communications coordinator London, England
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Job summary
#DESNZ
The responsibilities for the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero for 2023 are as follows:
- Delivering security of energy supply
- Ensuring properly functioning energy markets
- Encouraging greater energy efficiency
- Seizing the opportunities of net zero to lead the world in new green industries
For 2023, our priorities are:
- Ensure security of energy supply this winter, next winter and in the longer-term – bringing down energy bills and reducing inflation.
- Ensure the UK is on track to meet its legally binding Net Zero commitments and support economic growth by significantly speeding up delivery of network infrastructure and domestic energy production.
- Improve the energy efficiency of UK homes, businesses and public sector buildings to meet the 15% demand reduction ambition.
- Deliver current schemes to support energy consumers with their bills and develop options for long-term reform to improve how the electricity market works for families and businesses.
- Seize the economic benefits of Net Zero, including the jobs and growth created through investment in new green industries.
- Pass the Energy Bill to support the emerging CCUS and hydrogen sectors; to update the governance of the energy system; and to reduce the time taken to consent offshore wind.
Our Inclusive Environment
We are building an inclusive culture to make the Department a brilliant place to work where our people feel valued, have a voice and can be their authentic selves. We value difference and diversity, not only because we believe it is the right thing to do, but because it will help us be more innovative and make better decisions.
We offer first-class flexible working benefits, excellent employee well-being support and a great pension. We are fortunate to have a range of excellent staff networks and are proud to be a Disability Confident Leader employer. We will support talented people from all backgrounds to build a career and thrive.
We actively welcome applications from anyone who shares our commitment to inclusion. We will fully support candidates with a disability or long-term condition who require adjustments in our recruitment process.
Job description
Are you confident being at the heart of communications strategy and delivery? Do you thrive under pressure, have a strong news sense and political nous and exceptional attention to detail?
We are looking for a leader with a track record in communications strategy and planning who can confidently advise Ministers, Special Advisers and senior policy officials and influence across government at the highest levels.
You will lead on planning across one of the most important, interesting, and challenging areas in government, ensuring audiences including bill payers, businesses, energy suppliers, international investors understand and support our plans to transform the energy system to increase energy security, tackle climate change and keep costs down.
You’ll have a keen interest in piecing together all the pieces of the energy jigsaw and identifying the key comms opportunities ahead - with help from comms colleagues, strategy and policy teams and external stakeholders.
You’ll manage our relationship with planners in No10, with responsibility for the grids team that negotiate grid slots through a weekly process and ensure the whole department has a common understanding of what’s coming up.
You will also lead on some of our biggest comms moments, pulling together a cross comms team to develop creative communications plans, securing agreement from Ministers and their advisers, and supporting colleagues as they take plans forward into implementation.
Your interpersonal skills mean you can hold your own in conversations with all communications disciplines in the communications directorate, across the department and in our Partner Organisations – as well as being politically astute, with a thorough grasp of the media landscape.
You will be able to lead a team with multiple competing demands, under repeated time pressure and have a proven ability to prioritise your team’s wellbeing, whilst delivering excellence.
Person specification
Day-to-day liaison with DESNZ Strategy, including weekly meeting and detailed 4-6 week planning.
Maintain communications planner (6 months ahead) shared monthly across the department.
Lead development and maintenance of quarterly forward looks, shared across government.
Support and develop grids team (SIO/IO), line manage SIO.
Co-ordination of planning for major communications stories, as needed, working with the strategic communications leads.
Cross-government co-ordination, including leading for the department on key groups including the economy and Union.
Skills and experience
You should be able to show:
First class strategic communications skills and the ability to harness and work across disciplines.
Excellent written and verbal communication skills and the ability to influence at a senior level.
Excellent relationship management skills – in particular a proven track record of building productive relationships with a diverse range of colleagues.
Strong team leadership and people management skills, with focus on capability development and wellbeing.
Excellent organisational skills, and the ability to make effective decisions about resourcing priorities.
Behaviours
We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:
- Leadership
- Communicating and Influencing
- Delivering at Pace
- Managing a Quality Service
Benefits
BEIS offers a competitive mix of benefits including:
A culture of flexible working, such as job sharing, homeworking and compressed hours.
Automatic enrolment into the Civil Service Pension Scheme, with an average employer contribution of 27%.
A minimum of 25 days of paid annual leave, increasing by 1 day per year up to a maximum of 30.
An extensive range of learning & professional development opportunities, which all staff are actively encouraged to pursue.
Access to a range of retail, travel and lifestyle employee discounts.
A hybrid office/home based working model where staff will spend a norm of 40-60% of their time in the office (minimum of 40%) over a month with flex dependent on balancing business and individual need (from September 2021, depending on how the public health guidance evolves).
Things you need to know
Selection process details
As part of the application process you will be asked to complete a CV and personal statement. Further details around what this will entail are listed on the application form.
Please align your personal statement (in no more than 500 words) to 'What do you think the challenges are planning the communications for the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero? How would you approach the role and what qualities would you bring?'
Applications will be sifted on CV, personal statement and behaviours.
Should a large number of applications be received, an initial sift may be conducted using the Lead behaviour Leadership. Candidates who pass the initial sift may be progressed to a full sift, or progressed straight to assessment/interview.
The interview will consist of behaviours & strengths.
Interviewees will be asked to deliver a written exercise.
Expected Timeline subject to change
Sift dates: w/c 10th July 2023
Interview dates: w/c 24th July 2023
Interview Location: MS Teams.
Candidates are asked to note the above timetable, exercising flexibility through the recruitment and selection process.
Further Information
Existing BEIS recruitment campaigns are continuing as usual, but candidates should be aware that following the Government’s announcement on the changes to some civil service departments, roles may be subject to the machinery of government moves and will ultimately be located in one of the new departments. We will provide more information if you are selected for a role. This work remains of high importance to the civil service, and we thank you for your continued interest.
Reasonable Adjustment
If a disabled person is put at a substantial disadvantage compared to a non-disabled person, we have a duty to make reasonable changes to our processes.
If you need a change to be made so that you can make your application, you should:
- Contact Government Recruitment Service via [email protected] as soon as possible before the closing date to discuss your needs.
- Complete the “Assistance required” section in the “Additional requirements” page of your application form to tell us what changes or help you might need further on in the recruitment process. For instance, you may need wheelchair access at interview, or if you’re deaf, a Language Service Professional.
We are proud to be a disability confident leader, more information about the Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) and some examples of adjustments that BEIS offers to disabled candidates and candidates with long-term health conditions during our recruitment process can be found in our candidate guidance document. A plain text version of the guidance is also available.
If you are experiencing accessibility problems with any attachments on this advert, please contact the email address in the 'Contact point for applicants' section.
If successful and transferring from another Government Department a criminal record check may be carried out.
New entrants are expected to join on the minimum of the pay band.
A location based reserve list of successful candidates will be kept for 12 months. Should another role become available within that period you may be offered this position.
Please note terms and conditions are attached. Please take time to read the document to determine how these may affect you.
Any move to Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy from another employer will mean you can no longer access childcare vouchers. This includes moves between government departments. You may however be eligible for other government schemes, including Tax Free Childcare. Determine your eligibility https://www.childcarechoices.gov.uk
BEIS does not normally offer full home working (i.e. working at home); but we do offer a variety of flexible working options (including occasionally working from home).
BEIS cannot offer Visa sponsorship to candidates through this campaign. BEIS holds a Visa sponsorship licence but this can only be used for certain roles and this campaign does not qualify.
In order to process applications without delay, we will be sending a Criminal Record Check to Disclosure and Barring Service / Disclosure Scotland on your behalf. However, we recognise in exceptional circumstances some candidates will want to send their completed forms direct. If you will be doing this, please advise Government Recruitment Service of your intention by emailing [email protected] stating the job reference number in the subject heading.
For further information on the Disclosure Scotland confidential checking service telephone: the Disclosure Scotland Helpline on 0870 609 6006 and ask to speak to the operations manager in confidence, or email [email protected]
Applicants who are successful at interview will be, as part of pre-employment screening, subject to a check on the Internal Fraud Database (IFD). This check will provide information about employees who have been dismissed for fraud or dishonesty offences. This check also applies to employees who resign or otherwise leave before being dismissed for fraud or dishonesty had their employment continued. Any applicant’s details held on the IFD will be refused employment.
A candidate is not eligible to apply for a role within the Civil Service if the application is made within a 5 year period following a dismissal for carrying out internal fraud against government.
Feedback
Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.
Security
See our vetting charter (opens in a new window).
Nationality requirements
This job is broadly open to the following groups:
- UK nationals
- nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
- nationals of the Republic of Ireland
- nationals from the EU, EEA or Switzerland with settled or pre-settled status or who apply for either status by the deadline of the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
- relevant EU, EEA, Swiss or Turkish nationals working in the Civil Service
- relevant EU, EEA, Swiss or Turkish nationals who have built up the right to work in the Civil Service
- certain family members of the relevant EU, EEA, Swiss or Turkish nationals
Working for the Civil Service
We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window).
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