Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Government Communications Officer

🎯 Role Definition

The Government Communications Officer is responsible for developing and delivering clear, accurate and timely communications that support government policy, programs and public services. This role leads strategic external and internal communications, media and stakeholder engagement, digital content production, and crisis communications while ensuring messaging is compliant with public sector standards, accessible, and aligned to organizational priorities. Ideal candidates combine strong editorial skills with political and policy awareness, digital literacy, and experience delivering measurable communications outcomes in a public-sector environment.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

Communications Assistant / Communications Coordinator (public sector or agency)
Policy Officer / Policy Analyst with stakeholder engagement experience
Journalist, Press Officer or Public Affairs Officer (media background)

Advancement To:

Senior Communications Officer / Senior Public Affairs Officer
Communications Manager / Media Relations Manager
Director of Communications / Head of Public Affairs

Lateral Moves:

Policy Advisor / Policy Communications Specialist
Stakeholder Engagement Manager / Community Outreach Manager
Digital Content Lead / Social Media Manager

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

Develop and deliver integrated communications strategies and campaign plans to support government policies, legislative initiatives, program launches and service delivery — defining clear objectives, target audiences, messaging frameworks, channels, timelines and measurable KPIs.
Draft, edit and produce high-quality written materials including press releases, media advisories, ministerial briefings, speeches, talking points, op-eds, fact sheets and Q&A documents, ensuring accuracy, plain language, policy alignment and brand consistency.
Lead proactive media relations: build and maintain strong relationships with local, national and specialized journalists, pitch stories, coordinate interviews, manage embargoes and ensure accurate and timely media coverage.
Manage reactive and crisis communications: rapidly assess issues, prepare holding statements and lines-to-take, coordinate cross-agency responses, brief ministers and executives, and execute escalation protocols to protect reputation and public trust.
Provide communications advice and counsel to ministers, senior executives and policy teams on messaging, stakeholder impacts, risk mitigation, legislative communications and parliamentary timelines.
Plan and deliver high-profile public announcements and events (press conferences, briefings, stakeholder roundtables), including logistics, media coordination, scripting, and post-event follow-up to maximize visibility and outcomes.
Oversee digital communications and content strategy: manage websites, intranet, email newsletters, social media accounts, content calendars and multimedia assets to drive engagement, SEO, accessibility and service uptake.
Create and manage social media campaigns and community engagement on platforms such as X (Twitter), Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram and YouTube, using audience segmentation, paid amplification and analytics to optimize performance and reach.
Monitor media, social and public sentiment using media monitoring tools and social listening platforms; prepare daily media summaries, trend reports and intelligence briefings to inform communications decisions and policy responses.
Coordinate internal communications to keep staff informed and engaged about policy changes, program updates and organisational priorities; develop newsletters, leadership messages, intranet content and staff briefings.
Translate complex policy and technical information into clear, audience-appropriate messaging that supports behaviour change, public compliance, service awareness and accessibility for diverse communities.
Lead stakeholder and community communications, including consultation promotion, public information campaigns, targeted outreach to stakeholders (NGOs, industry, local government) and management of submissions and feedback loops.
Ensure all communications comply with government style guides, accessibility standards (WCAG), plain-language requirements, privacy and confidentiality protocols, and Freedom of Information (FOI) considerations.
Manage procurement and contract relationships with external vendors (PR agencies, designers, videographers, translators) including scope development, procurement documentation, contract oversight, quality assurance and budget reconciliation.
Conduct communications risk assessments and mapping for proposed announcements and programs, recommending mitigation strategies and escalation pathways to executive sponsors and legal advisors.
Produce evaluation and performance reports using analytics, survey data and outcome metrics to measure campaign effectiveness, ROI and stakeholder impact; refine strategies based on evidence and A/B testing.
Coordinate cross-government and interdepartmental communications to ensure consistent messaging, joint campaign alignment and seamless stakeholder experiences across agencies and levels of government.
Provide media training, briefing and coaching for ministers, spokespeople and senior officials; prepare simulated interviews, message frameworks and post-interview debriefs.
Manage editorial and approvals processes across communications workstreams, ensuring timely sign-off from policy leads, legal counsel and executive offices while maintaining accurate version control and records.
Oversee multimedia production: brief creative teams, approve storyboards and scripts, supervise photography and video shoots, and ensure content meets broadcast standards, accessibility and brand guidelines.
Lead multilingual and translated communications efforts, liaising with translation services and community-language media to produce culturally appropriate materials for CALD and Indigenous audiences.
Maintain and update crisis and communications playbooks, contact lists, and rapid response templates; lead after-action reviews and continuous improvement for communications readiness.

Secondary Functions

Support ad-hoc communications research, audience segmentation and needs assessments using quantitative and qualitative methods.
Contribute to the team's communications strategy and roadmap, identifying opportunities for automation, content reuse and platform consolidation.
Collaborate with policy, legal, procurement and IT teams to translate communications needs into project requirements for websites, CMS improvements and digital tool integrations.
Participate in project governance, sprint planning and agile ceremonies when supporting digital comms projects and CMS migrations.
Mentor junior communications staff and interns, provide editorial feedback, and contribute to capability-building across the directorate.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

Strategic communications planning and campaign development for public sector initiatives.
High-level writing, editing and proofing skills for press releases, speeches, ministerial briefs and policy communications.
Crisis communications and rapid response: drafting holding statements, escalation protocols and media lines.
Media relations and stakeholder engagement, including pitching, interview coordination and briefings.
Digital communications management: content strategy for websites, intranets, email marketing and social media channels.
Content Management Systems (CMS) experience (e.g., Drupal, WordPress, Sitecore) and basic HTML/CSS familiarity.
Social media management and paid social advertising (platform tools, scheduling, analytics).
Data-driven measurement and analytics (Google Analytics, social analytics, media monitoring tools, dashboards).
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) best practices for public information and service pages.
Accessibility and plain-language expertise (WCAG compliance, readability optimization).
Multimedia content production knowledge: briefing videographers, audio, photography, basic video editing workflows.
Procurement and vendor management for communications deliverables and creative services.
Translation and multicultural communications coordination, including community-language outreach.
Policy and legislative communications experience: understanding parliamentary processes and ministerial protocols.

Soft Skills

Exceptional verbal and written communication with attention to tone, clarity and audience.
Political and policy awareness, exercising sound judgment in sensitive or high-profile contexts.
Stakeholder management and relationship building across government, media and community sectors.
Problem solving and crisis resilience under tight deadlines and media scrutiny.
Project management, prioritisation and ability to manage multiple campaigns concurrently.
Collaborative team player who can lead cross-functional working groups and influence without authority.
Coaching and mentoring skills for developing junior staff and spokespeople.
Attention to detail and process discipline for approvals, records and FOI considerations.
Adaptability and continuous improvement mindset with a focus on evidence-based decision making.
Ethical practice, confidentiality and integrity in handling sensitive government information.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

Bachelor’s degree in Communications, Journalism, Public Policy, Public Relations, Political Science or related field.

Preferred Education:

Graduate diploma or Master’s degree in Strategic Communications, Public Administration, Journalism, or Public Policy.

Relevant Fields of Study:

Communications, Public Relations, Journalism
Public Policy, Political Science, Public Administration
Media Studies, Digital Media, Marketing
Languages, Cultural Studies (for multilingual and community engagement roles)

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range: 3 – 7 years in communications, public affairs or media roles, preferably with public sector or government-facing experience.

Preferred: 5+ years demonstrating leadership in communications strategy, crisis management, media relations, and digital content delivery for government, statutory bodies or large public-sector agencies.