Senior Digital Communications Officer

The AGO is a ministerial department serving the Attorney General and the Solicitor General (the Law Officers).  The Law Officers are the Government’s chief legal advisers.

The Law Officers make important decisions that affect public life. Among other things, they decide whether to send criminal sentences that may be too low to the Court of Appeal; whether to open inquests into deaths (for example, the Attorney General made the decision to open new inquests into the deaths at Hillsborough); are the Government’s chief legal advisors, providing advice to both the Prime Minister and Secretaries of State on a range of pressing issues touching on every aspect of daily life in the UK; and they represent the Crown Prosecution Service and Serious Fraud Office in Parliament.  

The Office comprises around 55 multidisciplinary, engaged and high performing team members advising and supporting the Law Officers in all aspects of their work.  We pride ourselves on our problem-solving creativity, sophisticated political and handling awareness, and smart ways of working.   

The Law Officers also work alongside the Justice Secretary and Home Secretary to provide a more efficient, effective, and accountable criminal justice system for victims and the public. 
 
The AGO comprises a high-performing, multi-disciplinary, engaged, and resilient team that prides itself on our: 
 
• legal professional excellence and creativity; 
• role and reputation; 
• team spirit, ethos, and values; and 
• individual development and wellbeing. 
 
While the workload can be demanding and there may be times of pressure, the AGO is committed to staff wellbeing and ensuring colleagues have all the support and resources they need to succeed and ensuring our staff maintain a healthy work-life balance. AGO operates a hybrid working policy where there is a requirement 40% office attendance. 
 
AGO supports the Civil Service vision of being recognised as the UK’s most inclusive employer, by setting stretching diversity and equality objectives for our organisation. 
 
AGO is an employer which promotes equality and aims to reflect the diversity of the society in which we live. It is committed to maximising the skills and potential of all its staff. We welcome applications from all suitably qualified persons irrespective of disability, race, colour, nationality, ethnic or national origins, gender, age, sexual orientation, gender reassignment, marital status or religion/belief. 

Further information about the work of the Law Officers and the Office can be found at www.gov.uk/ago  

We are looking for a visionary digital communications officer to upscale and transform our digital offering for the Law Officers and the Attorney General’s Office (AGO).  

You will be a highly motivated, innovative and be highly skilled in leading us to build up the AGO’s digital offering, making it equal to that of any other government department.  

This is a great opportunity for someone who has experience working in digital communications and wants to take the next steps in their government career – Whitehall or an Arm’s Length Body – or someone who would like a bold new challenge.  

You will be joining the communications team, which is responsible for all aspects of departmental communications, including content for our website, internal communications, digital, and media relations. We are a small team, but dynamic and hard-working, and we have a strong drive to deliver better digital communications. 

You will have experience creating content for social media and blogs, proficient in design packages, such as the Adobe suite of products, and experience of videography.  You will be able to explain the complex and technical, yet very important, work of the Law Officers.  

You must be hard-working, self-starting and collaborative as well as possessing outstanding judgement, excellent antennae for spotting a communications opportunity, and an ability to clearly communicate complex ideas. 

The successful candidate will have the opportunity to work with and advise Ministers, Special Advisors, and senior civil servants, while helping to shape the AGO’s communications.  

Ideally you will have some experience working on a press desk as you will be asked to join the rota system and may be required to support the press desk on occasion. We are willing to train up the right candidate. 

Responsibilities 

• Be responsible for all of the AGO’s digital outputs, from design work, and content for social media to videos  
• Develop and implement AGO’s digital communications strategy, which will guide all digital outputs 
• Administration and support for digital channels, including Twitter, LinkedIn and GOV.UK. Experience/understand of using Adobe suite, Canva and Camtasia, and social media monitoring tools
• Produce and oversee high-quality, audience-focussed digital content for key SFO announcements and low/no cost campaigns – making use of creative content, partnerships and existing/emerging digital channels.
• Identify team capability and development requirements in relation to the needs of the AGO and the changing digital media landscape; manage team resources to ensure it is skilled and equipped to meet those needs.
• Ability to draft engaging and informative content, including social media posts, blog entries and opinion pieces 
• Develop and execute digital campaigns, integrated with wider communications activity, to support AGO priorities.
• Demonstrate good knowledge and understanding of social media and be aware of spotting and reacting to emerging trends on the main social media channels
• Work with colleagues to develop, produce and publish video content to deliver key messages to staff and external audiences
• Act as a digital expert, providing guidance to the wider agency and advising on best practice
• Support the wider team at events and visits, assisting with taking photographs and video to accompany internal/external announcements
• Ability to horizon scan and spot opportunities and risks to help promote or defend the AGO’s reputation
• Ability to monitor and evaluate impact achieved through communications to inform and improve future media handling
• Represent the AGO in cross-government meetings, and work with stakeholders across a wide range of other government departments and organisations
• Ability to work on the press desk where required and providing handling advice to officials, senior Civil Servants, Special Advisors and Ministers
• Participate in the out-of-hours duty rota providing an on-call service to members of the media 

We’ll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:

• Communicating and Influencing
• Delivering at Pace
• Seeing the Big Picture
• Working Together

We’ll assess you against these technical skills during the selection process:

• Details will be provided if successful for interview stage.

• Learning and development tailored to your role
• An environment with flexible working options
• A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity
• A Civil Service pension with an average employer contribution of 27%

Contract Terms 

The successful candidate will need to hold or be in the process of gaining security clearance before being in post. Exceptional circumstances where SC may not be confirmed at time of starting will be dealt with on a case by case basis, but the continuation of post will rely on successful clearance being given.  

The vacancy will be filled on loan for an initial period of two years, with the possibility of an extension. It is envisaged that the successful candidate will take up post within six – eight weeks of a job offer being made. If the incumbent is applying on temporary promotion, they will revert to their previous substantive grade and salary after the loan. 

The transfer would be considered voluntary and so would not attract excess fares, travel costs or relocation costs. 

Please note, due to the nature of loan agreements and the necessary release of staff into a new role, candidates will be required to discuss the loan and transfer with management at their home department prior to application. We will require confirmation that you have discussed this with management and they are content to release you into a new role, upon acceptance of any role. 

Please note that any move across the Civil Service on or after October 2018 may have implications on an employee’s ability to carry on claiming childcare vouchers. You may however be eligible to claim tax free childcare. 

Salary 

Existing civil servants on level transfer will retain their current basic salary if it is within the AGO pay range plus press rota allowance of £4,000 per annum. If your salary is higher than AGO maxima you will be placed on the maxima of the pay range and receive the difference as a mark-time allowance, if agreed by HR. 

Where your salary is below AGO’s minima you will be raised to the minima of the pay range £38,862 plus press rota allowance of £4,000. Any reserved rights to London Weighting or associated London allowances, will be consolidated into basic salary before the uplift to AGO’s minima. Any other allowances will not be retained on moving to AGO. If this results in your salary exceeding the pay range maxima, you will retain the difference on a mark-time basis. 

On promotion there will be an increase of 10% to your current basic salary, or move to the pay range minima, whichever is the highest. If you are in receipt of any reserved rights to London Weighting or associated London allowances, these will be consolidated after applying the 10% promotion calculation. After this calculation if your salary is below the minima of the pay range, you will be moved to the minima of the pay range. Any other allowances will not be retained on promotion.

Hours and Holiday

You will be expected to work a 5-day week of 37 hours (excluding lunch breaks); 36 hours if you joined the Civil Service before 1 July 2013 or 37 hours if you joined the Civil Service after on or after 1 July 2013 or are on modernised terms and conditions.

AGO is committed to flexible working, but business needs for some roles may limit the scope for particular working patterns.  You are encouraged to contact the relevant manager to discuss the position for specific roles. 

The annual leave allowance for those who joined the Civil Service before 1st July 2013 is 26.5 days per annum, and then 31.5 days after 5 years’ service, plus 9 public and privilege days.  

For those who joined the Civil Service on or after 1st July 2013, or those on modernised terms and conditions, the annual leave allowance is 25 days rising to 30 days, plus 9 public and privilege days.

Job contact :

• Name : AGO Recruitment
• Email : Recruitment@attorneygeneral.gov.uk

Recruitment team

• Email : Recruitment@attorneygeneral.gov.uk