About the job

Job summary

Do you understand the importance of events and stakeholder engagement in the marketing mix? Do you have the leadership skills to make decisions and thrive in a fast changing environment? ​

The Role

Working under the Head of Marketing, this is a leadership role with significant autonomy. You will lead on events strategy development and delivery and have credibility as a senior representative of CCS to establish stakeholder relationships that support the wider marcomms strategy.

Customer Experience overview

The aim of the Customer Experience Directorate (CXD) is to embed a customer first mentality across CCS, in all ways of working, and at every point of customer interaction. Ultimately, we bring the voice of the customer to CCS to help them find the right commercial solution for their needs. Our job is to inform our colleagues throughout the organisation of what’s important to the customer, for example, social value and the ‘local’ agenda, however all with the overarching aim of delivering value to UK taxpayers

An example of the breadth of scope for CXD is our work with the NHS last year to provide solutions for virtual wards. This allowed over 100,000 patients to recover at home with hospital-level care, helping speed up their recovery while freeing up hospital beds for patients that need them most.

Team Summary

This is a fantastic opportunity to join a dynamic marketing and communications team of 25 people. As deputy head of marketing for events and stakeholder engagement you will lead events strategy and develop senior stakeholder relationships that support our marketing objectives in a complex environment at the heart of government. You will line manage 3 team members.

Job description

Key Accountabilities:

Strategy

• Lead our strategic approach to events, as part of the marketing and communications strategy, ensuring alignment with the business plan and other strategic workstreams. 

• Establish strategic relationships with senior external stakeholders, such as trade bodies and event organisers, to build CCS reputation, profile, reach and impact.

• Negotiate and manage commercial and contra deals that achieve value for money and support CCS priorities.

• Advise, influence and support internal stakeholders, providing strategic events counsel and strong leadership to manage and mitigate reputational risks.

• Ensure events strategy and stakeholder relationships are aligned with government policy and priorities.

Operations

• Oversee the delivery of the external events strategy, ensuring it meets objectives and is delivered to the highest standards. 

• Manage the events budget (circa. £300,000 as part of the overall marketing and communications budget), applying robust spend controls to ensure best value.

• Provide leadership and event expertise to the Head of Communications to support the successful delivery of internal employee engagement events.

• Oversee the management of supplier contracts, ensuring adherence contract compliance and on time/on budget delivery of work.

• Establish appropriate and auditable success measures, evaluation and reporting methods and metrics that demonstrate the impact of the events strategy and outcomes to internal and external stakeholders.

• Ensure alignment with the CCS brand strategy, compliance with accessibility standards and sustainability best practice.

Professional Standards

• Apply the relevant Government Communications Service principles, policies and practices to a high professional standard.

Person specification

Essential Criteria (to be assessed on application):

• A proven track record of developing and delivering high-impact event strategies, managing multiple priorities to meet business needs and achieve objectives.

• Demonstrable experience of developing and leading external stakeholder relationships using a range of engagement techniques, including negotiating and influencing skills.

• Strong strategic thinking and planning skills, with the ability to make autonomous decisions and translate strategy into operational results, evidenced by robust evaluation and performance reporting. 

• Experience of leading a team and mentoring individuals to support growth and professional development.

• Excellent written and communications skills with the ability to work well under pressure in a fast-paced and reactive environment.

 

Desirable criteria:

• Experience of working in a public sector or government environment.

In the event of a high number of applications, the desirable criteria will be used as a second sift.

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £56,031, Crown Commercial Service contributes £15,184 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.

Candidates who are successful at sift will be contacted as soon as possible following the closing date and advised of the interview process in more detail. The sift and interviews dates and times are to be confirmed. (Subject to change)

To find out more about our recruitment process please click here

Please note: Applicants can make use of artificial intelligence but the information presented at application must be factual.

A reserve list may be held for up to 6 months, which the Civil Service may use to fill future suitably similar vacancies across government for candidates who are considered appointable following interview. Should you be placed on a reserve list and want to be removed please contact recruitment@crowncommercial.gov.uk.

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

Security

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.