About the job

Job summary

The Royal Navy Communications and Influence (RN Comms) team is seeking a dynamic and motivated Senior Communications Manager for their fast paced and high-profile Corporate Communications and Reactive News team.

The successful candidate will have specific responsibility for advice and communications relating to issues impacting the reputation of the Royal Navy at home and around the globe.

This position is advertised at 37 hours per week and is based out of Navy Command Headquarters in Portsmouth.

Job description

What you will be doing:

The Royal Navy and associated agencies are subject to intense public, parliamentary and media scrutiny. The post holder is responsible for the overall quality and output of the Corporate Communications and Reactive News team, engaging across the RN and MOD and ensuring overall alignment with the RN Comms strategy and Defence Communications strategy and messaging.

You will:

• Provide professional and comprehensive communications advice to senior military officers, officials, special advisors, and RN Units.

• Manage communications surrounding matters which have the potential to be reputationally damaging to the RN, including personnel, operational, policy security issues.
• Produce relevant and timely lines to take/Defensive News briefs for those emerging or policy issues, briefing to senior levels in person when needed.
• In time of crisis or period of significant media activity, support the overall RN Comms effort, ensuring coherent messaging and providing fast paced proactive media advice and material.
• Maintain a good working relationship with key local and regional media outlets and defence specialists.
• Support RN media facilities and carry out media minding duties when required. 

• As a strong team player, act as a role model, offer guidance and support to colleagues in their day-to-day work and help to develop them over time.
• Have the leadership skills to provide direction and focus to your team to ensure outputs are delivered in a timely and accurate manner and provide advice to others.
• Be part of an on-call roster dealing with a range of enquiries across the breadth of Royal Navy and associated departments, working alongside the Defence Directorate of Communications.

Person specification

Essential criteria include:

• Excellent understanding of the media and social media landscape.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• The ability to pay attention to detail and absorb complex information at pace to inform and produce plain language communications that clearly articulate the Royal Navy’s objectives and policy.
• The discretion to handle classified and sensitive information pertaining to policy or personnel issues.
• Confidence and strategic judgement, as successful candidates will be required to become a trusted adviser to senior military officers and staff.
• The ability to work effectively with a wide variety of personalities and experience.

Desirable criteria include:

• A proven record of working either in a media/press office/corporate communications environment, or in defence policy areas.
• Experience of news management in PR or journalism.
• Experience of using social media.
• Experience of Government Communications Service and Modern Communications Operating Model.

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £43,080, Ministry of Defence contributes £11,631 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 will be required to provide a CV to include: job history, qualification details and previous skill and experience. 

Candidates will be required to provide a 500 word statement of suitability. Please provide evidence of experience relevant to the role.

We welcome applications from everyone irrespective of gender and ethnic group. Appointment will be based on merit alone.

At sift, you will be assessed against the following Success Profiles Behaviours: - 

• Making Effective Decisions
• Communicating and Influencing
• Leadership
• Seeing the Bigger Picture 

At Interview, you will be assessed against the following Success Profiles Behaviours: - 

• Making Effective Decisions
• Communicating and Influencing
• Leadership
• Seeing the Bigger Picture 

The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equality of opportunity. There is a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.  

If you need to advise us that you need additional help or reasonable adjustments for the recruitment process, please contact: DBSCivPers-Resourcingteam3@mod.gov.uk

As a result of the changes to the UK immigration rules which came into effect on 1 January 2021, the Ministry of Defence will only offer sponsorship for a skilled worker visa under the points-based system, where a role has been deemed to be business critical.

The role currently being advertised has not been assessed as business critical and is therefore NOT open to applications from those who will require sponsorship under the points-based system. Should you apply for this role and be found to require sponsorship, your application will be rejected, and any provisional offer of employment withdrawn.

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

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check. Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is security 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

Open to UK nationals only.

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.