Lead Social Producer - Government Media Unit

What is the Government Media Unit?

The Government Media Unit (GMU), part of the Government Communication Service in the Cabinet Office, has been established as part of a fundamental transformation of government communications to ensure we are able to operate effectively in a highly fragmented and unstructured media landscape. Established in April 2026, the GMU has a clear goal to reach, connect and rebuild trust with UK citizens in the most effective way possible. Our aim is to provide the public with relevant, useful and authentic content when and where they want to receive it and communicate in an entirely new way.

The government has signalled a clear intention to focus on ambitious, measurable, long-term objectives that deliver better outcomes for citizens. This requires a new way of doing government communications which is more joined-up and better reaches our audiences to build awareness, understanding and trust in the Government.

The GMU will proactively deliver on priority campaigns and lead on cross government communications strategy, coordination, and planning. We need people who think differently and who can respond in a flexible way to the ever-changing media landscape. The GMU will collaborate across the wider GCS, No 10 and departmental communication teams across government. We are focused on real-world impact over volume. This team prioritises evidence-based strategies, audience-led insights, and rigorous performance measurement to combat misinformation and drive meaningful engagement. We execute a modern, integrated communications ecosystem, and operate using a structured 'Long, Short, and Live' model, connecting the whole government communications landscape to deliver high-impact, data-driven narratives that turn promises made into promises kept.

This is a really exciting time to be joining the GMU as we look to expand our activity, test and learn different approaches and deliver communications which make a difference to peoples lives. Join us as we transform government communications, moving beyond reactive announcements to build genuine trust through competence, integrity, and benevolence. We are a strategic strategy & delivery centre, designed to bridge the gap between traditional press offices and behavioural marketing, ensuring government actions resonate with the citizens who need them most.

What were looking for

We're seeking innovative minds and creative talents to help craft our evolving vision. This is a unique opportunity to grow, learn and share your talent with a team of diverse experts with passion and a genuine curiosity to innovate government comms. Most importantly, we want people who are passionate about delivering outstanding communications for the public.

We value colleagues who embrace change, think outside the box, and thrive in a dynamic environment. We welcome applications from the widest range of people of different backgrounds, cultures and experiences. If you're passionate about making your mark and flourishing in an atmosphere that champions fresh thinking and adaptability, we want to hear from you.

About the Government Communication Service

By joining a communications team, you will become a member of the Government Communication Service (GCS) , a well-established network of professional communicators working in government departments, agencies and arms length bodies. Youll benefit from continuous professional development from our new learning and development curriculum, a network of skilled communicators sharing best practice, mentoring opportunities, and more!

For more information on how becoming a part of the Communications Profession can support your career and development please visit our careers page .

For our top tips on how to write your application, please take a look at our recruitment top tips for candidates guide .

Job Description Overview

A senior role leading the GMU's approach to human-interest storytelling, shaping how real people's experiences are used to connect citizens with government work. You'll combine journalistic instinct with production leadership to build and maintain a robust story pipeline that feeds high-quality, authentic content across government social channels.

Working alongside channel managers, social content creators and the wider editorial teams, you'll set the standard for how the GMU finds, develops and produces compelling stories that inform, engage and build public trust.

As the Lead Social Producer, you will report into the Head of Production, and manage the end-to-end process for content creation, from identifying story leads to scripting, and producing. You will ensure the timely, accurate and organised delivery of final creative assets. You will work closely with creative teams and stakeholders to ensure all content aligns with government communication goals and is platform optimised .

Responsibilities & Duties

• Lead the GMU's strategic approach to sourcing, vetting and interviewing diverse real-world case studies from the public, creators, ministers and government employees. Build and steward a robust story bank that accurately and sensitively reflects the breadth of British experience, maintaining contributor relationships with professionalism and care throughout.
• Design and oversee end-to-end production methodology across the full content lifecycle, from concepting researching, through to scripting and pre-production and delivery. Ensure all social-first content is high-quality, platform-optimised and aligned with strategic government communication priorities, while giving creative teams the frameworks and guidance needed to deliver consistently excellent work.
• Develop and continuously innovate production processes to deliver effectively across a wide range of formats and timescales, from rapid-response content turned around in under 24 hours to longer-scale, high-production-value stunts and films. Build operational agility into the team's ways of working so quality is never compromised by pace.
• Partner with creative, strategy and channel colleagues to optimise content for target audiences while ensuring all messaging meets GMU brand guidelines, legal standards and consent requirements. Maintain rigorous records and uphold robust compliance practices across all contributors and production activity.
• Build and manage relationships with government departments to ensure accurate, sensitive and effective depiction of policy and government delivery in story-led content. Serve as the primary liaison between GMU's creative production function and departmental communications teams, translating complex policy into narratives that resonate with wide public audiences.

Experience / Ability

Essential criteria:

• Digital Production: Proven experience producing and managing multiple productions at pace. Experience sourcing stories and contributors and connecting stories to human experience and bringing complex topics to life in an engaging and compelling way.
• Health & Safety and Compliance: Understanding of on-set legal and safety standards and requirements and legal responsibilities related to usage/licence agreements and contributor and location consent.
• Digital Native: Strong understanding of social media platforms and best practices for short-form video content. Familiarity with platform-specific trends, content formats, and audience engagement strategies. Familiarity with social media analytics and performance metrics and how to apply those learnings to impact shoot outcomes.
• Strong Communication Skills: Excellent writing skills, with experience creating concise, engaging scripts for shoots. Confident in presenting production and creative plans to senior leaders and officials.
• Strong Organisational skills : Experience managing multiple projects from concept to completion, as well as tracking teams ...