Head of Leadership Communications (Ref: 19008)

Job summary

Please refer to Job DescriptionJob description

Organisation: Ministry of Justice

Grade: Grade 7

Job title: Head of Leadership Communications

Contract type: Permanent

Location: National with a base in Birmingham, London or Nottingham

Vacancy description

Are you a strategic communications leader with a passion for driving engagement and organisational change? We're seeking a Head of Leadership Communications within the MOJ’s Corporate Communications team.

This role offers a unique opportunity for an experienced communications professional to shape and deliver our internal communications strategy. As part of the Ministry of Justice corporate communications unit, you'll be part of a small, high-performing team, providing strategic direction and creative excellence that supports our organisational priorities.

The ideal candidate will bring proven leadership experience, exceptional stakeholder management skills at senior levels, and a track record of developing both communications strategies and team members. You'll have the confidence to operate independently, providing trusted communications counsel to our executive team while maintaining the high standards expected within the Government Communication Service.

All our work is done in line with the GCS IC principles.

The Ministry of Justice is a major government department, at the heart of the justice system. We work to protect and advance the principles of justice. Our vision is to deliver a world-class justice system that works for everyone in society.

In your role, you will lead our internal communications work on leadership and purpose. You will lead a team working on a varied programme that combines creative, factual and also reactive internal communications, including for the Deputy Prime Minister, Permanent Secretary and wider leadership team; and in communicating Cabinet Secretary and Cabinet Office priorities.

At times, you may lean across into our wider work to build a culture of delivery and high performance.

You will report into the Head of Internal Communications. You will line manage two people.

Responsibilities

• Trusted adviser to the MOJ’s leadership team, working collaboratively to build effective relationships.
• Contribute to the MOJ’s internal communications strategy
• Develop and deliver creative internal communications activity to support business outcomes on MOJ priorities. This includes development of the organisation’s narrative, and comms activity for the leadership cadre.
• Develop MOJ’s internal comms content and channels
• Respond to challenges with innovative communication methods, deploying them at pace to support business objectives, based on insight and informed by Government Communication Service best practice.
• Evaluate the effectiveness of communications and deliver ongoing improvement.
• Leadership of a team of two.
• Key member of the MoJ corporate communications leadership team.

Person specification

You will be an experienced communications professional, with strong communications expertise and experience operating in a complex, high-profile environment.

You will bring excellent judgement, strong editorial instincts and the ability to operate confidently in fast-moving environments where priorities, stakeholder views and organisational pressures frequently compete.

You will be comfortable working in ambiguity, able to make sound decisions at pace, and experienced in supporting senior leaders through complex, sensitive and high-profile communications activity.

You will have experience advising senior leaders in a complex organisation, helping them communicate clearly and credibly through periods of change, uncertainty or competing priorities.

Communications judgement and news sense

You’ll need excellent communications judgement, strong editorial instincts and a well-developed news sense, with the ability to advise and influence senior leaders confidently in a fast-moving and high-profile environment.

This includes

• Providing high-quality internal communications advice to Ministers, senior leaders and stakeholders on sensitive and high-profile issues
• Providing clear, evidence-based communications advice to senior leaders, including where this involves challenge, difficult conversations or balancing competing stakeholder perspectives.
• Acting as a trusted adviser to senior leaders, using judgement and insight to shape communications approaches and organizational messaging.
• Advising senior leaders on proactive and reactive communications handling, including organisational announcements, operational issues and periods of uncertainty or change
• Exercising sound editorial judgement on leadership communications, sequencing and organisational narrative
• Understanding the relationship between external and internal communications activity and ensuring strong alignment between both
• Identifying communications opportunities arising from ministerial priorities, operational developments and organisational issues
• Making sound decisions under pressure, and identifying and mitigating risks, where information, priorities and stakeholder views may be evolving
• Building strong, credible relationships with senior leaders, Private Offices and communications colleagues

Managing competing demands

You’ll need the ability to manage multiple priorities and competing demands in a fast-paced and high-profile environment, balancing strategic intent with operational delivery.

This includes

• Managing competing priorities and changing deadlines in a reactive and fast-moving environment
• Taking ownership of complex communications issues, creating clarity and direction for others where priorities or expectations may be unclear.
• Coordinating multiple strands of leadership internal communications activity across senior stakeholders, channels and audiences
• Balancing reactive issues and urgent organisational priorities with longer-term strategic communications activity
• Making sound prioritisation and sequencing decisions to maintain organisational focus and clarity
• Delivering reactive internal communications activity at pace while maintaining quality and judgement
• Focusing effort on the highest-value activity and reducing unnecessary organisational noise

Creativity

You’ll bring strong creative capability and audience understanding, ensuring leadership communications are engaging, credible and effective in supporting organisational priorities.

This includes

• Developing engaging leadership communications approaches that support understanding, trust and engagement
• Creating clear, accessible and impactful internal communications content for different audiences and contexts
• Supporting leaders to communicate authentically and credibly through change, pressure and uncertainty
• Identifying opportunities to improve channels, campaigns, leadership visibility and ways of working
• Using audience insight, staff sentiment and feedback to shape communications approaches and improve effectiveness
• Applying strong understanding of channels, audiences and the evolving internal communications landscape

As a communications leader, you'll be part of the MoJ corporate communications SMT, contributing to our strong collaborative, inclusive and supportive culture. You'll focus on your leadership role with accountability for your team's work, while also contributing to the wider corporate communications team and MoJ communications function.

You will be responsible for maintaining team engagement and building a culture where team members feel supported and challenged, continuing to develop themselves and the work they deliver for the MoJ.

APPLYING

To apply please submit a 750-word statement of suitability setting out how you meet the criteria in the responsibilities and person specification; and also a CV (maximum 2-pages of A4).

Person specification

Please refer to Job DescriptionBehaviours

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

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

Technical skills

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

• GCS-Insight

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £58,511, Ministry of Justice contributes £16,950 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides (opens in a new window).

• Access to learning and development
• A working environment that supports a range of flexible working options to enhance your work life balance
• A working culture which encourages inclusion and diversity
• A Civil Service pension with an employer contribution of 28.97%
• Annual Leave
• Public Holidays
• Season Ticket Advance

For more information about the recruitment process, benefits and allowances and answers to general queries, please click the below link which will direct you to our Candidate Information Page.

Link: https://justicejobs.tal.net/vx/candidate/cms/About%20the%20MOJ

Things you need to know

Artificial intelligence

Artificial intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience.

Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Please see our candidate guidance (opens in a new window) for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.Selection process details

This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours, Strengths, Experience and Technical skills.https://justicejobs.tal.net/vx/candidate/cms/About%20the%20MOJ

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.Security

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check.Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is security check (opens in a new window).

See our vetting charter (opens in a new window).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.Diversity and Inclusion

The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see theCivil Service People Plan (opens in a new window) and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (opens in a new window).Apply and further information

This vacancy is part of the Great Place to Work for Veterans (opens in a new window) initiative.Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.Contact point for applicants

Job contact

• Name : SSCL Recruitment Enquiries Team
• Email : moj-recruitment-vetting-enquiries@resourcing.soprasteria.co.uk
• Telephone : 0345 241 5359

Recruitment team

• Email : moj-recruitment-vetting-enquiries@resourcing.soprasteria.co.uk

Further information

Appointment to the Civil Service is governed by the Civil Service Commission’s Recruitment Principles. If you feel a department has breached the requirement of the Recruitment Principles and would like to raise this, please contact SSCL (Moj-recruitment-vetting-enquiries@gov.sscl.com) in the first instance.

If the role has been advertised externally (outside of the Civil Service) and you are not satisfied with the response, you may bring your complaint to the Commission. For further information on bringing a complaint to the Civil Service Commission please visit their web pages: http://civilservicecommission.independent.gov.uk/civil-service-recruitm…

https://jobs.justice.gov.uk/careers/JobDetail/19008?entityId=19008