With the junior doctors’ strike now in full swing, it’s fair to say that these aren’t the most harmonious days staff at the Department of Health have ever seen. Perhaps that’s why they are looking for a new Director of Communications to take charge of the department’s ‘external and internal communication activities across a complex and high profile agenda’.
Alas, so far they don’t appear to have had much luck enticing candidates to the public relations role. Despite enlisting the help of ‘executive search firm’ Veredus, the search is still on and recruiters appear to be spending their time sending unsolicited messages to members of the lobby. Sam Coates, the Times‘s deputy political editor, has shared a message online that he received asking if he would be interested in the role — which carries a starting salary of £120,000. Alas, Coates was left unimpressed after two of his friends were approached about the same role just last week.
They must be desperate (and I'm quite far down the list because they approached two friends last week). pic.twitter.com/8EVQhckKkL
— Sam Coates Sky (@SamCoatesSky) April 25, 2016
In fairness to the recruiters, if they do manage to hire a lobby journalist, they will at least kill two birds with one stone by turning someone with the ability to write negative stories about the strikes into their personal mouthpiece.
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