About the job

Job summary

Please refer to Job Description

Job description

We encourage applications from people from all backgrounds and aim to have a workforce that represents the wider society that we serve. We pride ourselves on being an employer of choice. We champion diversity, inclusion and wellbeing and aim to create a workplace where everyone feels valued and a sense of belonging. To find out more about how we do this visit: https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ministry-of-justice/about/equality-and-diversity.

Judicial Appointments Commission –Communications Manager (HEO)

Are you a creative communicator with a passion for communicating with diverse audiences? Are you comfortable working across a range of communication channels and platforms? Can you help our teams reach new audiences by bringing our stories to life? If the answer is yes, you could be exactly who we are looking for.

The Role

We’re looking for a Communications Manager to help us communicate our work and connect with our audiences. As an independent public body, the Judicial Appointments Commission is responsible for designing, planning, and running recruitment campaigns to select judges in the courts and tribunals, up to and including the High Court, as well as non-legal tribunal members. You can read more about our work on our website: http://judicialappointments.gov.uk

With a new recruitment campaign launched every couple of weeks, and statutory responsibilities to make sure we select candidates on merit and through fair and open competition, it’s essential that our processes are robust, inclusive, and attractive to candidates from the widest possible backgrounds. It’s also essential that our audiences and stakeholders understand our work and our commitment to support a diverse judiciary that represents the society it serves.

Our Communications Manager plays a vital role in helping us to achieve that ambition. The role works closely with our operational teams to develop communications campaigns that explain and promote our busy programme of selection activity. From developing case studies that inspire new audiences, to demystifying our applications processes and helping candidates access the support they need to consider a judicial career, our communications manager is at the heart of bringing our work to life.

Working across a range of channels, the Communications Manager will prepare outreach plans, support media enquiries, monitor and analyse our media coverage and ensure our website, social media channels, newsletters and internal communications products meet the needs of our audiences.

You should relish the challenge of working in a small but dynamic team, collaborating with colleagues who are passionate about the JAC’s mission.

Main Responsibilities

Reporting to the Senior Strategic Communications Manager, your main responsibilities will be to:

• Develop, implement, and evaluate communications campaigns (outreach) for JAC selection exercises, using a variety of channels to suit the audience.
• Create and publish written and visual content for JAC operations and policy teams across digital (including social media), print and internal channels.
• Provide communications support for JAC colleagues including managing the website and intranet, collating newsletters, supporting the handling of media enquiries, and media monitoring.
• Regularly evaluate communications campaigns and activity, analysing findings and making recommendations for change and improvement.
• Identify the best channels and formats for information and suggest ideas to reach relevant audiences
• Play a leading role on stakeholder interaction for the communications team including manage the stakeholder lists

We are a small team who work collaboratively, and the Communications Manager may need to get involved in other projects and work beyond what is listed above to support the wider D&E team (and wider organisation).

Essential Criteria

• excellent written and verbal communication skills
• excellent interpersonal skills and ability to build good working relationships with internal and external stakeholders
• strong organisational skills with the ability to manage multiple projects with varied deadlines
• Experience of producing content for a range of channels including digital, social and/or print
• strong team working skills and ability to work flexibly to support a small team.
• Knowledge of different communications channels and tools and ability to provide advice on the most appropriate channels depending on context and user needs.
• Strong IT and digital skills, including the ability to quickly learn to use unfamiliar software to a good standard, with appropriate training

Desirable criteria

• Knowledge of campaign planning methodology
• Knowledge of evaluating communication campaigns, including using web analytics tools, and how to use this data to improve communications

What we can offer you

We offer a range of benefits including an attractive annual leave allowance, flexible and hybrid working opportunities, and choice of pension schemes. We actively encourage all staff to undertake learning and development as part of their personal objectives.

While the JAC is an independent executive non-departmental public body, we are considered an arms-length body of the Ministry of Justice and share many of the same policies, processes and terms and conditions as Civil Servants employed directly by the MoJ. This includes being part of the MoJ pay remit, enabling transferees from other government departments to retain their continuity of service and Civil Service Pension arrangements.

Though located at Clive House, Petty France, London, SW1H 9AJ JAC staff are currently working in a hybrid way with some days in the office and some days working remotely. It will be necessary for the successful postholder to work at the JAC location regularly to support business need.

Recruitment Process

We’ll assess you against these behaviours during the recruitment process:

• Communicating and influencing
• Working Together
• Managing a Quality Service

Application process

• Your CV
• A statement of suitability detailing the relevant experience and skills you have that would make you suitable for the post (250 words max).
• Written evidence of 2 behaviours: Communicating and influencing and Working Together (250 words max per behaviour)

Sift

Applications will be sifted based on the CV, Statement of Suitability and the 2 behaviours: Communicating and Influencing and Working Together.

If a large number of applications are received, we will sift on the CV, statement of suitability and lead behaviour which is Communicating and Influencing.

Interview

At interview you we will assess you against 3 behaviours: Communicating and influencing, Working Together, and Managing a Quality Service. You will also be asked about your experience. You can find out more about the Civil Service success profiles here.

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/success-profiles

Applicants invited for interview may be required to undertake a brief work exercise either before or on the day as part of the selection process. More details will be provided if you are invited to interview.

Interviews are expected to take place in early March 2024

Interviews may be conducted remotely via Microsoft Teams. More details on the arrangements will be provided to candidates invited to interview.

Reserve List

As well as appointing to the vacancy listed above, we may place other candidates on a 12-month reserve list for future vacancies.

Further Information

If after reading this job description you require any further information, please contact Caitlin Mullally, JAC Senior Strategic Communications Manager, at Caitlin.Mullally@judicialappointments.gov.uk

If you have any questions about the recruitment campaign, or any terms and conditions relating to the role, please contact the JAC Recruitment Team:

Recruitment@judicialappointments.gov.uk

Person specification

Please refer to Job Description

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £37,174, Ministry of Justice contributes £10,074 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.https://justicejobs.tal.net/vx/candidate/cms/About%20the%20MOJ

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.