About the job

Job summary

The Social Mobility Commission (SMC) is seeking a well rounded, experienced Senior Communications and Campaigns Manager to join our dynamic team. 

This is an exciting opportunity to have a key creative role in working with print, digital and broadcast media, as well as writing commentaries and briefs. The role will also involve supporting the planning, development and implementation of multi-media behavioural change marketing campaign.

You will report to the Head of Communications, and will work with policy, analysts and researchers to help draw out a clear narrative and compelling messaging.

The job involves working closely with the Head of Communications on communications campaigns and press media work. The successful applicant will have excellent writing and presentation skills and experience in supporting marketing campaign development, implementation and evaluation, along with dealing with journalists and writing press releases. 

The role also includes planning content across social media channels (Twitter, Instagram), promoting key messages and engaging with new audiences.  

The successful candidate should have experience in working on campaigns, as a key part of the role would be to help on planning a campaign strategy including recruiting and managing external agencies.

Job description

As  Senior Communications and Campaigns Manager your role is likely to require you to undertake the following duties:

For the Communications elements: 

• Support communications across the whole Commission work plan as set out in our Business Plan.
• Work with the Head of Communications to sell stories and comment pieces into the media and secure broadcast slots or exclusive coverage.  
• Identify and network with journalists and stakeholder communications teams to build positive relationships and ensure positive commentary on SMC goals.
• Manage the development of regular podcasts. This will involve contracting and working with the supplier, editing, and publishing podcasts. 
• Promoting key messages and engaging with new audiences through writing blogs, press releases, opinion pieces for trade and specialist publications.
• Planning, posting, and managing content across owned and earned social media channels (Twitter, Instagram).
• Manage strategic planning to boost social media KPIs.
• Support the communications requirements of the Chair and Commissioners, including ad hoc media requests such as briefing, Q&As and defensive lines. 
• Oversee the delivery of the quarterly commentary based on published research and policy reports.
• Monitor daily news coverage and provide a weekly summary for Commissioners.
• Building and maintaining a strategic communications function, including creating a planning grid, updating the extensive journalist and stakeholder database, and creating media analytics dashboards. 
• Oversee media tools such as media monitoring and media database systems, and Foresight news for event planning.

For the campaigns element:

• Assist the planning, development and implementation of campaigns, including day to day agency management. 
• Work with colleagues to publish and promote campaign resources, toolkits and content, and keep the overall forward planner up to date. 
• Support the delivery of no cost multi-channel campaigns and events surrounding the launch of a report on the latest insights on social mobility.
• Liaising with engagement and/or policy leads in the Commission to draw up press releases and other collateral required to ensure successful campaign delivery.

Person specification

Essential Skills

The following skills are essential, however the Social Mobility Commission is an open and inclusive team that seeks to reflect the society we live in. We encourage applications from people from all backgrounds. Diversity is a strength, and we seek to work as inclusively as we can to harness it. In our team, your potential matters more than your qualifications.

• You will have a passion for improving social mobility in the UK and believe as we do that everyone regardless of family background deserves the chance of decent life outcomes. 
• Proven experience in campaign strategy, design, planning and implementation and evaluation - including dealing with multiple agencies. 
• Strong project management skills, and adherence to setting out and meeting key milestones.
• Experience of working successfully with journalists to secure positive coverage, sell stories, place articles, arrange press and broadcast interviews and negotiate interview content.  
• Strong written and editing skills across web and print, for writing press notices, blogs, key messaging, op-eds and more for different stakeholders and audiences.
• Have a proven track record of turning complicated policy into simple, clear and concise messaging through excellent written communication skills.
• Experience of communication planning techniques including insight generation, strategy development, and evaluation.
• Experience of generating and posting digital content including podcasts, social media posts and more using a range of platforms including LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram.
• Having led on or provided support to plan and implement a communications and marketing campaign.
• Sound understanding the importance of delivering and audience centric campaign, which is insight driven.
• Experience in evaluating the success and effectiveness of  campaigns and reporting back to stakeholders.

Desirable Skills

• Experience in monitoring, reviewing and evolving our digital channels strategy to ensure it remains fresh and relevant as we move forward. 
• Writing briefs to procure agency services, including creative, production, media planning, media buying, partnership marketing and tracking research.
• Managing agencies, keeping under review available budget and deliverables.
• Building and maintaining a strategic communications function, including creating a planning grid, updating the extensive journalist and stakeholder database, and creating media analytics dashboards. 
• Managing media tools such as media monitoring and media database systems, and Foresight news for event planning.

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £40,850, Cabinet Office contributes £11,029 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.

Application process

Applicants are required to complete a CV and 750 word personal statement demonstrating their evidence against the ‘Essential Criteria’ and ‘Desirable Criteria’ detailed above. Further details around what this will entail are listed on the application form.

Selection process

Applications will be sifted on CV and personal statement. 

Desirable criteria will only be used in the even of a tie break between candidate scores.

If successful at the interview stage, the candidates will be asked to give a presentation using the GCS OASIS framework, and assessed based on the behaviours set out in the job advert.

Interview questions using the behaviour success profiles. 

Behaviours

We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:

• Communicating and Influencing
• Delivering at Pace
• Seeing the Big Picture
• Working Together 

Expected timeline (subject to change)

Expected sift date – w/c  8 January 2024

Expected interview date/s – w/c 22 January 2024 December 2023 and w/c 29 January 2024

Interview location - virtual

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 Government Recruitment Service at: cabinetofficerecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk as soon as possible before the closing date to discuss your needs.
• Complete the ‘assistance required’ section in the ‘personal information’ page of your application form to provide information we should be aware of that will enable us to support you further on in the recruitment process. For instance, you may need wheelchair access at an interview, or if you're deaf, a Language Service Professional.

Further information

If you are experiencing accessibility problems with any attachments on this advert, please contact the email address in the 'contact point for applicants' section.

Please note terms and conditions are attached. Please take time to read the document to determine how these may affect you.

Any move to the Cabinet Office 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 https://www.childcarechoices.gov.uk

A reserve list will be held for a period of 12 months, from which further appointments can be made.

If successful and transferring from another Government Department a criminal record check may be carried out.

In order to process applications without delay, we will be sending a Criminal Record Check to Disclosure and Barring Service /Disclosure Scotland on your behalf.

However, we recognise in exceptional circumstances some candidates will want to send their completed forms direct. If you will be doing this, please advise Government Recruitment Service of your intention by emailing Pre-EmploymentChecks.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk stating the job reference number in the subject heading.

For further information on the Disclosure Scotland confidential checking service telephone: the Disclosure Scotland Helpline on 0870 609 6006 and ask to speak to the operations manager in confidence, or email Info@disclosurescotland.co.uk

New entrants are expected to join on the minimum of the pay band.

Applicants who are successful at interview will be, as part of pre-employment screening, subject to a check on the Internal Fraud Database (IFD). This check will provide information about employees who have been dismissed for fraud or dishonesty offences. This check also applies to employees who resign or otherwise leave before being dismissed for fraud or dishonesty had their employment continued. Any applicant’s details held on the IFD will be refused employment. 

A candidate is not eligible to apply for a role within the Civil Service if the application is made within a 5 year period following a dismissal for carrying out internal fraud against government.

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.