About the job

Job summary

Are you passionate about creating insight-led communications that engage and motivate colleagues into action?

Job Summary

Crown Commercial Service (CCS) is seeking a proactive and creative senior internal communications officer to support the development and delivery of internal communication activities and campaigns to support CCS in achieving its key corporate objectives. 

 

You will work closely with stakeholders at all levels to understand business priorities and use your experience and expertise to create innovative communications that engage and inform employees.

The Customer Experience Directorate 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.

We bring the voice of the customer to CCS to help them find the right commercial solution for their needs, whether that’s through effective marketing and communication or personalised account management.

An example of the breadth of scope for CXD is our work with the NHS last year to provide solutions for virtual wards.

Working in collaboration with NHS England we developed Spark (The Innovation Marketplace) to become the recommended route for NHS organisations to source virtual wards and remote monitoring services. This has allowed:

• over 100,000 patients to recover at home with hospital-level care

• help speed up their recovery, while freeing up hospital beds for patients who needed them most

Team Summary

This fantastic opportunity sits within the Internal Communications team. We use our expertise and knowledge to create insight-led communications for CCS  employees. As a team, we are committed to continuous professional development and seeking out ways to improve and refine our processes to deliver effective internal communications.

Job description

Key Responsibilities:

• Support the forward planning of CCS’s internal communications activities and lead on the delivery of the internal communication strategy

• Work with stakeholders at all levels and handle staff communication enquiries, using your expert knowledge to provide advice, challenge and recommendations

• Develop and deliver internal communication plans and campaigns based on audience insight, using effective communication channels to engage audiences and maximise reach 

• Write and develop content that engages and informs a target audience, using effective story-telling techniques and insight to maximise impact

• Regularly assess the impact of internal communication channels, campaigns and processes with a focus on deliverable outcomes while considering resources and budgets and identifying risks and mitigating actions

• Use data and insights gained from evaluation of activity  in order to refine future communication activities 

• Manage, plan and seek out ways to enhance the CCS intranet

• Participate in communication learning and development to maintain professional standards

• Line management responsibility for internal communications officers

• Participate in the press office out-of-hours duty rota

Person specification

Essential Criteria (To be assessed at application stage):

• Inquisitive mindset, comfortable in using data to tell a story and make recommendations and improvements

• Experience within an internal communication function, using a range of digital tools and communication channels to engage and inform employees

• A track-record of collaborating with colleagues to deliver internal communication with demonstrable experience of measurement and evaluation techniques; alongside an understanding of how to influence key stakeholders, being comfortable communicating with senior stakeholders and providing expert advice and challenge.

• Excellent copywriting and editorial skills and experience, with a keen eye for detail and the ability to deliver communications to deadlines 

• Experience of line managing a team of communication professionals

Desirable Criteria:

• Strategic communications planning

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

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £43,575, Crown Commercial Service contributes £11,808 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 Technical skills.

Selection Process

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 interview times and dates 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.