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Civil Service Pension with an average employer contribution of 27%
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Strategy
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About the job
Job summary
Our mission is to deliver exceptional public service communication that makes a difference.
People work in government communications because what we do matters. We explain the objectives and policies of the government of the day. We provide clarity and reassurance to the public at times of crisis. We support businesses to grow. We protect our environment. We help those in need to access support.
The Government Communication Service (GCS) is the professional body for all public service communicators working in government. Our GCS membership incorporates marketing, stakeholder engagement, internal communications, media, digital and social, and operational communications professionals. We collaborate across government with 25 ministerial departments, 21 non-ministerial departments and more than 300 agencies in addition to other public bodies.
It’s an exciting time to be a communications professional in government. The launch of the GCS Strategy 2022-2025 sets our vision to harness the rapid technological changes in communications for the public good; whilst developing our talent with unparalleled opportunities for learning and development. All whilst carrying out interesting, meaningful and purposeful work.
The Team
This is a small, dynamic and creative team of communications experts that assure, enhance and support the delivery of all major government campaigns, ensuring they are effective and deliver value to the taxpayer. We provide oversight of UK Government brands and ensure that the Prime Ministers priority themes for communication are identified, agreed and shared across departments and arms-length bodies (ALBs). This team works collaboratively across government to respond to crises and to create impactful campaigns that support PM and Ministerial priorities. This team works in a highly matrix fashion across the GCS Strategy and Expert services function.
Job description
This role will support the delivery and reform of the Cabinet Office spend control process for advertising, marketing and communications (AMC) spend across government. You will work with internal Cabinet Office stakeholders, departments and ALBs to ensure the efficient and effective delivery of the process, identify and mitigate against risks, and develop suggestions for improvements.
You will manage delivery of a cross-government Director of Communications (DoCs) steering group, ensuring forward thinking and timely sharing of updates within the DoC community and other stakeholders. You will coordinate plans across the year, including advising senior leaders which topics should be focused on, when and how; making connections with previous meetings and other relevant sessions; and being a point of contact for people to propose areas they might like to focus on, showcase, etc.
You will also work collaboratively across GCS and across government to coordinate the development and publication of the annual Government Communication Plan, ensuring the project is delivered on-time and has senior buy-in from the outset.
Responsibilities & Duties
- Work with the wider Strategy and Campaigns team to ensure the effective delivery of the cross-government AMC control approval process.
- Lead on reporting and correspondence on the control, including its efficacy.
- Engage with communication teams across departments and ALBs to promote and explain the AMC control and how they can best engage with the assurance process.
- Work with teams across government to identify opportunities for improvement. Test and manage any process changes with stakeholders, ensuring they have clarity on what to expect over the year.
- Support engagement with the Cabinet Office Central Controls Team and other functional control teams to ensure a consistent approach.
- Work closely with internal and departmental stakeholders, including engaging senior leaders, in order to develop and publish an overarching government communication strategy that is supported across departments and ALBs.
- Oversee planning for and actions resulting from DoCs meetings to ensure tasks are actioned, blockers are removed and any issues and risks are flagged.
Person specification
Experience / Ability
- Experience as a trusted communication advisor, building and maintaining successful and productive working relationships across complex organisations.
- Experience or substantial understanding of campaign and campaign planning, insight and evaluation strongly desirable.
- Experience of working in highly collaborative, mutually supportive, inclusive and high performing teams.
- Postholder will ideally have experience of, or appetite for, working across Whitehall as you will help bring together a number of plans to form one comprehensive plan, that is supported across Departments at the most senior level, with Ministerial buy-in.
- Excellent attention to detail, proven organisational skills and the ability to work to tight deadlines under pressure.
- Excellent communication skills: coordinating communication strategies, presentation skills, briefings, verbal updates
- Excellent judgement, creative problem solving skills, political awareness and the ability to identify future/developing risks and issues.
- Ability to work in ambiguity.
- Responsible for planning and delivering your area of work, on time and to full objectives/KPIs.
- Responsibility for advising the team on delivery progress and decisions requiring senior steer or escalation.
Behaviours
We’ll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:
Benefits
£10,272 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme.
Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.
- Learning and development tailored to your role.
- An environment with flexible working options.
- A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity.
- A Civil Service Pension which provides an attractive pension, benefits for dependants and average employer contributions of 27%.
- A minimum of 25 days of paid annual leave, increasing by one day per year up to a maximum of 30.
Things you need to know
Selection process details
Stage 1: Application
Your application will consist of four parts:
- A Personal Details application form.
- Your employment history detailing your responsibilities, skills, and accomplishments, plus your qualifications and relevant training. Please copy this information into the box field provided.
- Personal statement, up to 500 words.
- You will also be asked to answer questions on the following behaviours Seeing the Bigger Picture, Managing a Quality Service, Working Togetheter
When giving details in your employment history and personal statement, you should demonstrate your experience in line with essential criteria above.
Should a large number of applications be received, an initial sift may be undertaken using the lead Behaviour, Seeing the Bigger Picture.
Selection process
Stage 2: Interview
If youre successful at the sift stage you will be invited to a video interview via Google Meet. There, you will be assessed on your experience, the essential criteria for the role, and the following Civil Service behaviours:
You will also maybe asked to do a short presentation on a specific topic. Further details will be provided to candidates invited to interview.
Interviews will take place from early September 2023, and will be confirmed to the candidates that are successful at the sift stage.
Expected timeline (subject to change)
Expected sift date tbc
Expected interview date/s tbc
Interview location – remote via google meet, in person where possible
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 cabibetofficerecruitment.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 youre 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 that this role requires SC clearance, which would normally need 5 years UK residency in the past 5 years. This is not an absolute requirement, but supplementary checks may be needed where individuals have not lived in the UK for that period. This may mean your security clearance (and therefore your appointment) will take longer or, in some cases, not be possible.
Please note terms and conditions are attached. Please take time to read the document to determine how these may affect you.
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
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 applicants 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.
This role is full time only. 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.
Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.
Security
Nationality requirements
Working for the Civil Service
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).
Apply and further information
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Contact point for applicants
Job contact :
- Name : Alice Preedy
- Email : alice.preedy@cabinetoffice.gov.uk
Recruitment team
- Email : cabinetofficerecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk
Further information
If you are not satisfied with the response you receive, then you can contact the Civil Service Commission at info@csc.gov.uk. For further information on the Recruitment Principles. and bringing a complaint to the Civil Service Commission, please visit their website at: https://civilservicecommission.independent.gov.uk.
