About the job

Job summary

This position is based nationally

Job description

We encourage applications from people from all backgrounds and aim to have a workforce that represents the wider society that we serve. We pride ourselves on being an employer of choice. We champion diversity, inclusion and wellbeing and aim to create a workplace where everyone feels valued and a sense of belonging. To find out more about how we do this visit: https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ministry-of-justice/about/equality-and-diversity.

Grade: G7

(MoJ candidates who are on a specialist grade, will be able to retain this grade on lateral transfer) 

Salary: London: £58-847 - £66,670, National: £54,358 - £61,585 

Working pattern: Full-time, part-time, flexible working. 

Contract Type: Fixed Term Contract (2 year). 

Vacancy number: 86171 

*We offer a hybrid working model, allowing for a balance between remote work and time spent in your local office. Office locations can be found ON THIS MAP

The Role

We’re recruiting for a Stakeholder & Communications Manager here at Justice Digital, to be part of our warm and collaborative Evolve Portfolio team. 

We are looking for a tenacious and enthusiastic Communications & Engagement Manager to join the small team providing support and expertise for Evolve, a complex portfolio of projects delivering people, process, and technology changes for the MoJ. The role requires excellent written and verbal skills, strong organisational skills, and the ability to prioritise in a complex environment and deliver to deadlines. 

With colleagues based across the UK, we recognise the importance of producing clear and compelling messages to keep the project and our MoJ stakeholders informed and engaged in this portfolio’s aims. 

Background

The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) is one of the largest UK government departments, employing over 70,000 people, with a budget of approximately £8 billion.  Each year millions of people use our services across the UK, including courts, tribunals and prisons in England and Wales.

The MoJ are coming to the end of large technology contracts with suppliers who provide End User Computer Services and Network Infrastructure Services. Evolve is a portfolio of eleven projects working to define and implement a future oriented technology strategy and operating model for the MoJ, including multiple contract re-tenders, new contract awards, building internal capability, in-sourcing key services and new ways of working. 

To help picture your life at MoJ Justice Digital please take a look at our blog and our Digital and Technology strategy 2025

Key Responsibilities:

You will:

• Develop communications and engagement plans for specific projects and manage their effective implementation.
• Develop engaging, targeted content and messages suitable for use across a range of channels.
• Ensure appropriate and consistent content, messaging and tone in all communication.
• Manage stakeholder relationships to ensure communications and engagement with multiple stakeholders across the MoJ is timely, consistent and fit for purpose.
• Manage risks and issues and escalations pertaining to communications
• Be responsible for advising and supporting project colleagues on effective engagement with stakeholders.
• Collaborating with other MoJ communication teams to align messages and timing of messages.
• Apply a strategic approach, attention to detail and tenacity to ensure that communications plans and activities achieve maximum impact. 

If this feels like an exciting challenge, something you are enthusiastic about, and want to join our team please read on and apply!

Person Specification 

Essential 

• Proven experience as a Communications Manager in a complex organisation, able to schedule work, multi-task and deliver to deadlines.
• Able to confidently engage with colleagues at all levels, including executive leadership, providing robust, credible and deliverable communication advice, and generating commitment to goals.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills with a high degree of accuracy in executing work. Able to distil complex information into clear and engaging narratives.
• A strong collaborator, focused on working effectively with others, supporting colleagues and achieving success as a team.
• Good knowledge of Microsoft Office including SharePoint, PowerPoint and PowerBI (desirable). 

Willingness to be assessed against  the requirements for BPSS clearance. 

We welcome the unique contribution diverse applicants bring and do not discriminate based on culture, ethnicity, race, nationality or national origin, age, sex, gender identity or expression, religion or belief, disability status, sexual orientation, educational or social background or any other factor. 

Our values are Purpose, Humanity, Openness and Together. Find out more here about how we celebrate diversity and an inclusive culture in our workplace. 

Benefits

• 37 hours per week and flexible working options including working from home, working part-time, job sharing, or working compressed hours.
• We are committed to nurturing our staff and provide lots of training and development opportunities with learning platforms such as: Linux Academy, O’Reilly, Pluralsight, Microsoft Learning, Civil Service Learning etc.
• 10% dedicated time to learning and development with a budget of £1000 a year per person.
• Generous civil service pension based on defined benefit scheme, with employer contributions of 28.97% from April 1st 2024 (Contribution Rates)
• 25 days leave (plus bank holidays) and 1 privilege day usually taken around the Kings’ birthday. 5 additional days of leave once you have reached 5 years of service.
• Compassionate maternity, adoption, and shared parental leave policies, with up to 26 weeks leave at full pay, 13 weeks with partial pay, and 13 weeks further leave. And maternity support/paternity leave at full pay for 2 weeks, too!
• Wellbeing support including access to the Calm app.
• Nurturing professional and interpersonal networks including those for Carers & Childcare, Gender Equality, PROUD and SPIRIT
• Bike loans up to £2500 and secure bike parking (subject to availability and location).
• Season ticket loans, childcare vouchers and eye-care vouchers.
• 5 days volunteering paid leave.
• Free membership to BCS, the Chartered Institute for IT.
• Some offices may have a subsidised onsite Gym.

Person specification

Please refer to attached Job Description

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £54,358, Ministry of Justice contributes £15,165 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

Candidates must submit a CV and supporting statement (of no more than 750 words) which describes how you meet the requirements set out in the Person Specification above. 

Candidates who do not submit both a CV and a separate statement of suitability will not be invited to interview. 

Within your statement of suitability, please focus on demonstrating how you meet the following essential criteria which are being assessed at the pre-sift or sift stages; 

• Proven experience as a Communications Manager in a complex organisation, able to schedule work, multi-task and deliver to deadlines.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills with a high degree of accuracy in executing work. Able to distil complex information into clear and engaging narratives. 

In Justice Digital, we recruit using a combination of the Government Digital and Data Profession Capability and Success Profiles Frameworks. We will assess your Experience, Technical Skills and the following Behaviours during the assessment process: 

• Communicating & Influencing
• Working Together
• Making Effective Decisions 

A diverse panel will review your application against the Person Specification above. 

Successful candidates who meet the required standard will then be invited to a 1-hour panel interview held via video conference. 

Should we receive a high volume of applications, a pre-sift based on your previous communications experience in a complex organisation will be conducted before the sift. 

Should you be unsuccessful in the role that you have applied for but demonstrate the capability for a role at a lower level, we reserve the right to discuss this opportunity with you and offer you the position without needing a further application. 

A reserve list may be held for up to 12 months, from which further appointments may be made.

Terms & Conditions

Please review our Terms & Conditions which set out how we recruit and provide further information related to the role and salary arrangements. 

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact recruitment@digital.justice.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

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.