72164 - Senior Internal Communications Manager

The national salary range is £37,683 - £41,506, London salary range is £43,647 - £48,067. Your salary will be dependent on your base location
1
12 Months
National
National
NATIONAL
Please note: Some of our MoJ Office locations, such as our Liverpool Justice Collaboration Centre, require higher levels of National Security Vetting. The MoJ is working to open more Justice Collaboration Centres and Justice Satellite Offices over time. Click here to learn more about where our currently open Justice Collaboration Centres and Justice Satellite Offices are, to identify where you may be based and understand National Security Vetting requirements of each location.
SEO
SEO
Permanent
Full Time, Part Time, Part Time/Job Share, Flexible Working
Communications / Marketing

We encourage applications from people from all backgrounds and aim to have a workforce that represents the wider society that we serve. We pride ourselves on being an employer of choice. We champion diversity, inclusion and wellbeing and aim to create a workplace where everyone feels valued and a sense of belonging. To find out more about how we do this visit: https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ministry-of-justice/about/equality-and-diversity.

Senior Internal Communications Manager, Office of the Public Guardian

National with regular travel to our offices in Birmingham and Nottingham.

SEO

Overview

Are you the IC specialist we’re looking for? A communications leader who can help us to develop and deliver inspiring internal communications campaigns for the Office of the Public Guardian. Someone who is a talented, motivated, collaborative and creative communications professional who is keen to make an impact in a team that has an exciting internal communications story to tell.

The team advises the agency on all areas of work – from providing communications strategy for major change programmes and our People Promise, to tactical support of staff initiatives. We also maintain the OPG intranet, design and arrange events, produce updates for various internal audiences, storyboard and manage filming of corporate videos and advise all levels of staff on internal communications. The role is varied and challenging, so a capacity for adaptable working and producing high quality work to tight deadlines is vital.

You’ll have a flexible approach, a can-do attitude and excellent relationship management skills. You’ll be a proactive, talented and motivated communications professional who has a passion for producing quality communications materials.

This role includes management of 1 Internal Communications Manager and reports to the Head of Internal Communications.

This is a great opportunity to join one of the most proactive and happy teams in government.

How you’ll succeed

The role forms part of a multi-disciplinary communications team supporting OPG to achieve its business objectives during an exciting time of change for the agency. 

In this role you will:

  • Play a key leadership role in ensuring the internal communications team is effective, innovative and fully supportive of OPG’s business objectives.
  • Develop excellent relationships with OPG’s executive team and senior leaders, becoming a trusted adviser.
  • Build effective, collaborative relationships with colleagues in MoJ internal communications and across the wider department.
  • Ensure effective management of OPG’s programme of internal communications including taking a lead on delivering our People Promise campaign
  • Oversee the staff intranet and internal channels, acting as a point of contact for advice and queries from all levels of staff.
  • Provide guidance to internal clients on the way in which messages and key themes are communicated, ensuring consistency, clarity and impact.
  • Support embedding the ‘engage for success’ enablers in all communications activity.

About you

  • Are you someone with a flexible and a ‘can do’ attitude? Are you excited by the opportunity to work in a creative team where you will have the opportunity to come up with new ideas?
  • You should have previous experience of planning, delivering and evaluating effective communications strategies and plans, though not necessarily within government
  • You have leadership experience, and the ability to inspire people to create engaging and inspirational content
  • You have good planning, organisational and people skills, including delivering communication products to tight deadlines
  • You have excellent written and verbal communication skills, strong stakeholder engagement and influencing skills, and ability to develop mutually beneficial relationships

 About our organisation

The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) is one of the largest government organisations with more than 65,000 staff in offices, courts and prisons across the country.

The department is delivering ambitious plans to make sure prisons are safe, secure and provide genuine rehabilitation, to provide a modern courts and justice system and to support our world-leading legal sector.

Within the MoJ, this role is delivering campaigns and external communication activity for the Office of the Public Guardian (OPG), an executive agency of MoJ. 

OPG’s role is to support people who may lack the mental capacity to make certain decisions for themselves, such as about their health and wellbeing or financial affairs. We enable people to plan ahead so that someone they trust can support them, or make certain decisions for them, if they lose capacity in the future. We also supervise people appointed by the court to help manage someone’s affairs where they’ve lost mental capacity. This could be due to age-related conditions such as dementia, mental illness, ill health or an accident.  

Across MoJ we are guided by our shared values – purpose, humanity, openness and togetherness. We believe in our purpose, providing justice for our society; we care about each other and those we work with, we show them humanity; we are open to learning and innovating, both in ourselves and the things we do; and we want to work together, collaborating with colleagues throughout MoJ and far beyond.

We provide a truly flexible culture including working from home, job-sharing and part-time work to support our people in being the best they can be.

In this role you will become part of the Government Communication Service (GCS), the professional body for government communicators - https://gcs.civilservice.gov.uk/ 

We will use success profiles as part of this recruitment exercise. You will be asked to provide a CV and a supporting statement of suitability of no more than 1250 words. This statement should explain your relevant experience and why you believe you are a suitable candidate for this role, focusing on how you meet the key skills above. We strongly encourage you to use examples from your previous experience to help demonstrate this.

If you’re invited to attend an interview we will ask you about your competencies in the following areas:

Behaviours

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

Communicating and influencing
Communicate in a straightforward, honest and engaging manner, choosing appropriate styles to maximise understanding and impact. Encourage the use of different communication methods, including digital resources and highlight the benefits, including ensuring cost effectiveness. Ensure communication has a clear purpose and takes into account people’s individual needs. Share information as appropriate and check understanding. Show positivity and enthusiasm towards work, encouraging others to do the same. Ensure that important messages are communicated with colleagues and stakeholders respectfully, taking into consideration the diversity of interests.

Leadership
Remain visible and approachable to all colleagues and stakeholders. Actively promote the reputation of the organisation with pride, both internally and externally. Display passion and enthusiasm for the work, helping to inspire colleagues and stakeholders to fully engage with the aims and long-term vision. Embed a culture of inclusion and equal opportunity for all, where the diversity of individuals’ backgrounds and experiences are valued and respected. Work to influence the strategy, direction and culture to increase effectiveness.

Details of the Success Profiles competencies can be found online: Success Profiles: Civil Service Behaviours

Technical skills

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

  • Communications - Implementation: Internal communications
  • Communications - Insight: Internal communications
  • Communications - Ideas: Internal communications
  • Communications - Impact: Internal communications

Details of these competencies can be found online: https://gcs.civilservice.gov.uk/professional-development/competency-framework/

Working Arrangements & Further Information

The MoJ offers Hybrid Working arrangements where business need allows. This is an informal, non-contractual form of flexible working that blends working from your base location, different MoJ sites and / or from home (please be aware that this role can only be worked in the UK and not overseas). Some roles will not be suitable for Hybrid Working. Similarly, Hybrid Working will not suit everyone’s circumstances. Arrangements will be discussed and agreed with the successful candidate(s) and subject to regular review.

For nationally advertised roles, the successful candidate(s) will be appointed to a MoJ office location, which may include their nearest Justice Collaboration Centre or Justice Satellite Office. This will be discussed and agreed on the completion of pre-employment checks.

Some of MoJ’s terms and conditions of service are changing as part of Civil Service reform. The changes will apply to staff joining MoJ who are new to the Civil Service. Staff joining MoJ from other civil service employers will transfer onto the new MoJ terms if they are already on 'modernised' terms in their current post or onto 'unmodernised' MoJ terms if they are on 'unmodernised' terms at their current post. Details will be available if an offer is made.

Flexible working hours

The Ministry of Justice offers a flexible working system in many offices.

Benefits

The MoJ offers a range of benefits:

Annual Leave

Annual leave is 25 days on appointment and will increase to 30 days after five years’ service.

There is also a scheme to allow qualifying staff to buy or sell up to three days leave each year. Additional paid time off for public holidays and 1 privilege day. Leave for part-time and job share posts will be calculated on a pro-rata basis.

Pension

The Civil Service offers a choice of pension schemes, giving you the flexibility to choose the pension that suits you best.

Training

The Ministry of Justice is committed to staff development and offers an extensive range of training and development opportunities.

Networks

The opportunity to join employee-run networks that have been established to provide advice and support and to enable the views of employees from minority groups to be expressed direct to senior management. There are currently networks for employees of minority ethnic origin, employees with disabilities, employees with caring responsibilities, women employees, and lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender employees.

Support

  • A range of ‘Family Friendly’ policies such as opportunities to work reduced hours or job share.
  • Access to flexible benefits such as voluntary benefits, retail vouchers and discounts on a range of goods and services.
  • For moves to or from another employer or moves across the Civil Service this can have implications on your eligibility to carry on claiming childcare vouchers. You may however be eligible for alternative government childcare support schemes, including Tax Free Childcare. More information can be found on GOV.UK or Childcare Choices. You can determine your eligibility at https://www.childcarechoices.gov.uk/.
  • Paid paternity, adoption and maternity leave.
  • Free annual sight tests for employees who use computer screens.

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code 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. Should you feel that the recruitment process has breached the recruitment principles you are able to raise a formal complaint in the following order

The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As a Disability Confident employer, MoJ are committed to providing everyone with the opportunity to demonstrate their skills, talent and abilities, by making adjustments throughout all elements of the recruitment process and in the workplace. MoJ are able to offer an interview to disabled candidates who meet the minimum selection criteria, except in a limited number of campaigns.

You will be able to request reasonable adjustments to the recruitment process within the application form. If you need additional help completing the application form, please contact the SSCL Recruitment Enquiries Team.

We encourage applications from people from all backgrounds and aim to have a workforce that represents the wider society that we serve. We pride ourselves on being an employer of choice. We champion diversity, inclusion and wellbeing and aim to create a workplace where everyone feels valued and a sense of belonging. To find out more about how we do this visit: https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ministry-of-justice/about/equality-and-diversity.

Expected: Week commencing Monday 3 April

27/03/2023, 23:55 hours.

If you require any assistance please call 0345 241 5359 (Monday to Friday 8am - 6pm) or e mail Moj-recruitment-vetting-enquiries@gov.sscl.com Please quote the job reference - 72164.

If you would like an informal discussion about the role please contact Jamie Morgan, Head of Internal Communications - jamie.morgan@publicguardian.gov.uk

To apply for roles in MOJ you will need to confirm your employment history for at least 3 years prior to the date of application so that pre-employment checks (BPSS) can be undertaken. If you have spent significant time abroad (a total of 6 months in the past 3 years) you would be required to give a reasonable account of the reasons why. 

For some roles you will be required to successfully complete National Security Vetting at Counter Terrorism (CTC), Security Clearance (SC) or Developed Vetting (DV) level as a condition of appointment. To meet CTC/SC/DV requirements you will normally need to have been resident in the UK for at least 3/5/10 years prior to the date of application (The level of checks that are required are stated in the advert).

If you do not meet the above requirements, you may still be considered if, for example:

  • You've been serving overseas with HM Forces or in some other official capacity as a representative of HM Government
  • You were studying abroad
  • You were living overseas with parents

In such cases you will need to be able to provide referee cover for the period(s) of residence overseas. The duration of overseas residence and the country of abode will also be taken into account.

Success Profiles will enable a fairer and more inclusive method of recruitment by enabling us to assess the range of experiences, abilities, strengths, behaviours and technical/professional skills required for different roles. This flexible approach to recruitment focuses more on finding the right candidate for the specific role. To find out more about Success Profiles to support your application please click here for further guidance.

if you feel that your application has not been treated in line with the Civil Service Recruitment Principles, please contact SSCL (Moj-recruitment-vetting-enquiries@gov.sscl.com) in the first instance

We have provided detail of the assessment stages and areas being assessed to help you prepare for completing your application form, and to advise of what will be assessed following this, if you successfully pass the application stage.


Application form stage assessments

Experience
CV
Statement of Suitability - 1250 word limit

Interview stage assessments

There is 1 interview stage for this vacancy.
Behaviours
Changing and Improving
Communicating and Influencing
Seeing the Big Picture
Leadership
Strengths may also be assessed at interview but these are not shared in advance.
Additional Assessment(s)
Presentation

A Great Place to Work for Veterans

The "Making the Civil Service a Great Place to work for veterans" initiative includes a guaranteed interview scheme to those who meet the minimum criteria to provide eligible former members of the Armed Forces with opportunities to secure rewarding jobs. Allowing veterans to continue to serve their country, and to bring highly skilled individuals with a broad range of experience into the Civil Service in an environment, which recognises and values your previous service in the Armed Forces.
For further details about the initiative and eligibility requirements visit : https://www.gov.uk/government/news/making-the-civil-service-a-great-place-to-work-for-veterans

Redeployment Interview Scheme

Civil Service departments are expected to explore redeployment opportunities before making an individual redundant. The MoJ are committed, as part of the Redeployment Interview Scheme, to providing opportunities to those who are 'at risk of redundancy'.

MoJ are able to offer an interview to eligible candidates who meet the minimum selection criteria, except in a limited number of campaigns. Candidate's will not be eligible for the Redeployment Interview Scheme if they are applying on promotion.

The Civil Service welcomes applications from people who have recently left prison or have an unspent conviction. Read more about prison leaver recruitment.

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) https://www.gov.uk/settled-status-eu-citizens-families

· 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) https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/nationality-rules

This Vacancy is closed to applications.