Communications Directorate - Communications Officer London, England
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About the job
Job summary
Would you like to work at the heart of Government, communicating about some of the highest profile and most important issues the country faces? Would you like to make a real difference, helping to keep the UK safe and secure? Our communications directly help fight crime, secure our borders, and protect the most vulnerable people. The challenges the Home Office faces are significant and can change rapidly in the global environment in which we operate, making this one of the most exciting and stimulating Government Departments in which to work.
These roles will sit in a multi-disciplined team working together to deliver the Home Office’s communications strategy and to provide a first-class service to Ministers, the Department, and journalists. We are looking for people with a range of experience and backgrounds, to contribute to our exceptional communications output.
Job description
Working as part of a team, the successful candidates will deliver communications on a broad range of policy and operational areas spanning the Department.
The roles available span multiple communications disciplines: media / press office, external affairs, marketing, internal communications, strategic communications and campaigns.
For media roles including those on our News desk, you will be on the frontline of the team, responding to calls from journalists and shaping news as it develops. You will also be responsible for media and social media monitoring and rebuttal, providing Ministers and their political advisors with updates on news as it breaks; identifying inaccuracies or criticism, ensuring they are appropriately addressed; and ensuring the Home Office position is clearly reflected.
In our External Affairs team, you will engage with stakeholders on a broad range of policy and operational areas. You’ll share information, build advocacy, monitor stakeholder reactions, all in a timely way. You’ll work closely with colleagues to get to the heart of the message we want stakeholders to understand, and create strategies to achieve this, working collaboratively with colleagues across the communications directorate to align our approach. You will also work to improve the Department’s engagement, coordinating the Engagement Practitioners network, including secretariat work and delivery of a plan to expand and improve the function of the network.
In the marketing team, you will contribute to the planning, delivery and evaluation of priority marketing products and campaigns to meet business objectives. You will have strong experience in a communications delivery role, agency or client-side. You will bring expertise delivering integrated paid-for marketing campaigns and leading campaign activity from initial research through strategic development, creative and media planning and implementation and evaluation.
In the Internal Communications team, you will bring your creativity to cross-cutting departmental campaigns to engage circa 40,000 colleagues in the Department’s priorities. You will plan, create, edit, and help to deliver innovative content for corporate communications channels, such as videos, events, intranet blogs and news stories. You will provide professional advice and support to our internal communications Community of Practice, to help increase reach and impact including the 90% of colleagues who work in operational roles. And you will apply insight and evaluation to shape inspiring campaigns that raise awareness, improve understanding, and encourage behavioural change across the Department to support our policy and corporate priorities.
And in one of our proactive campaigns teams, you will work on a specific policy or operational area, devising and implementing creative communications plans covering direct, paid-for, low- and no-cost marketing, media and digital. You will work closely with colleagues including policy officials and operational teams to advise on the role communications can play, devise and deliver clear communication plans, create clear and engaging materials, and any other duties vital to support the team to deliver a gold standard service.
Successful candidates may be included in the out of office duty system, for which there is overtime pay.
In line with Home Office Hybrid Working policy it is expected that the post holder will spend a minimum of 40% of their hours in the workplace, with the remainder working from home. The post holder can work at any of the offices listed but for some of the roles significant travel will be involved, with frequent work within operational environments.
Person specification
You will be part of a dynamic and collaborative team from a variety of professional backgrounds including communications and marketing agencies, journalism, local government, not-for-profit and the private sector.
The Communications Directorate celebrates a culture of inclusion and diversity where everyone is empowered to share their ideas and harness their unique talents to deliver top-rate communications.
Like many employers, we enable flexible working options (not homeworking) to enable staff to balance commitments including caring responsibilities.
We put learning and development at the heart of what we do. As part of the wider Government Communications Service network, the team has access to a range of training courses, best practice and opportunities to collaborate with communicators across Government.
Essential Skills
- Ability to communicate effectively and confidently with a broad range of people using a variety of styles (oral and written).
- Ability to work in a fast-paced environment, juggling competing priorities and keeping calm under pressure.
- Proven ability to distil large amounts of complex information into clear key messages suitable for specific audiences.
- Excellent relationship-building and problem-solving skills, and ability to work well with others and support colleagues.
- Excellent judgement and ability to provide informed handling advice to senior colleagues.
- Understanding of how audience insight and evaluation contributes to communications strategies and plans.
- Understanding of the current political and media landscape.
- Experience of supplier management, to include creative and/or media agencies or leading media owners. Must have experience of briefing, day to day management and performance management.
- A practical working knowledge of above the line marketing (in particular experience of managing creative and messaging development, production and media planning)
- A detailed understanding of paid media campaign delivery planning and implementation of multi-channel media channel plans.
- Experience of managing budgets and analysing data
Desirable Skills
- Experience of planning and delivering communications campaigns.
- Experience in external stakeholder engagement and building relationships; experience of stakeholder mapping and delivering or writing engagement strategies a distinct advantage
- A good collaborator who can deliver efficiently as part of a team but who can also work proactively on their own initiative.
- Formal communications or marketing qualification.
Behaviours
We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:
- Delivering at Pace
- Seeing the Big Picture
- Working Together
Technical skills
We'll assess you against these technical skills during the selection process:
- Comms Ideas
- Comms Impact
- Comms Implementation
- Comms Insight
We only ask for evidence of these technical skills on your application form:
- Comms Implementation
Benefits
- Learning and development tailored to your role
- An environment with flexible working options
- A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity
- A Civil Service pension with an average employer contribution of 27%
Things you need to know
Selection process details
This gives us the best possible chance of finding the right person for the job, drives up performance and improves diversity and inclusivity.
- A CV
- A Statement of Suitability (750 words max)
- The following Technical Skill example (250 words max): - GCS: Implementation – please refer to the Government Communications Professional Competency Framework
Further details around what this will entail are listed on the application form.
Please note your Statement of Suitability should explain your motivation for applying to this role and offer evidence how you meet the Essential criteria listed on the job specification.
The sift will be based on the Statement of Suitability and the Technical Skill example. The CV is for information purposes only and will not be scored.
In the event a high volume of applications are received, an initial sift will be based on the Statement of Suitability. Candidates who pass the initial sift will be progressed to a full sift.
Candidates shortlisted will be invited to an interview which will consist of a written exercise and questions on Behaviours and Technical Skills. The exercise is designed to provide an opportunity for you to demonstrate the skills required for the position. Further information will be provided if you are invited to interview.
Sift & Interview
The application sift is expected to commence 11th September 2023
Interviews is expected to commence 25th September 2023
- A laptop (personal or work) with a working webcam
- Good internet connection
- Microsoft Teams
We will try to meet the dates set out in the advert. There may be occasions when these dates will change. You will be provided with sufficient notice of the confirmed dates.
PLEASE NOTE: Due to time constraints we may not be able to offer alternative interview date(s). It is therefore expected that candidates who are successful at sift stage will make themselves available during the above time frame given.
Further Information
A 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.
This post is eligible for a Recruitment and Retention Allowance (RRA) of £2,300. Please note that the amount of RRA could be reduced or withdrawn at any time.
For meaningful checks to be carried out, individuals need to have lived in the UK for a sufficient period of time to enable appropriate checks to be carried out and produce a result which provides the required level of assurance. You should normally have been resident in the United Kingdom for the last 3 years if the role requires CTC clearance, 5 years for SC clearance and 10 years for DV. A lack of UK residency in itself is not necessarily a bar to a security clearance and applicants should contact the Vacancy Holder/Recruiting Manager listed in the advert for further advice.
Every day, Home Office civil servants do brilliant work to develop and deliver policies and services that affect the lives of people across the country and beyond. To do this effectively and fairly, the Home Office is committed to representing modern Britain in all its diversity, and creating a welcoming, inclusive workplace where all our people are able to bring their whole selves to work and perform at their best.
We are flexible, skilled, professional and diverse. We work to recruit and retain disabled staff and area Disability Confident Leader. We are proud to be one of the most ethnically diverse departments in the civil service. We are a Social Mobility Foundation top 75 employer.
New entrants are expected to join on the minimum of the pay band.
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.
For further information please see the attached notes for candidates which must be read before making an application.
Existing Civil Servants should note that some of the Home Office terms and conditions of employment have changed. It is the candidate’s responsibility to ensure they are aware of the Terms and Conditions they will adopt should they be successful in application and should refer to the notes for candidates for further details.
Transfer Terms: Voluntary.
If you are invited to an interview you will be required to bring a range of documentation for the purposes of establishing identity and to aid any pre-employment checks.
Please see the attached list of Home Office acceptable ID documents.
Any move to the Home Office 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 at https://www.childcarechoices.gov.uk
Reasonable Adjustments
If a person with disabilities is 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
If you are experiencing accessibility problems with any attachments on this advert, please contact the email address in the ‘Contact point for applicants’ section.
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).
Apply and further information
Contact point for applicants
Job contact :
Recruitment team
Further information
principles, and wish to make a complaint, then you should contact in the first instance
[email protected]. If you are not satisfied with the response that you receive, then you can contact the Civil Service Commission.
