About the job

Job summary

As health and social care issues affect us all, the work of the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) is always at the forefront of the public’s mind.

We are looking for Senior Campaign Managers who can hit the ground running as part of a high performing team in an exciting and fast paced communications environment.  

This is an opportunity to work in a friendly and welcoming team where you’ll get end to end experience of delivering campaigns to make an impact on some of the most challenging health issues facing the nation, including smoking, vaccinations, mental ill health and adult social care recruitment.

Applicants are required to have substantial and demonstrable experience of activating integrated campaigns that create behaviour change, across advertising, PR, social, digital and partnerships. You’ll also have a track record of delivering qualitative and quantitative research to inform campaign development and evaluation.   

You’ll be joining an organisation that is committed to diversity and inclusion and offers an excellent range of training and development opportunities.

So, if you’re a passionate about marketing and communications and making a positive difference to people’s lives, we’d like to hear from you.

Job description

This role will help deliver our campaign programme for 2024/25. This includes: 

• Development and delivery of innovative and impactful multi-channel marketing campaigns and digital products (website, e-crm and app content) that change attitudes and behaviour to help address public health challenges. This may include the development of campaign messaging/proposition, creative content, delivery of PR, partnerships and multicultural activity.  
• Working closely and collaboratively with stakeholders across the health system and government.    
• Delivery of relevant campaign research and evaluation.  
• Provision of effective project, budget and agency management as well as campaign assurance. 

Role Responsibilities:

Campaign Delivery 

• Understand how campaigns support wider departmental priorities.
• Manage and deliver integrated campaigns including strategy, creative development, production, media planning, buying and implementation and evaluation.
• The above could include, but not be limited to: TV, Video-on-Demand, Online Video, radio, digital (including social and search), out of home, PR, influencers and multicultural community outreach programmes (including, for example, PR, print, social, radio and podcasts.
• Be curious and passionate about developing technologies including AI.
• Commission, quality assure work and collaborate with specialist agencies, where required.
• Deliver campaigns on time and on budget – striving for value for money.
• Delivery of relevant campaign research and evaluation.

Digital Product Delivery  

• Lead or work with team members in the development of an annual content plan.
• Lead the maintenance and development of our always on email programmes, working with specialist agencies.
• Maintain and develop our always on digital products in partnership with our Digital Product team and/or specialist agencies. 
• Use digital analytics tools where appropriate.
• Provide weekly and/or monthly reports on digital product performance metrics.  

Content Delivery 

• Lead the development of written articles and video assets for the digital product portfolio and partnership offers, working closely with policy and clinical teams and specialist agencies, including brief writing, creative development and production.
• Copywriting, where required. 

Project Management 

• Lead the development of project timelines, including determining priorities and managing upwards any challenges or competing priorities.
• Lead or effectively delegate the management of workflow and status documents, as required.
• Lead or support the management of third-party suppliers including specialist agencies, where required.
• Lead or support the management of stakeholders, from preparing presentations through to presenting, where required.
• Identify areas for improvement or simplification of processes, as required.
• Provide recommendations for project delivery decisions based on evidence and experience and relevant considerations such as timing, cost, benefits and risks.  

Stakeholder and People Management 

• Build strong professional relationships with DHSC policy and communications teams and NHS Digital, social and clinical teams with the ability to positively influence where required.
• Work with and motivate multi-disciplinary teams to deliver their full potential or work independently, as required.
• Champion an environment of inclusion, openness, and innovation.
• Be able to constructively challenge, make difficult decisions and effectively manage up and down.
• Line manage direct reports where required.

Administration 

• Understand and effectively manage financial processes with your team. This could include:
  • Building positive working relationships with key finance team contacts.
  • Supporting the development of business cases.
  • Raising purchase orders.
  • Managing estimates and invoices from third party suppliers.
  • Regularly updating financial trackers, plus monthly and quarterly reporting.
  • Organising and managing meetings (online, in-person and hybrid) as required.
  • Striving to deliver value for money across all projects.

Person specification

• Experience of large-scale integrated campaign activation across advertising, PR, social, digital products and partnerships – to deliver measurable impact. 
• Experience of line management (desirable).
• An ability to communicate effectively with different audiences, including using insight.
• Expertise in qualitative and quantitative research and evaluation. 
• The ability to build and maintain networks with counterparts in other organisations.
• Strong communication skills (both written and presentational), project (including financial management) and agency management skills.
• Ability to remain calm under pressure and prioritise workload (dealing with competing priorities appropriately).
• Extensive knowledge of office systems and Microsoft Office suite.

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £40,025, Department of Health and Social Care contributes £10,807 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, Strengths, Experience and Technical skills.

Sift date: expected TBC

Interview date: expected TBC

Interview location: The interview will take place virtually via Microsoft Teams. Further details will be released to candidates who are successful at sift. 

The available interview slots will be released with the sift scores. 

Applications will be sifted on CV and Statement of Suitability (500 word max) and Behaviours.

Please use your CV to set out your career history, highlighting specific responsibilities and achievements that are relevant for this role. These can be found in the ‘key skills and experience required for the role’ section of the advert.

Please use your Statement of Suitability (in no more than 500 words) to outline how you meet the key skills and experience required for the role as set out in the job advert.

At interview candidates will be assessed on Behaviours, Strengths and Technical skills.

To find out more about working in the department please visit our page on the Civil Service Careers Website here and to find out more information on how to apply visit the Civil Service Careers Website here 

Please be aware that some travel may be required across the DHSC estate. 

Please note that applicants will require BPSS clearance.

Further Information

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

Any move to DHSC 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

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 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.

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.

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

Applicants who wish to work an alternative pattern are welcome to apply however your preferred working pattern may not be available and you should discuss this with the vacancy holder before applying.

This role is being advertised on a permanent basis. If preferable, Loan or Secondment options will also be available for existing Civil Servants (Loan) and applicants from accredited NDPBs (Secondment). Prior agreement to be released on a loan basis must be obtained before commencing the application process. In the case of Civil Servants, the terms of the loan will be agreed between the home and host department and the Civil Servant. This includes grade on return.

Terms and Conditions

Candidates should note that DHSC’s Terms and Conditions of employment changed from 1 October 2013. It is the candidate’s responsibility to ensure they are aware of the terms and conditions they will adopt should they be successful. 

New Entrants to the Civil Service

New entrants appointed in grades AA to G6 will receive DHSC’s modernised terms and conditions:

• Annual Leave: 25 days on entry rising by one day for each completed year of service to a maximum of 30 days and pro-rata for part-time staff
• Privilege Leave: 1 day - for the King’s birthday
• Hours of Work: 37 hours (net) per week for full time staff in all geographical locations, including London and pro rata for part-time staff
• Occupational Sick Pay (OSP): one month full pay/one month half pay on entry, rising by one month for each completed year of service to a maximum of five months’ full pay and five months’ half pay
• Mobility: Mobility clause in contracts allow staff to be mobile across the Civil Service
• Probation: 6 month probation period

Existing Civil Service staff transferring from another Government department, on either level transfer or promotion

All staff moving to DHSC will transfer onto DHSC’s modernised terms and conditions (as outlined above). 

Existing DHSC staff, appointed on either level transfer or promotion

If DHSC’s modernised terms and conditions are already held, the employee will retain those terms and conditions. If DHSC’s pre-modernised terms and conditions are held, the employee will transfer onto DHSC’s modernised terms and conditions (as outlined above).

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.