About the job

Job summary

Diverse perspectives and experiences are critical to our success, and we welcome applications from all people from all backgrounds with the experience and skills needed to perform this role. We look forward to receiving your application.

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 Health and Safety Executive is Great Britain’s workplace regulator. Our mission is to prevent work-related death, injury, and ill-health. We are proud Great Britain is one of the safest places in the world to work and do business.

HSE is currently going through a period of significant change. We are creating the new Building Safety Regulator, have taken on responsibility for Great Britain’s new chemical regulation regime, and are working with the Government and industry on the safe transition to net zero. We also want to maintain Great Britain’s high workplace safety standards and ensure HSE is a great place to work and an employer of choice.

This role will help HSE tell its story in an effective and efficient way through the media and social media. You’ll protect and promote HSE’s reputation, leading our busy press office, delivering impactful communications activity in support of corporate priorities, and planning and preparing our response to emerging issues. This is an exciting opportunity to join our communications leadership team.

Job description

We are recruiting a Head of News and Social Media in our Communications Branch. This is a key leadership position with responsibility for leading a team of highly-skilled communications professionals delivering a proactive media and social media function for HSE, and working to promote and protect HSE's reputation. You will need to be able demonstrate excellent news judgment, strong leadership skills, the ability to form trusted working relationships with senior leaders, and an understanding of Government Communications.

Frequent travel to HSE offices will be required in this role. 

At HSE, we are proud to be able to offer our people the opportunity to work in a hybrid way which combines working from home and the office. This is a voluntary, non-contractual arrangement and your allocated office will be your contractual place of work. There will be a requirement to travel to the office for various activities e.g., collaborative working, supporting and training colleagues. If hybrid working is suitable for you and your role, the arrangements will be determined primarily by business need, but personal circumstances and other relevant circumstances will also be taken into account. Therefore, we would encourage candidates to consider if the commute from home to the office is a feasible distance to travel before making an application. Please note that if you are successful, hybrid working will be discussed prior to taking up the post.

Person specification

As the most senior media specialist for HSE, you will lead a team of communications specialists to proactively promote the organisation and its work through the media and social media, as well oversee the response to any emerging issues or enquiries that may impact on the work and reputation of HSE.

You will be responsible for leading HSE’s busy newsdesk operation, balancing the challenges of delivering a reactive, day-to-day news service with proactive activity that promotes HSE's priorities.

You will lead an efficient, effective social media function working with other communication teams to promote messaging in line with HSE's priorities, producing engaging and creative content that reaches relevant audiences.

You will develop and maintain excellent working relationships with HSE leaders, central government departments, private offices, special advisers, senior officials, journalists, ministers, and No 10.

You’ll provide accurate and timely media handling advice and confident briefings, lead on the development and implementation of media handling policies, and constantly horizon-scan related media, political, legislative and regulatory landscapes to ensure media issues are identified early, planned for and actively monitored.

You will report into the Deputy Director: Head of Communications, and will be key member of the senior leadership team of the communications branch.

Essential Skills and Criteria

• Expertise in media handling, proactive PR, and social media management with a record of achievement in delivering measurable communication outcomes to support business objectives.
• Specialist media handling skills - demonstrable success in the handling of high profile, sensitive issues with potential to damage reputation.
• Outstanding leadership skills, with evidence of successfully building capability in communications teams and inspiring an effective and efficient media service.
• Expert ability to build and maintain relationships at the highest levels in order to provide strategic communications direction and advice based on professional expertise, including under the pressure of deadlines.
• Exceptional influencing skills and the ability manage a variety of competing priorities to deliver effective outcomes.

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £67,697, Health and Safety Executive contributes £18,278 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 and Experience.

Application Information

Please complete a CV that displays your career history, skills, experience and qualifications. You will also be invited to submit a 750 word statement of suitability that demonstrates how you meet the essential skills and criteria within the person specification section of the advert.

Application Guidance

Please access the following link for guidance on how to apply and how to complete a personal statement https://www.civil-service-careers.gov.uk/how-to-apply/

Sift Information

At Sift, you will be assessed on your Statement of Suitability. Please note that your CV will not be assessed and will be used for information purposes only.

The sift will take place week commencing 19th February 2024.

Interview Information

At interview, you will be assessed against experience and behaviours detailed within the job advert, as well as strength based questions. You will also be asked to do presentation Further information will be given to those candidates invited to interview.

The interviews will take place the week commencing 26th February 2024. These Interviews will be face to face at the Bootle office.

Please note these dates are subject to change based on panel availability. 

Further Information

It is the candidate’s responsibility to ensure they are aware of the terms and conditions they will adopt should they be successful in their application. For a summary of HSE terms and conditions as part of Civil Service Reform, please see the attached document.

For a summary of HSE terms and conditions as part of Civil Service Reform, please see the attached document.

Any move to HSE from another employer will mean you can no longer access childcare vouchers. This includes moves between government departments. You may however be eligible for other government schemes, including Tax Free Childcare. Determine your eligibility at here

If you have a disability and you need an application form in an alternative format or you would like to know more about our recruitment process, please contact: hr.resourcing-team@hse.gov.uk

Please note, if you are a current civil servant and you are currently undergoing any of the following formal actions your application will not be progressed any further; Formal discipline action, any formal action regarding attendance, poor performance or any restriction of duties as a result of disciplinary action.

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.