About the job

Job summary

We are looking for an ambitious and proven communication professional to join one of our strategic communications teams supporting Defra ALBs. Responsibilities will include planning, delivering and evaluating communications activity to help the Environment Agency and Natural England deliver organisational priorities, including responding to incidents such as flooding when they occur.

This is a varied and exciting role, with a strong focus on delivery and bringing the brilliant work of the organisations that we work with work to life, using the latest communications techniques and tools.

You will join supportive and friendly teams who are versatile and able to balance razor sharp incident response with long term communications programmes that build reputations and change behaviours – for example encouraging people to prepare for flooding, access the countryside responsibly or report waste crime.

Key to this role is providing strategic and tactical advice on risks and opportunities to senior clients, including media management around highly sensitive issues and leading on the planning, delivery and evaluation of creative and ambitious communications initiatives.

While some travel is essential, we are able to keep this to a minimum.

Job description

• Act as strategic communications advisor to senior leadership teams, providing trusted communications advice and acting as a single point of contact into the wider Defra communications team
• Create, deliver and evaluate communications strategies that support the delivery of organisational objectives
• Manage reputation risks around highly sensitive and contentious issues
• Play an active role in incident communications response for all organisations within the Defra group including providing external communications advice and support to senior management and ensuring partners and the public receive up-to-date information
• Ensure that team members contribute to common planning/communications grids

Person specification

Strong candidates for this role will have demonstrable experience of a number of the following:

• Responding confidently to issues / incidents and providing sound professional advice to manage reputation among diverse stakeholders and the general public
• Leading teams of people to ensure that they are motivated and perform to the highest professional standards
• Significant strategic communications planning and tactical delivery across a range of channels
• Influencing at a senior level to achieve desired outcomes
• Building and maintaining strong working relationships across the business and with colleagues from partner organisations
• Planning, delivering and evaluating communications campaigns or sustained communications activity
• Project managing communications programmes and working flexibly across a number of projects to ensure that long term goals are completed on time.
• Ensuring that communications activity is aligned to priorities and is evaluated effectively
• Building and maintaining effective working relationships and networks

 Candidates will need to demonstrate significant experience in the following GCS disciplines:

• Strategic Communications
• Press and Media
• Digital

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £39,439, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs contributes £10,648 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, Strengths, Experience and Technical skills.

Application Process

As part of the application process you will be asked to complete a CV, personal statement, behaviour statements and technical skill statement.

For the personal statement, please set out in no more than 500 words how your skills and experience will help you to be successful in the role.

Further details around what this will entail are listed on the application form.

Sift

For your personal statement, please provide detailed evidence of the criteria in the person specification. Should a large number of applications be received, an initial sift may be conducted using the lead Technical Skill, Strategic Communications. Candidates who pass the initial sift may be progressed to a full sift, or progressed straight to assessment/interview.

Sift and interview dates, as well as the interview location, to be confirmed.

Interview

If successful at application stage, you will be invited to interview where you will be assessed on Strengths, the following Civil Service Behaviours: Seeing the Big Picture, Developing Self and Others, and Leadership; and the following Technical Skills: Press and Media, Digital, and Strategic Communications. 

A presentation or additional exercise may also be assessed.

Location

Please be aware that this role(s) will be contractually based in a Defra group workplace/office. The successful candidate is required to carry out all their duties from a UK location, and cannot do so from an overseas location at any time.

Candidates applying for these roles will be based at one of the Defra hubs as advertised.  

For information, our core Defra hub locations are:

• York – the Kings Pool
• Newcastle – Lancaster House
• Bristol – Horizon House (Please note that space at this office is limited and it may not be possible for all Policy roles to be recruited to this location)
• London – 2 Marsham Street

Internal (core Defra) employees can apply for this role and choose to remain in their current location or to be based in one of the advertised locations.

All other applicants will be based in one of the advertised locations.Our current office attendance approach requires 60% attendance in Defra group workplaces or off site meetings with partners and customers. This balance provides thriving workplaces to connect with colleagues, as required by their role and business team needs balanced with personal flexibility and choice. 

Travel and subsistence will not be paid for travel to a base office location.

Reserve List

A reserve list may be held for a period of 12 months from which further appointments can be made.

Merit Lists

Where more than one location is advertised, candidates will be posted in merit order by location. You will be asked to state your location preference on your application.

Salary

New entrants to the Civil Service are expected to start on the minimum of the pay band. The internal roles rules apply to existing Civil Servants, i.e. level transfers move on current salary or the pay range minimum, transfers on promotion move to new pay range minimum or receive 10% increase. Either case is determined by whichever is the highest.

Visa Sponsorship Statement

Please take note that Defra does not hold a UK Visa & Immigration (UKVI) Skilled Worker License sponsor and are unable to sponsor any individuals for Skilled Worker Sponsorship.

Reasonable Adjustment

If a person with disabilities 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 defrarecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk 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

Accessibility

If you are experiencing accessibility problems with any attachments on this advert, please contact the email address in the 'Contact point for applicants' section.

Criminal Record Check

If successful and transferring from another Government Department, a criminal record check may be carried out.

In order to process applications without delay, we will be sending a Criminal Record Check to Disclosure and Barring Service 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 Pre-EmploymentChecks.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk stating the job reference number in the subject heading.

Internal Fraud Database Check

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.

Loan and Fixed Term Appointments

Existing Civil Servants and applicants from accredited NDPBs are eligible to apply but will only be considered on loan basis (Civil Servants) or secondment (accredited NDPBs). Prior agreement to be released on a loan basis must be obtained before commencing the application process. In the case of Civil Servants, the terms of the loan will be agreed between the home and host department and the Civil Servant. This includes grade on return.

This is a Fixed Term Appointment as a Communications Manager in the Operational and Local Communications Team.

The post is not permanent. It is time limited due to a fixed funding period or as part of a specific project. The post will therefore begin from the candidate's start date and end on 31st March 2025. 

Higher Security Clearance 

Please be aware the levels of national security clearance are changing which may impact on the level needed for this role by the time of appointment. All efforts will be made to keep candidates informed of any changes and what that will mean in terms of vetting criteria. For more information please See our vetting charter.

Candidates posted to the Marsham Street, London office will require the higher level of CTC clearance. Therefore, confirmation of appointment to the advertised post will be dependent upon successful CTC clearance being confirmed as part of pre-employment checks.

Childcare Vouchers 

Any move to Defra from another employer will mean you can no longer access childcare vouchers. You may however be eligible for other government schemes, including Tax Free Childcare. Determine your eligibility at https://www.childcarechoices.gov.uk

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.