About the job

Job summary

House of Commons

The House of Commons is a unique and exciting place to work right at the heart of the UK's thriving democratic system. 

Behind the scenes, the House of Commons Service is made up of more than 3,000 employees who support and facilitate the smooth day to day running of the House. They provide professional services to Members of Parliament, their staff, and the wider parliamentary community.

Introduction 

The House of Commons Communications Office is responsible for the House of Commons communications strategy, as well as overseeing internal and external communications functions.   This role sits in the Digital Communications Team. While it sits within the House of Commons Communications Office, this role is joint funded by the House of Lords and works in close partnership with the House of Lords Communications team.

The Digital Communications Team manages the social media channels for UK Parliament, the House of Commons and the House of Commons Speaker. The team also has oversight of House of Commons news on the parliament.uk website.

The team is responsible for videography and photography for internal and external communication channels and for significant Parliamentary events.

Job description

This role will have responsibility for developing and delivering innovative and accessible content for both the UK Parliament and House of Commons social media channels. You will be a creative thinker and skilled copywriter, who is passionate about explaining the work of Parliament and the House of Commons to diverse audiences and is excited by the potential to do this on social media.

You will draft and write accurate, engaging and accessible copy, as well as managing social media campaigns in collaboration with other communications colleagues, such as videographers and photographers. You will be committed to demonstrating impartiality in your work at all times.

You will be adept at managing diverse stakeholder relationships and navigating a complex organisational environment in order to co-create social media content. Highly motivated, you will be happy to work on your own initiative, ensuring that relevant colleagues and stakeholders are clearly briefed and supportive of your work.

Some of the responsibilities for this role include:

• Draft accurate, engaging and accessible copy for content on a range of social media platforms.
• Devise and plan accessible content for a range of social media platforms and digital channels, to promote and explain the work of Parliament and the House of Commons and associated communications campaigns.
• Develop and be the point of contact for innovative multi-media, social media campaign plans for specific campaigns and events.

Person specification

To be successful in this role you will demonstrate:

• Excellent copywriting and proofreading skills, with experience of writing accurate, engaging and accessible copy, including adapting language for specific social media platforms and audiences.
• Experience of creating and planning innovative and accessible social media campaigns targeting a diverse range of audiences, with the ability to quickly adapt plans and find creative solutions in a fast-paced and impartial environment.
• Excellent stakeholder management skills and experience of working inclusively and collaboratively with diverse colleagues and stakeholders.
• Working knowledge of parliament and government, and an interest in parliamentary procedure, with experience of exercising political awareness, risk mitigation and providing impartial information.
• Knowledge and enthusiasm for social media trends and experience of adapting content to take account of emerging social media and digital developments.

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £34,980, House of Commons contributes £9,444 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

• CV & Supporting Statement – If you would like to apply for this role, please submit your CV and covering letter with a 500 word limit. 

More information on the role and the full criteria can be found in the Job Description. 

Please note that most job offers will be made at the minimum of the salary range, other than in exceptional circumstances.

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

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check. Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is counter-terrorist check (opens in a new window).

See our vetting charter (opens in a new window). 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.