This is a rare opportunity to lead one of the most high-profile and large-scale events programmes in government. As Head of Civil Service Live, within the Cabinet Office Communications team, you will take the lead on planning, managing and delivering the government's flagship annual staff learning event, reaching up to 35,000 civil servants across the UK.
You will operate at the heart of the Civil Service, providing strategic advice to the most senior leaders in government, including the Cabinet Secretary and the Chief Operating Officer for the Civil Service. You will act as secretariat and project management lead for the Civil Service Live Programme Board, which is chaired by the COO and includes Directors General from across Whitehall.
This is a high-visibility, high-impact role for an experienced events leader who thrives in a fast-paced environment and is comfortable influencing and advising at the most senior levels.
The Team
The Cabinet Office Communications team delivers high-impact communications for senior Cabinet Office and Civil Service officials, working with the UK Government's most influential partners. Our remit spans cross-government coordination, civil contingencies, reputation management, constitutional affairs and Civil Service staff engagement.
We are a collaborative, ambitious team committed to raising standards across government communications. You will find a culture that values expertise, supports professional development and encourages creative thinking about how events can deliver real impact for civil servants and the public.
What You Will Do
Strategic leadership
- Provide strategic advice to the Cabinet Secretary, COO for the Civil Service, Permanent Secretaries and Directors General on events strategy, content and audience impact.
- Lead the governance of the Civil Service Live Programme Board, managing relationships with senior stakeholders across HMG.
- Advise colleagues across government on best practice in event design, delivery and evaluation.
- Contribute to the broader events and engagement strategy for the Cabinet Office Communications team.
Event delivery
- Lead end-to-end delivery of Civil Service Live, including content development, venue sourcing, hybrid event management, delegate communications and on-site execution.
- Ensure all events are designed with accessibility and inclusive participation at their core, meeting the needs of a diverse Civil Service workforce.
- Manage contractor and supplier relationships, acting as the senior point of contact for event logistics, audio-visual, exhibition build, catering and digital platforms.
Commercial and financial management
- Manage the events budget, ensuring clear rationale, value for money and demonstrable impact for every event.
- Lead procurement and commercial management of key Civil Service and Cabinet Office event programmes.
- Work with a delivery partner to identify and secure sponsorship and value-in-kind opportunities with private sector partners to offset delivery costs.
People and capability
- Lead, motivate and develop your team, fostering a culture of high performance, continuous learning and professional development.
- Influence and lead project teams across HMG, including in matrix structures where you may not hold direct line management responsibility.
- Champion professional standards in event delivery across the wider communications function.
Other responsibilities
- Support delivery of additional high-profile Cabinet Office events, including Cabinet Office Awards, staff and leadership conferences, and events for the Cabinet Secretary and COO.
- Work with communications colleagues to promote events and drive attendance.
- Evaluate events rigorously, measuring delegate impact and demonstrating return on investment.
What We're Looking For
- A demonstrable track record of delivering large-scale, high-profile events in a complex environment, with a strong focus on audience impact and outcomes.
- Proven ability to advise and influence at senior levels, including Permanent Secretaries and Directors General.
- Strong commercial expertise, including budget management, procurement and sponsorship.
- Sound media and political awareness, with the judgement to navigate sensitive or fast-moving situations.
- Excellent stakeholder management skills and an established network across government.
- A creative, solutions-focused approach to event design and format.
- Experience evaluating large-scale events and demonstrating measurable return on investment.
- A commitment to accessible and inclusive event design.
Additional information
Cabinet Office policy is that a minimum 60% of your working time should be spent at your principal workplace. For some roles, due to their nature and the business need, this may be up to 100%. Requirements to attend other locations for official business will also count towards this level of attendance.
Behaviours
We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:
- Communicating and Influencing
- Leadership
- Seeing the Big Picture
- Managing a Quality Service
Technical skills
We'll assess you against these technical skills during the selection process:
- Candidates invited to interview will be asked to prepare a short presentation, details of which will be sent to them.
Benefits
Alongside your salary of £57,204, Cabinet Office contributes £16,571 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).
- Learning and development tailored to your role.
- An environment with flexible working options.
- A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity.
- A Civil Service Pension which provides an attractive pension, benefits for dependants and employer contributions of 28.97%.
- A minimum of 25 days of paid annual leave, increasing by one day per year up to a maximum of 30.
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, Experience and Technical skills.
Application process To apply, please submit a CV outlining your employment history, education and key skills, along with a 750-word statement of suitability mapping your experience directly to the core responsibilities in this job description.
Should a large number of applications be received, an initial sift may be undertaken using your personal statement. Selection process
During the interview you will be asked questions related to the following behaviours: Communicating and Influencing, Leadership, Seeing the Big Picture, Managing a Quality Service.
Technical skills assessed
You will be asked to prepare a short presentation; details provided with the interview invitation.
Expected timeline (subject to change)
- Expected sift date – tbc
- Expected interview date/s – tbc
- Interview location - interviews will either take place in person at 70 Whitehall, London.
- For anyone applying nationally details of a remote interview will be sent.
This role is full time only. Applicants who wish to work an alternative pattern are welcome to apply however your preferred working pattern may not be available and you should discuss this with the vacancy holder before applying.
Further Information
A reserve list may be held for a period of 12 months from which further appointments can be made.
Any move to Cabinet Office from another employer will mean you can no longer access childcare vouchers. This includes moves between government departments.
You may however be eligible for other government schemes, including Tax Free Childcare; for further information visit the Childcare Choices website.
Reasonable Adjustments
If a person with disabilities is put at a substantial disadvantage compared to a non-disabled person, we have a duty to make reasonable changes to our processes.
If you need a change to be made so that you can make your application, you should:
Contact Government Recruitment Service via [email protected] as soon as possible before the closing date to discuss your needs.
Complete the ‘Assistance required’ section in the ‘Additional requirements’ page of your application form to tell us what changes or help you might need further on in the recruitment process. For instance, you may need wheelchair access at an interview, or if you’re deaf, a Language Service Professional.
If successful and transferring from another Government Department a criminal record check may be carried out.
In order to process applications without delay, we will be sending a Criminal Record Check to Disclosure and Barring Service/Disclosure Scotland on your behalf.
However, we recognise in exceptional circumstances some candidates will want to send their completed forms direct. If you will be doing this, please advise Government Recruitment Service of your intention by emailing [email protected] stating the job reference number in the subject heading.
For further information on the Disclosure Scotland confidential checking service telephone: the Disclosure Scotland Helpline on 0870 609 6006 and ask to speak to the operations manager in confidence, or email [email protected].
For further information on National Security Vetting please visit the Demystifying Vetting website.
New entrants are expected to join on the minimum of the pay band.
Applicants who are successful at interview will be, as part of pre-employment screening, subject to a check on the Internal Fraud Database (IFD). This check will provide information about employees who have been dismissed for fraud or dishonesty offences.
This check also applies to employees who resign or otherwise leave before being dismissed for fraud or dishonesty had their employment continued. Any applicant’s details held on the IFD will be refused employment.
A candidate is not eligible to apply for a role within the Civil Service if the application is made within a 5 year period following a dismissal for carrying out internal fraud against government.
If you are experiencing accessibility problems with any attachments on this advert, please contact the email address in the 'Contact point for applicants' section.
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.
The Civil Service also offers a Redeployment Interview Scheme to civil servants who are at risk of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the advertised vacancy.
Diversity and Inclusion
The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see the Civil 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.
The Civil Service welcomes applications from people who have recently left prison or have an unspent conviction. Read more about prison leaver recruitment (opens in new window).
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
Recruitment team
Further information
Appointment to the Civil Service is governed by the Civil Service Commission’s Recruitment Principles. If you feel that your application has not been treated in accordance with the Recruitment Principles, and wish to make a complaint, then in the first instance you should contact Government Recruitment Service by email at: [email protected].
If you are not satisfied with the response you receive, then you can contact the Civil Service Commission at [email protected]. For further information on the Recruitment Principles and bringing a complaint to the Civil Service Commission, please visit their website at: https://civilservicecommission.independent.gov.uk/.
Attachments
Cabinet-Office-Employee-Offer - Opens in new window (docx, 762kB)
Cabinet Office Terms and Conditions - External 2025-02-20 - Opens in new window (docx, 83kB)
