About the job

Job summary

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

Could you use your strategic communications, campaigns, PR and digital skills to help engage teachers, parents and pupils? Do you have a passion to make a real difference to people’s lives? Then bring your energy to a major delivery department at the heart of the UK Government and help reach millions of people through our comms activity to influence attitudes and behaviours.

The Department for Education (DfE) is looking for an exceptional communicator to help achieve its ambition of ensuring that every child and young person reaches their potential, whatever their background. This is a unique role and the post holder will need to roll their sleeves up to develop and deliver in-house innovative communications to reach parents, teachers and young people.

You will be leading our school campaigns, consumer media and PR strategy, developing no/low-cost partnerships and improving our owned departmental channels, including the teacher blog and direct emails to teachers and school leaders. There is also potential scope to undertake wider work, including across our vulnerable and disadvantage brief, and on key departmental priorities.

You will need to have creative flair, and an eye for finding a consumer angle and getting stories in a range of non-news channels such as women and lifestyle magazines, podcasts and daytime TV consumer programmes to reach our target audiences and support agreed departmental outcomes. 

This is a demanding and challenging role but a hugely rewarding one. The role requires flexibility and a mix of skills including campaign planning, solid copywriting, knowledge of PR/partnership development, together with a robust understanding of digital communications.

Job description

You will report into the Strategic Communications and campaigns G7 Lead for Schools/Teachers. You will be part of a strong team of strategic communications professionals working across other policy areas and ensuring high standards of communications delivery and service to the Secretary of State and Junior Ministers.

As well as being part of the Strategic comms team, you will also work closely with your peers in the wider communications team working with specialists including media, social media, evaluation, insight and external affairs, together with wider departmental and cross government policy colleagues.

We want someone with proven experience of working in a busy communication environment with a track record of designing and delivering creative communication strategies to a high standard and at minimal cost.

We are looking for an experienced communicator with a proven track-record in consumer media and digital channels.

You will:

• Be confident in thinking innovatively to create no cost and low-cost opportunities to engage our target audiences.
• Be confident in developing a channel strategy for our blogs and bulletins. 
• Work with policy and media colleagues to turn case studies into compelling content for consumer media and our own channels. 
• Support on a range of DfE campaign development, delivery and evaluation. 
• Work with comms and policy teams, cross government partners and stakeholders to deliver activity including partnerships, PR, working with and identifying influencers.
• Lead on social listening, sharing social insights and looking for content to amplify on our DfE social media channels (working with social media team).
• Lead on the implementation of our school comms strategy – developing content for parents, working with schools, partners and influencers.

As a member of the Government Communication Service (GCS), you will champion best practice and adherence to the highest professional standards.

Person specification

Essential Criteria:

• Experience of developing and delivering paid for and low/no cost communications strategies.
• Experience of developing content and channel strategies.
• Experience of sourcing case studies and turning them into stories.
• Experience of producing compelling copy and content.
• Experience of developing digital engagement strategies and building online influencer relationships.
• Experience of forging strong working relationships with key stakeholders and partners.
• Experience in developing and delivering communication strategies: setting measurable communication objectives, KPI’s, measuring outcomes and ROI to evaluate the impact of a comms activity or campaign.
• Experience of leading others, influencing and interpersonal skills, preferably, with a strong degree of political awareness; and sound judgement.

Desirable Criteria:

• Digital marketing skills.
• Digital optimized copywriting skills.
• Stakeholder engagement strategy development.
• Knowledge of education sector.

Desirable criteria will only be assessed at interview, in the event of a tie break situation, to make an informed decision.

Benefits

Applicants currently holding a permanent post in the Civil Service should note that, if successful, their salary on appointment would be determined by the Department’s transfer / promotion policies.

As a member of the DfE, you will be entitled to join the highly competitive Civil Service Pension Scheme, which many experts agree is one of the most generous in the UK, with an average employer contribution of 27%.

You will have 25 days leave, increasing by 1 day every year to a maximum of 30 days after five years’ service. In addition, all staff receive the King's Birthday privilege holiday and 8 days’ bank and public holidays.

Most DfE employees will be working a hybrid pattern, spending at least 60% of their time in an office or work setting. Changes to these working arrangements are available in exceptional circumstances but must be agreed with the line manager and in line with the requirements of the role.

Travel to your primary office location will not be paid for by DfE, but costs for travel to an office which is not your main location will be covered.

We offer flexible working arrangements, such as job sharing, term-time working, flexi-time and compressed hours.

As an organisation, which exists to support education and lifelong learning, we offer our staff excellent professional development opportunities.

Things you need to know

Selection process details

This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours, Experience and Technical skills.

Step 1: CV and Personal Statement

At this stage, we will assess Experience and behaviours. Candidates will be sifted through their CV, a personal statement and behaviours.

Your personal statement should be no longer than 750 words and display how your experience meets the essential criteria of the role (listed in the person specification section above).

We will also assess you on the following behaviours during the selection process:

• Seeing the Big Picture
• Communicating and Influencing

The sift will be restricted to just assessing personal statements in the event of a large volume of applications.

More guidance on personal statements can be found here – completing your application.

Step 2: Interview  

If successful at sift, candidates will be assessed via interview. The interview will involve two types of questions – Behaviours and Technical.

Behaviours are the actions and activities that people do which result in effective performance in a job. We want to get an understanding of the actions and activities that you have done (or would do) that result in effective performance.

We will assess you again on the following behaviours during the selection process:

• Seeing the Big Picture
• Communicating and Influencing

We will also assess on these technical areas:

• GCS CORE Communications – Insight
• GCS CORE Communications – Ideas
• GCS CORE Communications – Implementation
• GCS CORE Communications – Impact

For more information on the selection process, including guidance on how to write a personal statement, answer behaviour and strength-based interview questions, and the STAR approach click here: Top tips for acing the application. Further information on the technical skills can be found here: GCS Technical Specifications.

Sift and interview dates to be confirmed.

Other Information

We reserve the right to raise the minimum pass mark in the event of a high volume or strong field of candidates.

Please be aware that this role can only be worked in the UK from the location options provided and not from overseas.

The government is committed to supporting apprenticeships, enabling people to learn and progress in a role whilst earning. We want to monitor the number of people who have completed apprenticeships who are now applying to progress further in their career and are asking this question to all candidates, on all vacancies. You will be asked a question as part of the application process about any previous apprenticeships you have completed. Your response to this question will not affect your application and it is not a requirement of the role to have completed a previous apprenticeship.   

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

In order to process applications without delay, we will be sending a Criminal Record Check to Disclosure and Barring Service on your behalf. However, we recognise in exceptional circumstance some candidates will want to send their completed forms direct. If you will be doing this, please advise Department of Education of your intention by emailing Pre-Employment.Checks.DFE@education.gov.uk stating the job reference number in the subject heading.

Department for Education do not cover the cost of travel to your interview/assessment unless otherwise stated.

A reserve list may be held for a period of 6 months from which further appointments can be made.

Candidates will be posted in merit order based upon location preference. Where more than one location is advertised you will be asked to state your preferred location.

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.

Terms and conditions of candidates transferring from ALBs and NDPBs

Bodies that are not accredited by the Civil Service Commission and are not able to advertise at Across Government on Civil Service jobs will be treated as external new starters and will come into DfE on modernised terms and conditions with a salary at the band minimum.

Bodies that are accredited by the Civil Service Commission but do not have civil service status will be offered modernised terms and will not have continuous service recognised for leave or sickness benefits. Salaries should be offered at band minimum, but there is some flexibility where this would cause a detriment to the individual.

Bodies that are accredited by the Civil Service Commission and do have Civil Service status will be treated as OGD transfers. Staff appointed on lateral transfer will move on to pre-modernised DfE terms (unless they were on modernised terms in their previous organisation). Staff appointed on promotion will move on to modernised DfE terms. Staff will transfer over on their existing salary (on lateral transfer) and any pay above the DfE pay band maximum will be paid as a mark time allowance. Staff moving on promotion will have their salaries calculated using the principles set out in the attached OGD transfer supplementary information.

Reasonable adjustment

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 Department of Education via centralrecruitment.operations@education.gov.uk 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.

Any move to Department for Education (DfE) will mean you will no longer be able to carry on claiming 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/

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

Please note this Post is NOT regulated by the Civil Service Commission. 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.