About the job

Job summary

The role of Sector Advocacy and Communications Officer is an exciting opportunity to help drive forward The National Archives’ engagement with the archive workforce across the country. Sitting within the Advocacy and Partnerships Team in the Archive Sector Leadership department and working closely with the central Marketing and Press teams, you’ll play a vital part in our external communications to the archives sector, explaining how we are delivering on the government’s vision for archives, Archives Unlocked.

You’ll lead on our sector-facing social media and newsletters, making archive professionals aware of the latest professional news and the support that The National Archives can provide, including training, guidance and funding.

In this role, you’ll project manage the creation of the department’s publications, which celebrate the work of archives across the country or provide more information on topics important to archive professionals. You’ll work closely with external designers and printers to ensure these publications are produced to a high standard.

As Sector Advocacy and Communications Officer, you’ll also create content for the sector-facing part of our website (alongside the Digital Content Officer), get archives involved in communications campaigns and make use of opportunities to promote the department’s work across partner organisations’ channels.

Job description

Full job description attached (see below).

Person specification

This is a full time post. However, requests for part-time working, flexible working and job share will be considered, taking into account at all times the operational needs of the Department. A combination of onsite and home working is available and applicants should expect to spend at least 60% of their working time at Kew.

The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see the Civil Service People Plan and the Civil Service D&I Strategy.

How to apply:

If you are an internal applicant: please do not use the link on this page. Please apply via your employee Workday account.

If you are an external applicant: to submit your application please click the 'Apply at advertiser's site' button on this page.

You will be asked to provide details of your work experience and write a personal statement. In your personal statement please explain, using examples, how you meet the essential criteria given below. You may draw on knowledge, skills, abilities, experience gained from paid work, domestic responsibilities, education, leisure interests and voluntary activities. Please note selection for interview will largely be based on the information you provide in this section.

Essential criteria:

• Experience of developing communications plans and delivering them in a complex, cross-team environment
• Excellent communication skills, an engaging and versatile written style and first-class proofing skills
• Experience of producing and editing e-bulletins, blogs and social media content
• Experience of web-editing and an ability to write and design content for online presentation
• Experience of working with external designers and printers to develop printed materials such as publications or collateral
• Ability to work collaboratively across the organisation with a wide range of colleagues and stakeholders to deliver departmental and corporate priorities
• Demonstrable track record of prioritising a busy workload and driving the delivery of outputs to often tight deadlines

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £31,178, The National Archives contributes £8,418 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

Reasonable adjustments:

If a person with disabilities is put at a substantial disadvantage compared to a non-disabled person, we have a duty to make reasonable changes to our processes.

If you need a change to be made so that you can make your application, you should:

• Contact The National Archives via careers@nationalarchives.gov.uk as soon as possible before the closing date to discuss your needs
• Complete the “Assistance required” section in the “Additional requirements” page of your application form to tell us what changes or help you might need further on in the recruitment process. For instance, you may need wheelchair access at interview, or if you’re deaf, a Language Service Professional

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.