About the job

Job summary

The Government People Group exists to work with departments, professions, and functions to build a modern, effective Civil Service.

We support the government workforce with the right skills and capability. We are working with leaders to get the right people in the right jobs, with the right skills and continuous learning to excel in their roles.

We provide leadership, and in turn, create leaders with exceptional line management capability across departments, influencing partners in the wider public sector and beyond. This involves getting our retention and reward strategy right, to nurture specific skills, and create pride and resilience in our workforce.

Our role is also to provide system leadership across central government in pulling together back office services. Collectively, we help support the Cabinet Office’s priority to drive efficiencies, and reforms that will make government work better, to ultimately provide a better service to the public.

The Recruitment Transformation and Continuous Improvement Programme will introduce a strategy and future operating model for government recruitment to deliver an improved service with increased efficiency, and effectiveness. This important programme will ultimately reduce the time, cost, and effort it currently takes to recruit people into the Civil Service.

A key factor to the programme’s success is building awareness, understanding, and support for the future direction across a range of stakeholders, through a regular and consistent series of strategic communications and engagement.

Job description

The role is responsible for the development and delivery of a strategic communications plan for the programme, using engaging and impactful materials and channels to raise awareness, and support the embedding of changes to improve the way that recruitment is done across government.

The environment is fast-paced and we encourage innovation to deliver the best possible outcomes. Your stakeholder group will be broad and diverse, and you will have responsibility for leading a small team of communications managers.

The role sits in the Strategy, Stakeholder and Communications team and reports to the Head of Strategy, Stakeholder and Communications, within the Government People Group in Cabinet Office.

As a Strategic Communications and Stakeholder Lead, your main responsibilities would be:

• You will be responsible for oversight, planning, coordination, and delivery of strategic, proactive communications activity, as well as insight-gathering and evaluation, and making intelligence-based improvements.
• You will develop, implement and lead high profile communications campaigns, and plan and deliver activities to support business objectives and significant milestones.
• This includes a coordinated approach to communications, segmented by audience, so the programme makes a positive impact and builds and maintains a strong reputation.
• You will also need to have the skills to communicate technical information in a simple and engaging way, and will have the political nous to horizon scan, and anticipate handling issues.
• The ability to build and sustain productive relationships is key, in order to deliver effective communications and engagement, building on the trusted and established relationships with internal and external stakeholders.

You will also act as the link between the Strategy, Stakeholder and Communications team and the Government People Group Communications team, and all centralised communications functions.

Person specification

We’re looking for an accomplished communications professional with experience of developing and embedding communications strategy, and writing compelling stories for external, internal, and digital channels.

Essential criteria:

• Proven track record of delivering in a busy strategic communications role within a complex organisation.
• Ability to work well under pressure and to meet tight deadlines.
• Strong interpersonal skills with proven ability to take a collaborative approach to working with others to generate shared commitment to goals.
• Ability to develop and maintain relationships with key external partners and foster effective engagement across a wide stakeholder group to ensure a coordinated approach to communications
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Experience of identifying communications opportunities and creating targeted content for internal, external and digital channels, for varying audiences.

Other desirable criteria:

• Video production, and creative content skills including filming, photography, and animation.
• Prior experience of working in a public-sector environment, including tactical implementation.

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £53,400, Cabinet Office contributes £14,418 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

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

This vacancy uses Success Profiles and we will assess your experience and skills in relation to the requirements of the roles as set out in the job description. 

You will need to complete the online form and provide a CV and a Personal Statement for the role setting out how you meet the essential criteria detailed in the advert (no more than 1000 words).

Should a large number of applications be received, an initial sift may be undertaken using the CV only.

A sift will be conducted on the CV and Personal Statement. Candidates successful at the sift stage will be invited to interview.

At the interview, you will be assessed on four Behaviours, and five Strengths. 

Expected timeline (subject to change)

Expected sift date – 5th February
Expected interview date/s – 13th and 14th February
Interview location - Video Interview

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 via cabinetofficerecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.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.

Further information

A minimum 60% of your working time should be spent at your principal workplace. Although requirements to attend other locations for official business will also count towards this level of attendance.

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.

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

Any move to 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

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.