About the job

Job summary

We are Britain’s national equality regulator and a United Nations accredited ‘A status’ national human rights institution.

We uphold people’s rights without fear or favour. We use the full force of our legal powers to defend people from unfair or unequal treatment and to challenge breaches of the law. We advise on developing laws and provide guidance, training and support to enable compliance.

We bring people together to create change. We work with employers, governments and a wide range of organisations, to promote understanding of equality and human rights and we support them to make improvements in practice.

Our strategy for 2022-25 gives us a strong platform to show that we will use our powers to protect and promote equality and human rights, and that we have identified the main challenges in society where we can make a difference in our role as a regulator.

Job description

Working as Head of Content and Channels at the Equality and Human Rights Commission, you will lead a growing digital team to ensure engaging, creative and innovative content reaches our target audiences and beyond through a range of channels.

With day-to-day editorial oversight and responsibility for the Commission’s websites, online communications, external-facing digital products and social media, you will develop and promote standards and processes to ensure quality, usability and consistency for our audiences - helping ensure our work is the best it can be and making a real difference to people’s lives.

You will help to upskill colleagues across the directorate (and beyond) and set a transformative culture, ensuring our digital presence is constantly improving and creating the space for your team to deliver their best work.

You will work in a way that displays a high degree of flexibility, accountability and initiative and is in keeping with our values of fairness, dignity and respect.

You will:

• Ensure our digital channels reach and grow our audiences, meet user needs, provide a first-class user experience and showcase our credentials as a world-leading equality and human rights institution.
• Make improvements to our new website’s quality, appearance, function and content including the migration of another EHRC-owned site into the corporate website.
• Lead a team of content designers, creators and editors to ensure our messages are delivered across digital channels in an engaging, innovative, accurate and impactful way.
• Play a key role in ensuring we stay ahead of the curve in the way we produce and share our digital content; constantly keeping pace with technological developments and best practice and learning from leading organisations and influencers in this space.
• Ensure all digital content is highly compliant with accessibility standards and guidelines; provide advice and guidance on accessibility best practice.
• Manage the relationship with our new website supplier, ensuring they provide a high-quality service and value for money.
• Oversee the development and launch of a new intranet.
• Support the new chief executive and advise on other leadership communications.
• Constantly and supportively push and challenge the team and our partners to develop our creative approach, based on audience insight, evaluation and best practice.
• Combine your deep digital communications experience, with strong influencing and persuasion skills to coordinate and plan across channels, manage a team, explain your advice to a range of stakeholders - and make great digital content

Person specification

The role requires practical skills and expertise in end-to-end website and digital channel management; a vision for high quality, eye-catching templates and content; a sharp eye for smart design; engaging visuals and an uncompromising appetite for clear, accurate, concise and precise text.

You will know how to present complex information in an interesting and accessible way, with a rich understanding of what makes effective multimedia content and data visualisation. You will be happy demonstrating skills – to inspire, coach, develop and lead a team to produce and publish content of the highest standard.

Excited by digital communications, you’ll have a keen interest in new developments in social and digital, and will ensure the team keeps pace with best practice, tools and trends, continually improving their knowledge, skills and outputs.

As a trusted adviser to senior leaders, you will feel comfortable explaining and making provision for the team’s and organisation’s needs.

Experience, Knowledge and Skills required include:

Essential

• Detailed knowledge of digital communications best practice across channels.
• Technical knowledge of websites and content management systems (for example, Drupal) with an understanding of HTML and CSS as well as related aspects such as search engine optimisation (SEO).
• Good working knowledge of tracking and analytics tools and a thorough understanding of website performance and evaluation measures. Experience pursuing a data-led approach to content and channel development.
• Experience leading a team; managing and developing people to ensure high performance and motivation. Strong coaching skills and experience advising colleagues in content design best practice, tools and methods.
• An ability to organise work and time productively to oversee and ensure end-to-end content workflow across channels.
• Experience championing continuous digital learning, demonstrating commitment to high standards and leading by example.
• Experience managing suppliers and contracts to commission development work and multimedia content.
• Excellent writing, subbing, copyediting and proofreading skills, with a comprehensive understanding of creating accessible content.

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £53,499, Equality and Human Rights Commission contributes £14,431 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

How to apply 

Please complete the online application before midnight on the closing date. No applications will be accepted after the closing time. We use an online application system called Applied to receive and process job applications. Applied is fully compliant with data protection legislation and rated highly in terms of accessibility (usable for the majority of candidates with or without disabilities). However, alternative accessible versions of the application form are available upon request – please contact us by email at peoplehelpdesk@equalityhumanrights.com if required.

At application, we will ask you 4-5 questions. Your answers will enable us to assess your suitability for the role and will help us decide whether to invite you to the next stage of the process. Please note however - if there is a high volume of applicants, an initial sift may take place on the following essential skills and experience criteria: Detailed knowledge of digital communications best practice across channels. If this takes place this means the recruiting panel will only screen the outlined core skill question and you may not receive feedback on your full application.

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.