correspondence from senior VIP stakeholders such as Members of Parliament, Assembly Members, senior taxi and private hire trade representatives, providing accurate and timely replies to requests for sensitive information - including licensing updates for constituents as well as strategic responses to a range of enquiries
• Build and maintain an accurate database of correspondence received and responded to, monitor performance, identify and highlight where delays are occurring. In line with TfL Style Guide, develop standard paragraphs to be used within the team and across TfL to ensure joined up and consistent messaging
• Responsible for identifying potential risks and sensitivities and suggest mitigation and the approach to take to the taxi and private hire senior managers, other stakeholders and communications colleagues for mitigation planning
• Contribute to the development of appropriate processes to improve high priority correspondence and stakeholder management and work with relevant colleagues and managers so as to minimise reputational risk to TfL
• Support the taxi and private hire senior managers by co-ordinating engagement activities and meetings, preparing strategic papers and presentations for discussion with stakeholders and ensure actions are followed up and closed
• Develop action plans, keep and maintain accurate records of actions agreed/conclusions in meetings with senior stakeholders and follow up with senior managers to ensure appropriate action is taken in a timely manner to enhance and protect Transport for Londons (TfLs) reputation
• Monitoring social media and editing and maintaining web pages (training can be provided for this)

Skills, Knowledge & Experience

Suitable candidates will have the following:

Skills

• Excellent writing and communication skills (essential)
• Computer literate, including Microsoft Office packages (essential)
• Excellent ability to organise and prioritise work in a fast-moving environment (essential)
• Ability to communicate confidently and credibly with a range of internal and external stakeholders (essential)
• Ability to draft high quality correspondence drawing on diverse sources of information (essential)
• Building excellent cross team relationships (essential)
• Good data management including evaluation of correspondence performance (desirable)

Knowledge

• Educated to degree level or relevant experience (essential)
• Excellent understanding of communications/public relations techniques and best practice (essential)
• Good understanding of transport issues, in particular taxi and private hire (highly desirable)
• Good knowledge of the political environment in which TPH operates (desirable)
• Good understanding of the public sector environment (desirable)

Experience

• Experience of working in a highly sensitive and political environment (essential)
• Experience in producing high quality, concise responses to politically and commercially sensitive enquiries (essential)
• Experience in corporate/internal communications, PR and/or customer communications, preferably in the public sector (essential)
• Experience in managing VIP correspondence in a Government Department or a comparable organisation (desirable)

Equality, diversity and inclusion

We are committed to equality, diversity and inclusion. We want to represent the city we serve, which will help us become a more innovative and efficient organisation. Our goal is to make our recruitment as inclusive as possible. We are a disability confident employer who guarantee an interview to any disabled candidate who meets all of the essential criteria. We also use anonymising software that removes identifying information from CVs and cover letters to make the process fair.

Application Process

• Please apply using your CV and a two-page covering letter. PDF format preferred and do not include any photographs or images
• Think carefully about the skills, knowledge and experience in the advert and cover this in your CV and cover letter
• PDF format preferred and do not include any photographs or images

The closing date for applications is 15 May 2024 @ 23:59

Benefits

In return for your commitment and expertise, you will enjoy excellent benefits and scope to grow. Rewards vary according to the business area but mostly include:

• Final salary pension scheme
• Free travel for you on the TfL network
• Reimbursement of 75% of the cost of a standard class Ticket for National Rail travel from home or 75% reimbursement on a 28-day flexi ticket
• 30 days annual leave plus public and bank holidays
• TfL is committed to work-life balance, operating a hybrid working approach where business and role requirements allow
• Private healthcare discounted scheme (optional)
• Tax-efficient cycle-to-work programme
• Retail, health, leisure and travel offers
• Discounted Eurostar travel