Job Introduction
Salary: £39,871.93 per annum. An additional London Allowance of £4,613.61 is payable to London based candidates only
Contract Type: Permanent
Location: Any of our main hubs - Birmingham, London, Cardiff, Manchester, Leeds, or Glasgow
Type of Working Arrangement: Blended approach of home and office-working is available
Hours: This is a full-time role (37 hours per week)
British Transport Police (BTP) is the national police force for the rail network throughout Great Britain. We are the ‘Guardians of the Railway,’ putting passenger safety at the heart of what we do. Our values are simply: We Care, We Do the Right Thing, We Strive to Be Better Every Day, We Are One BTP, and We Are Proud to Protect. Join us and help create an environment where we can all be our best every day.
The Opportunity:
British Transport Police have an opportunity for a Media Relations Advisor to join the External Affairs and Media department. As a Media Relations Advisor with BTP, you are the voice of BTP and play a vital role in supporting the Force to prevent and detect crime, as well as building and protecting public confidence - by responding to and proactively engaging with both the media and the public through BTP-owned social media channels.
A key part of the criminal justice process, they produce statements, crime appeals, convictions and sentences for BTP cases. They are expected to find new and innovative ways to engage with the communities we serve - be that responding to a comment on Twitter, joining the latest TikTok trend or reaching people through a local Facebook page.
Media Relations Advisors also participate in the 24/7 on-call rota, responding to journalists and incidents outside of office hours. They need the confidence to react to breaking news, the gravitas to give sound advice to senior officers and the ability to handle both traditional and social media during high profile incidents and cases.
What you'll be doing:
- Act as one of the key voices of British Transport Police, responding to media enquiries, handling breaking news and providing clear, accurate information during critical incidents and court‑related communications.
- Write, shape and release compelling content, including crime appeals, convictions and sentencing updates, adapting messages for different audiences and platforms to build confidence and support policing outcomes.
- Provide trusted advice and guidance to senior leaders, investigators and internal teams, ensuring all communications align with media law, operational needs and reputational considerations.
- Proactively monitor media and social trends, identifying risks and opportunities, escalating issues where required, and supporting strategic planning across BTP’s national portfolios.
What you'll bring to the team:
- Experience working in a busy press office, newsroom or fast‑paced communications environment, with a proven ability to write accurately and quickly for different audiences.
- Strong judgement and decision‑making skills, with the confidence to independently manage breaking incidents, out‑of‑hours enquiries and complex media issues.
- Excellent communication, influencing and relationship‑building skills, able to work with, and effectively communicate to, journalists, investigators, senior leaders and partners.
- A solid understanding of media law (or willingness to develop this quickly), including court reporting restrictions, anonymity rules and reputational risk.
- Exceptional organisational skills, able to prioritise competing demands, react at pace, and deliver clear, coherent communication plans.
Further information about this vacancy can be found in the attached job description.
Vetting - Successful applicants will be required to pass Recruitment Vetting (3 years minimum UK residency required), including a full background and financial disclosure. For more information and Top Tips, please see attached document.
Medical - We’ll ask for relevant health and medical history details to support employee wellbeing.
References - We'll ask for references to cover the past 5 years.
Applications will be via an up-to-date CV and online application form, as part of this application please outline how your skills and experience demonstrate your suitability for the role. AI can be a useful tool to spark ideas or help you organise your thoughts, but when it comes to your application, we want to hear from you, not an algorithm. What truly stands out to us are genuine stories, personal insights and the experiences that have shaped who you are. Authenticity matters - it helps us understand your motivations, your strengths and how you’ll contribute to our team. So, use AI if it helps you get started, but let your own voice lead the way.
Completed applications must be submitted by 11.59pm, 31st March 2026.
Inclusion & Diversity:
We are committed to building a workforce where everyone feels they belong.
We welcome applications from people of all backgrounds, identities and lived experiences. Diversity strengthens our teams, improves our services and helps us better represent and support the communities we serve.
We are proud to be an inclusive employer and strive to create a workplace that is fair, respectful and accessible to all. We actively work to challenge discrimination, remove barriers and ensure equity throughout our recruitment and employment practices.
If you need any reasonable adjustments during the recruitment or selection process, please let us know - we are happy to support you. Your talent, your potential, and your unique perspective matter here.
For more information on Inclusion or the Disability Confident Scheme, please click the links Inclusion & Diversity Disability Confident Scheme.
Join Us:
Ready to take the next step in your career? At BTP, you’ll have the opportunity to grow, make a real impact, and be part of something extraordinary.
Find out why BTP could be the perfect fit for you - About Us - British Transport Police
Curious about what life at BTP is really like? Hear directly from our people and discover what makes working here so rewarding. Explore real stories on our blog: Our Stories - British Transport Police
For further information, please contact our Resourcing Team -RecruitmentTeam@btp.police.uk.
The above advert, Job description and Application process is available through the medium of Welsh - if requested.
