52151 - Communication business partner – people group
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.
Communication business partner – people group
SIO – Band B
This is great opportunity to join one of the most creative, proactive, successful (and happy) teams in government.
You will play a role in developing and delivering outstanding communications to inform and inspire thousands of staff providing crucial services in a wide variety of roles and locations.
The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) is one of the largest government organisations with more than 75,000 staff in offices, courts and prisons across the country.
Our team leads on communications to our HQ staff and works closely with colleagues at our major delivery agencies.
We were named the best internal communications team in the country in 2021 (for both the private and public sector. It’s a great place to work and be.
We advise our senior leaders and other colleagues on communications plans for the MoJ’s priorities and shape overall departmental strategies, working on everything from major transformation programmes to targeted behaviour change campaigns. We are focussed on making sure we have two-way communications with our staff engaged in the conversation.
Job Description
We are looking for a talented, motivated, collaborative and creative communications professional who is keen to be a leading member of the team. You’ll have a flexible approach, a can-do attitude and excellent relationship management skills.
You will play your part in ensuring that MoJ’s staff understand and buy in to our organisation’s mission, our shared values and our current priorities. Together with the Head of People Group comms you will oversee communication of organisational change programmes and people issues across the MoJ and manage leadership communication within the 1,200 strong people group (HR) itself. You will work on multiple projects, and advise senior leaders across the organisation, supporting issues from keeping a flexible workforce engaged to formulating the best approach to embed complex employee policies.
You will also provide regular communication advice and support to the Chief People Officer and his senior team to keep the 1200 HR professionals in people group engaged and informed.
The post holder will:
- Forge strong relationships and become a trusted adviser to colleagues at all grades throughout the organisation.
- Advise senior leaders on internal communications strategy, making decisions and plans based on insight and evaluation.
- Have creative ideas and ability to deliver outstanding content and campaigns for our internal channels.
- Evaluate the effectiveness of work to deliver continuous improvement.
- Work collaboratively with the team and key stakeholders in the department and other organisations.
- Play a role in leadership of the team, ensuring our work is effective and innovative.
Personal qualities and skills required:
- Strong planning, organisational and people skills, including delivering communication products to tight deadlines.
- Excellent grasp of the end to end communication process. Experience developing and delivering communication plans from objective through to evaluation
- Experience of evaluating communications campaigns.
- First class drafting skills. Ability to present plans and advice with confidence
- Ability to work under pressure, manage competing priorities and changing deadlines.
- Strong relationship management skills, effective at negotiating and influencing at a senior level. Able to find and deliver a solution in the face of conflicting opinions and priorities
- Experience working with and advising senior leaders.
- Highly efficient and organised, ability to think strategically.
This vacancy is using Success Profiles, and will assess your behaviors, strengths, and experience.
Behaviors
We'll assess you against these behaviors during the selection process:
- Seeing the Big Picture
- Changing and Improving
- Communicating and Influencing
- Delivering at Pace
- Impact
- Ideas
Stage 1: Application and Sift
As part of the application process you will be asked to complete a CV and statement of suitability. Further details around what this will entail are listed on the application form.
Please note that your statement of suitability (750 word maximum) should be aligned to the personal qualities and skills required and show why you are the best person for the job.
The sift will be carried out by assessing your written evidence (CV and statement of suitability) against the Essential Criteria listed.
Stage 2: Interview
If you are successful at the sift stage, you will be invited to a blended interview. At interview stage you will be assessed against the behaviors and experience listed in this vacancy, plus Strengths.
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 UKor 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
- To Shared Service Connected Ltd (0845 241 5358 (Monday to Friday 8am - 6pm) or e mail Moj-recruitment-vetting-enquiries@gov.sscl.com);
- To Ministry of Justice Resourcing team (resourcing-management-office@justice.gov.uk);
- To the Civil Service Commission (details available here)
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.
26/01/2022, 23:55 hours.
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.
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
Interview stage assessments
Demonstrate flexible, creative thinking. Test and refine ideas to develop innovative solutions. Confirm segmentation to ensure audiences are targeted effectively. Design integrated communication strategies and examine ft with existing plans. Ensure the most appropriate and cost effective channels mix and maximise the potential of digital channels. Develop plans, considering resources and budgets. Identify risks and plan mitigating actions. Embed evaluation and tracking into communication strategies. Determine evaluation criteria and consider how to assess the impact of communication. Work with policy teams to produce quality Efficiency and ReformGroup(ERG)submissions. Follow the agreed process, incorporating realistic timetables.
Develop and deliver the overall evaluation approach for communication, using relevant tools and guidance (such as the GCS guidance ‘Evaluating Government Communication Activity') Develop appropriate dashboards to support timely, effective evaluation. Analyse evidence to assess effectiveness of communication and identify lessons learned.
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.
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.