About the job

Job summary

If you are a skilled communications professional looking to take the next step in your career, this is an exciting opportunity to join the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) and spearhead the communication of key messages on competition and consumer law compliance to businesses nationwide.

About the CMA

We help people, businesses, and the UK economy by promoting competitive markets and tackling unfair behaviour. Our work is wide ranging, ambitious and often new and challenging.

The role

Whether it is helping businesses understand how to work together or raising awareness of the risks of bid-rigging in procurement, as our Deputy Head of Compliance, you will utilise your expertise and exceptional communication skills to convey the work of the CMA to both public sector and business audiences.

Forging strong relationships through stakeholder engagement and working closely with colleagues across the communications teams, you will work to create impactful messaging and content that highlights insights and lessons learnt from high-profile CMA cases, encouraging businesses to learn from these experiences. This will in turn foster a culture of compliance and increasing understanding of why fair business practices are essential to well-functioning markets, that ultimately protect consumers.

About you

An experienced communications professional, you will need to be able to showcase your expertise in crafting compliance materials that are easily accessible for a diverse, non-specialist audience. The ability to draft concise and effective copy and to think innovatively to produce impactful content for multiple channels will be a key requirement.

A good understanding of stakeholder mapping, showcasing a track record of identifying and engaging with key stakeholders to drive tangible outcomes is also essential.

To find out more about this opportunity and about working for the CMA, please click on the APPLY button.

Closing date for applications: 5th February 2024.

Job description

• To identify opportunities to share key competition and consumer law compliance messages arising from the CMA’s casework to stakeholder groups on a regional and national basis. This includes developing strong working partnerships with external organisations such as trade associations. You will do this by working closely with colleagues in other parts of the CMA to create impactful messaging and content for guidance materials, articles, newsletters, presentations, social media, and other products.
• To event manage and provide practical support for the smooth running of speaking opportunities – briefing CMA spokespeople, co-ordinating diaries, helping prepare presentations and Q&A, evaluating the success of events and following up audience requests as required.
• To provide senior colleagues with strategic comms plans and audience insights that outline how to harness effective routes in to reach businesses at large, SMEs, those in specific sectors relevant to CMA work and across the UK.
• To map and monitor influential stakeholders and in turn build collaborative relationships to promote and develop CMA work streams. You will also use a range of channels (including partnership, PR, digital), setting SMART objectives and planning/delivering robust evaluation of outputs and outcomes.
• To feed into the development of research questionnaires to evaluate the success of CMA campaigns and the impact of ongoing communications relating to CMA cases and regional work.
• Undertake any other reasonable duties.

Person specification

It is essential that you can provide evidence and examples for each of the following selection criteria in your application:

Essential

• Experience of developing compliance materials that are accessible to a non-specialist audience. (Lead Criteria)
• Good understanding of stakeholder mapping and proven experience of being able to identify and engage with key stakeholders to deliver tangible outputs. (Lead Criteria)
• Excellent organisational skills and project management experience in planning and delivering integrated communication campaigns using both traditional and innovative techniques in a complex policy arena.
• Ability to draft concise and effective copy; create effective communication materials and to think innovatively to produce impactful content for online and offline channels.
• Able to design evaluation plans to measure the success of activity, collect and analyse the data, generate meaningful findings, and feed them into the development of future plans; Use qualitative and quantitative research to create insightful and rigorous communication strategies.

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £53,365, Competition & Markets Authority contributes £14,408 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

Things you need to know

Selection process details

This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours and Experience.

As part of the application process you will be asked to complete a CV, personal statement and an online application form. Further details about application requirements are listed on the application form.

The selection process will comprise of the sift (CV & application review) and an interview. Arrangements for the interview will be enclosed in the invitation.  Interviews will be conducted virtually. 

An initial sift based on the lead criteria may be held if a large number of applications are received. If your application progresses to a full sift, all elements of the essential criteria listed under Person Specification (above, below and in the attached role profile) will then be considered.

• Experience of developing compliance materials that are accessible to a non-specialist audience. (Lead Criteria)
• Good understanding of stakeholder mapping and proven experience of being able to identify and engage with key stakeholders to deliver tangible outputs. (Lead Criteria)
• Excellent organisational skills and project management experience in planning and delivering integrated communication campaigns using both traditional and innovative techniques in a complex policy arena.
• Ability to draft concise and effective copy; create effective communication materials and to think innovatively to produce impactful content for online and offline channels.
• Able to design evaluation plans to measure the success of activity, collect and analyse the data, generate meaningful findings, and feed them into the development of future plans; Use qualitative and quantitative research to create insightful and rigorous communication strategies.

The sift will take place week commencing 5th February 2024.

If your application is successful you will be invited to attend an interview. You will be notified via email to log-in to your Civil Service Account and book your interview slot. You will be sent an email with full details of your arrangements for interview.

Interviews will be held from w/c 19 February 2024.

Successful candidates at the shortlisting stage will be invited to interview.

Candidates who are invited to interview will be asked to complete a written assessment in advance of the interview and present this to the Panel. Further information on the topic of the assessment and presentation will be provided alongside the invitation to interview. The second part of the interview will involve questions based on the Behaviours and Experience outlined in the role profile. In total, we expect the interview to last no longer than 1 hour.

Existing CMA staff can apply for this position and remain working from their current office location.

Reasonable adjustments

We want to make sure no one is at a disadvantage during our recruitment process because of a disability, condition or impairment. To assist you with this, we will reduce or remove any barriers where possible and provide additional support where appropriate.

If you need a change to be made so that you can make your application, you should complete the “Assistance required” section in the “Additional requirements” page of your application form to tell us what changes or help you might need during the recruitment process.

For example, you may need wheelchair access at interview, or if you are deaf, a Language Service Professional. You might also require additional time to complete a timed assessment or a sign language interpreter to support with the relaying of information.

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check. People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

Nationality requirements

This job is broadly open to the following groups:

• UK nationals
• nationals of the Republic of Ireland
• nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
• Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service

Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.

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). The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria. The Civil Service also offers a Redeployment Interview Scheme to civil servants who are at risk of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the advertised vacancy.