The Department for Culture, Media & Sport (DCMS) has an exciting opportunity for a highly skilled Senior Communications Officer in one of the most interesting, varied and fast-paced Whitehall departments. 

Were looking for an experienced, driven and creative Senior Communications Officer to join our small, friendly integrated team where youll get the chance to build your skills across all areas of DCMS work. 

We work closely with Ministers, private offices, policy teams and special advisors to identify proactive media opportunities for Ministers and to promote the departments work, plan media events and manage reactive media enquiries. We also work with our sectors to ensure we provide stakeholder and third-party support for specific announcements. 

This is a hugely rewarding role which will provide a fascinating challenge for the right candidate.

Were looking for an experienced, talented and creative communications professional to join our friendly and integrated team.

The DCMS Communications Directorate supports our world-class sport, arts, culture and media industries. It played an important role in helping our sectors get back on their feet after the COVID-19 pandemic. We help our sectors maximise their potential, provide British citizens with opportunities to participate in them as well as championing media freedoms that are vital to our democracy. In the last couple of years we have delivered communications for the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games, Womens Euros, Platinum Jubilee, Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II Lying-in-State and the Eurovision Song Contest 2023. 

On top of that there are important domestic policies which we are driving forward such as unlocking more economic growth and jobs in our world-class creative industries, setting up a football regulator, ensuring the media sector is fit for the future, protecting people from gambling related harm, and investing in young people, whether that be through building youth centres or funding youth groups.

You will play an important role in shaping how the public understands and interacts with DCMS policy areas.

You will have an excellent news sense, proven experience of working in a busy communications environment and first-rate media handling and digital skills.

You will have strong leadership skills, and the ability to foster and maintain good relations with a wide range of contacts, from journalists and industry to ministers, senior policy officials and special advisers.

You will know how to get our messages out through the media, engage our audiences through digital content and develop exciting campaigns which feed into the governments wider agenda, including the aim for our sectors to be at the heart of the countrys post-pandemic recovery.

The ideal candidate would have the following key skills and experience:

Essential Requirements: 

Reporting to the Chief Communications Officer, the successful candidate will:

• Have significant experience in communications, PR, journalism or news.
• Have devised and delivered creative media plans, using the right channels for the target audience
• Have an excellent news sense alongside strong writing and media handling skills, with an ability to spot and deliver proactive media opportunities
• Demonstrate strong leadership and organisational skills - including influencing and advising senior colleagues and delivering at pace under competing deadlines
• Be an enthusiastic team player with a can-do attitude - offering creative solutions to problems and leading the media agenda.
  
  

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

• Leadership
• Delivering at Pace
• Communicating and Influencing
  
  

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

• Insight
• Ideas
• Implementation
• Impact

DCMS values its staff and offers a wide range of benefits to everyone who works here. Were committed to developing talent, and supporting colleagues to have great careers in our department. To support with that, some of the benefits we offer include:

• Flexible working arrangements and hybrid working - DCMS staff work on a flexible basis with time spent in offices, and time spent working from home

• 26.5 days annual leave on entry, increasing to 31.5 days after 5 years service

• A Civil Service pension with an average employer contribution of 27%

• Access to the Edenred employee benefits system which offers discounts to popular retailers and access to various useful resources such as financial and savings advice

• 3 days of paid volunteering leave

• Up to 9 months maternity leave on full pay + generous paternity and adoption leave

• Staff reward and recognition bonuses that operate throughout the year

• Occupational sick pay

• Access to the Employee Assistance Programme which offers staff 24/7 confidential support and resources such as counselling, debt guidance and management advice

• Active and engaged staff networks to join including the LGBT+, Ethnic Diversity, Mental Health and Wellbeing and Gender Equality Networks

• Exceptional learning and development opportunities that you can explore alongside your day to day work

• Season ticket loan, cycle to work scheme and much more!

Terms and conditions at SCS grades will vary. Those applying for SCS roles should refer to the candidate information pack for more information on terms and conditions.

To apply for this post, please send us the following documents no later than Thursday 18th April 2024 at 23:55 pm via the CS Jobs portal:

• A CV setting out your career history, with key responsibilities and achievements. Please ensure you provide employment history that relates to the essential and desirable criteria, and that any gaps in employment history within the last 2 years are explained. The CV should not exceed more than 3 x A4 pages and you should insert your CV into the "Job History" section on Civil Service Jobs on the Civil Service Jobs application form.
• A Statement of Suitability (max 500 words) explaining how you consider your personal skills, qualities and experience provide evidence of your suitability for the role in reference to the essential requirements highlighted. You may also choose to reference the desirable skills listed.

For the shortlist, we will assess your experience and select applicants demonstrating the best fit for the role by considering the evidence provided in your application.

In the event of a large number of applicants, an initial sift will be conducted on the statement of suitability. Those who are successful in the initial sift will then be scored on all elements of the application.

For support in writing your application and interviewing, please refer to the Application and Interview Guidance document attached to the job advert.

The interview process will assess behaviours and technical skills and will include a written exercise which will be provided at interview.

The behaviours to be tested at interview are:

• Leadership
• Delivering at Pace
• Communicating & Influencing 

The technical skills to be tested at interview are:

     ●  Insight - Gain an accurate and deep understanding of the issue(s). Use insight to
identify target audiences and partners and to inform communication objectives,
messages and solutions.
     ●  Ideas - Develop the communication strategy and plan. Select channels and develop
key messages and content for target audiences. Identify evaluation criteria.
     ●  Implementation - Develop and implement effective communication strategies and
plans. Work with stakeholders and partners to deliver communication.
     ●  Impact - Assess the impact and effectiveness of communication. Review achievement
of objectives. Identify lessons learnt and share feedback.

Further information on the technical skills framework can be found here. 

As part of your interview, you may be asked to deliver a short oral presentation. Full details of this, including the topic, and whether or not you will need to use visual aids, will be sent to you prior to your interview. 

Your interview will take place in person at DCMS Offices, 100 Parliament Street, London, SW1A 2BQ.

For indicative sift and interview dates please refer to the attached Candidate Information Pack.

Further Information

A reserve list may be held for a period of 6 months from which further appointments can be made.

Any move to Department for Culture, Media and Sport 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. Determine your eligibility at https://www.childcarechoices.gov.uk  

New entrants are expected to join on the minimum of the pay band.

DCMS has a London and a National pay scale. For more information on this, including the circumstances in which each pay scale will apply, please see the Information for Applicants document.

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 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. 

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 applicants 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 the vacancy is offered as FTA/Loan, existing Civil Servants must join on a Loan basis only., Prior agreement to be released on loan must be obtained before commencing the application process. In the case of Civil Servants, the terms of the loan will be agreed between the home and host department and the Civil Servant. This includes grade on return.

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.

For further information on National Security Vetting please visit the following page https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/demystifying-vetting

Reasonable Adjustment

We are committed to supporting candidates so they can perform at their best throughout the recruitment process. This includes making reasonable adjustments to our process.

In order to request an adjustment, please:

Complete the Assistance required section on 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 interview, or a verbal test rather than a written one. 

Alternatively, contact the Government Recruitment Service via [email protected] as soon as possible before the closing date to discuss your needs.

Accessibility

If you are experiencing accessibility difficulties with any of the attachments, please contact us. Contact details can be found in the 'contact point for applicants' section of the job advert.

Feedback

Job contact :

• Name : Alex Hemming
• Email : [email protected]

Recruitment team

• Email : [email protected]