Director of Communications, Engagement and Digital Publishing

We operate a flexible hybrid working model across the UK, with colleagues linked to one of our core locations in Newport, Titchfield (Fareham), London, Manchester or Darlington, and working between office and remote throughout the week.

ONS operates a hybrid working arrangements where colleagues are required to work in their allocated office location at least 20% of their work time from January 2024 raising to a minimum of 40% attendance from April 2024. The exception to this is for colleagues based at the Darlington Economic Campus who will be required to attend the office for a minimum of 20% of their work time due to current accommodation constraints.

The Communications and Digital Publishing (CDP) directorate is the ONS’s key interface with the public. We ensure the widest possible audience can engage with our data and insight in the best way possible, while building and managing the profile of the ONS.

Whether it’s working with our statisticians and analysts to present our daily insights in the most engaging way possible, creating communications strategies to manage our reputation across sensitive and high-profile issues, or engaging our colleagues with the issues that matter most to them, our work across the Directorate is varied and wide-reaching.

Job purpose

To lead the communications, engagement and digital publishing directorate, influencing the ONS strategy through developing and delivering a high impact communications and engagement approach, publishing and promoting all statistics and analysis in the most engaging way, increasing public data literacy and providing expert advice to support the organisation in its mission. ​

​Leadership focus​

This is a critical executive role offering an exciting opportunity to develop and deliver an effective user-centred communications, dissemination and engagement approach to deliver and drive forward our organisational strategy as we evolve our service to inform the widest possible audience on key issues across society, the economy and the environment.​

The individual will lead the organisation to articulate a compelling narrative around our strategy, purpose and impact to engage our colleagues and build influence and trust with a wide stakeholder group and notably through an excellent approach to public engagement and public involvement in decision making. ​

The Director of Communications, Engagement and Digital Publishing will build and nurture a high performing, cutting edge team of experts to support our ambitious strategic agenda. This will include taking responsibility for building capability within the wider workforce to improve external engagement, building our relationship with media and using emerging channels, engaging our colleagues and general communications.​

As we continue to improve our statistics, analysis and services, we need to understand user needs both now and for the future. The Director of Communications, Engagement and Digital Publishing will lead our engagement with as wide a group as possible and ensure we act on that feedback to continue to improve.​

Working proactively, they will foster a strong and vibrant communications network across government and the wider industry to optimise both insight and foresight, and forge credible, trusting relationships on behalf of the organisation. They will provide expert advice to the UK National Statistician (CEO), the UKSA Board, the ONS Senior Leadership Team and senior leaders to ensure a communications perspective is effectively represented in all discussions.

Key areas of the role

1. Our portfolio of statistics and analysis needs to be enhanced in scope and relevance so that it is fit for purpose to inform decision making in a modern, fast-moving world and is recognised as such by our users. 
2. The methods and the way in which we approach and use data needs to be transformed across the ONS for us to gain tangible benefits from the wide range of data source now available to us. 
3. We should be able to react at pace to changing policy priorities, redirecting our colleagues and financial resources flexibly and, by doing so, enhance our reputation as trusted, world leading analysts. 
4. Maintaining the reputation and impartiality of our outputs in an enhanced environment of public and political interest.
5. We aspire to use transformed systems and the increased availability of data, including administrative and big data, as part of an improved evidence base available through an integrated information architecture. We need to engage the public in our use of data, building understanding and trust of the security and confidentiality controls in place, and how data creates statistics for public good.
6. Communicate effectively the outcomes of the Census consultation. 
7. Ensuring strong public engagement and involvement in decision making and increasing public data literacy.

 

Key Relationships

As a member of the Senior Leadership Team, building strong collaborative and impactful relationships with a wide range of stakeholders will be a critical part of your role, including colleagues from other government departments, other national statistical institutes, the wider public relations, media and marketing industry, opinion formers and decision makers. 

In addition, you will need to build credible and trustful relationships within the Operations Group, the ONS and the UKSA and its Board. 

 

Some key outcomes

• Lead the publication and promotion of all insight and announcements from the ONS to protect and enhance our reputation;
• Deliver a new content and dissemination strategy in collaboration with colleagues across the ONS using new technologies and based on evidenced user need;
• Deliver a strategic communications plan to raise the profile of the ONS and support our key delivery and transformation plans;
• Extend our engagement through networks and directly to the wider public to increase understanding of our insights, build wider relationships and partnerships, and bring learnings back into the ONS;
• Create an environment of continual improvement by monitoring, measuring and improving our communications and publishing;
• Build a strong, resilient and trusted network of relationships with key influencers including journalists, commentators and opinion formers, parliamentarians, other government officials and international stakeholders;
• Provide innovative, creative and timely interventions in response to the dissemination and communication challenges across the statistics landscape; 
• Build an innovative and vibrant internal communications and engagement network to ensure a two-way exchange for the organisation to listen to and engage with all colleagues;
• As head of the communications profession, develop the professional skills and capability of the team working closely with the Government Communications Profession.

You will be an active member of the ONS Executive Committee and Senior Leadership Team.

You will lead a team of approximately 140 colleagues located at our Newport, London, Manchester, Darlington and Titchfield Offices and be accountable for an annual budget in the region of £15 million.

 

Corporate responsibilities

• Playing an active role as a member of the ONS Executive Committee and Senior Leadership Team, taking a corporate wide strategic perspective, providing expert advice and delivering solutions across the full range of ONS and UKSA activities;
• Providing effective leadership and corporate role modelling, giving clear direction, dealing with difficult situations and championing new ways of working;
• Building and maintaining a positive and influential relationships with:
  • the UKSA Chair and other non-executive members;
  • the Government Communications profession;
  • A range of internal and external stakeholders and the general public
• Publish and promote ONS analysis, leading a team of communications professionals to produce innovative content across our range of dissemination channels;
• Lead the internal communications function for the ONS, ensuring effective dissemination of key messages to colleagues;
• Managing resources in line with Treasury and Cabinet Office controls;
• Identify and manage risk. This will include ensuring the UK Statistics Authority has an effective and sustainable external communications approach with clear articulation of our ambition, brand and core narrative, which is used consistently across channels to deliver high quality messaging and support reputation;
• Delivering cost saving efficiencies.

Essential criteria

• Outstanding communication expertise, acquired at a senior level  including the development and implementation of compelling communication, dissemination and engagement strategies in a high public profile, wide public interest and politically complex environments;
• Extensive knowledge and experience of designing information services and products and multi-channelled approaches to communication to create impact and reach a mass audience;
• Successful experience of advising, engaging and influencing a broad and diverse range of stakeholders at senior levels and within influential roles across sectors, the media industry, international partners and inside the organisation;
• Successful experience of inclusive leadership: developing and motivating high performing broad communications, engagement and publishing teams and driving continuous professional development, and business management;
• Innovation in increasing stakeholder data literacy and stakeholder engagement in decision making ideally with the general public.

Desirable criteria

• Communications qualification and/or membership of a relevant professional body, for example Chartered Institute of Internal Communications, Chartered Institute of Public Relations or Chartered Institute of Marketing. 

Membership of the Government Communications Service (GCS) is expected on appointment.

Alongside your salary of £97,000, Office for National Statistics contributes
£26,190 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme.

Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

The Office for National Statistics is part of the Civil Service, and as such we share a number of key benefits with other departments, whilst also having our own unique offerings to support our 5400 valued colleagues across the business.

Whether you are hearing about us for the first time or already know a bit about our organisation, we hope that the benefits pack attached (bottom of page) will give you a great insight into the benefits and facilities available to our colleagues, and our fantastic working culture.

Inclusion & Accessibility

At ONS we are always looking to attract the very best people from the widest possible talent pool, and we are proud to be an inclusive, equal opportunities employer. As a member of the Business Disability Forum and a Disability Confident Leader we’re committed to ensuring that all candidates are treated fairly throughout the recruitment process.

As part of our application process, you will be prompted to provide details of any reasonable adjustments to our recruitment process that you need. If you would like to discuss any reasonable adjustments before applying, please contact the recruitment team in the first instance.

If you would like an accessible version of any of the attachments or recruitment documents below or linked to in this advert, please contact the recruitment team who will be happy to assist.

This role has a minimum assignment duration of 3 years. An assignment duration
is the period of time a Senior Civil Servant is expected to remain in the same post to enable them
to deliver on the agreed key business outcomes. The assignment duration also supports your career through
building your depth of expertise.

As part of accepting this role you will be agreeing to the expected assignment duration set out above.
This will not result in a contractual change to your terms and conditions.
Please note this is an expectation only, it is not something which is written into your terms and
conditions or indeed which the employing organisation or you are bound by. It will depend on your
personal circumstances at a particular time and business needs, for example, would not preclude any
absence like family friendly leave. It is nonetheless an important expectation, which is why we ask you
to confirm you agree to the assignment duration set out above.

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Job contact :

• Name : Jonny Mudge
• Email : jonny.mudge@statistics.gov.uk

Recruitment team

• Email : SCS.Recruitment@ONS.gov.uk