Background

Are you looking for an opportunity to work in an exciting team on issues that really matter and have a big social impact?

We are looking for an experienced, committed, and proactive internal communications professional to join the award-winning Recruitment and Retention communications team, within the Ministry of Justice.

This role will lead a team of regionally based communicators and will develop and deliver an impactful, internal local communications strategy to drive up staff engagement supporting staff retention in HMPPS (His Majesty's Prison and Probation Service).

We are looking for a strong leader with demonstrable experience of leading communications professionals operating in complex environments, with a proven ability to successfully deliver communications programmes and campaigns. The role has a strong focus on internal communications and staff engagement but also encompasses campaigns, so would suit a strong communications all-rounder.

You must be comfortable setting clear strategic direction, managing performance and leading an established regional team of four, located across England. You will help the team to consistently improve and innovate their communications and to measure the impact of their work against our objectives.

The successful applicant will be a natural relationship builder, able to work at multiple levels and will be able to build strong networks and work collaboratively with a range of teams including those inside prisons, senior leaders in HMPPS and other communication functions. In addition, you will be a creative thinker and will be resilient, able to help your team come up with new innovative solutions to problems or blockers.

As a senior member of the MOJ communications team you will also be expected to play a key role in shaping the direction of the wider team and be required to take on additional responsibilities outside of your portfolio of work to help build on our positive inclusive culture and improve what we do.

You will ensure all of your work is executed to excellent standards, within an existing culture of continuous improvement and innovation, and evaluating performance on an ongoing basis.

Key responsibilities:

• Lead on developing and delivering an impactful insight and audience based local prisons communications strategy that will improve our local channels, drive up staff engagement and strengthen the link between HMPPS (His Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service) senior leaders and our frontline teams.

• Lead and empower your team to deliver an ambitious programme of local communications support for frontline teams to build communications capability, strengthen local channels and raise engagement with staff to help increase staff retention.

• Build and nurture the resourcing internal communications team based throughout England, leading on team recruitment, objective setting and learning and development.

• Working with the Head of Resourcing Communications, set the direction for and support the internal communications team to proactively drive forward their work at pace, improve local channels and ensure our communications are effective, engaging, timely and relevant to staff.

• Build strong, constructive relationships with senior leaders at all levels across HMPPS, MOJ and inside the prison community.

• Developing and sharing best practice models for internal staff communications, which can be rolled out nationally by Governors, prison and probation staff.

• Become a trusted senior advisor on local communications within HMPPS and develop an in-depth knowledge of the challenges we face when communicating locally.

• Build and manage excellent networks and relationships with other teams within MoJ Communications - you will need to work collaboratively as one team across media, PR, digital, internal and corporate comms.

• Supporting the direction and wider culture of the Recruitment and Retention communications team, as part of the senior management team.

• Embedding a culture of I&E, and measuring the success of internal communications, ensuring the team consistently improves its measurement of the impact of internal communications activities.

• This role is likely to involve regular visits to prisons and probation units across England and Wales and therefore a full driving license and own car are desirable. Mileage will be paid as expenses. The other days of the week when not in prisons/probation units will be home or office based.

How to apply

Application process

This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Strengths and Experience.

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

As part of the application process, you will be asked to complete a CV and a personal statement.

Your personal statement should demonstrate your suitability in no more than 1000 words and highlights the reason you are interested in the role and how your experience makes you the best candidate for the role requirements. In your statement you should also make particular reference and give example of how you have demonstrated Civil Service behaviours outlined below (PDF)

Civil Service Behaviours

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

Leadership

Promote diversity, inclusion and equality of opportunity, respecting difference and external experience. Welcome and respond to views and challenges from others, despite any conflicting pressures to ignore or give in to them. Stand by, promote or defend own and team’s actions and decisions where needed. Seek out shared interests beyond own area of responsibility, understanding the extent of the impact actions have on the organisation. Inspire and motivate teams to be fully engaged in their work and dedicated to their role.

Working together

Actively build and maintain a network of colleagues and contacts to achieve progress on shared objectives. Challenge assumptions while being willing to compromise if beneficial to progress. Build strong interpersonal relationships and show genuine care for colleagues. Ensure consideration and support for the wellbeing of yourself and individuals throughout the team. Understand the varying needs of the team to ensure they are supported and their experiences are utilised. Create an inclusive working environment where all opinions and challenges are taken into account and bullying, harassment and discrimination are unacceptable. Remain available and approachable to all colleagues and be receptive to new ideas.

Delivering at Pace

Ensure everyone clearly understands and owns their roles, responsibilities and business priorities. Give honest, motivating and enthusiastic messages about priorities, objectives and expectations to get the best out of people. Comply with legal, regulatory and security requirements in service delivery. Set out clear processes and standards for managing performance at all levels. Ensure delivery of timely quality outcomes, through providing the right resources to do the job, reviewing and adjusting performance expectations and rewarding success. Maintain own levels of performance in challenging circumstances and encourage others to do the same.

If you are invited to interview we will be assessing you on the Civil Service Behaviours above and also against these Government Communications Service technical competencies. Government Communication Professional Competency Framework. These will include:  

Insight - Consider any relevant audience research/insight when develop communications plans and campaigns.

Ideas - Initiate and lead the development of proactive communications. Work constructively with other communications, policy colleagues and partners to gain expert advice and opinions.

Implementation - Deliver communications plans in an efficient and timely manner to deadlines

Impact - Analyse and evaluate communications to assess the effectiveness and inform future activity.

Candidates that pass the application sift stage will be invited to have an interview. They will be expected to undertake a short presentation task before the interview and will have an opportunity to present on the task at interview. Candidates will be given more information when invited to interview.

Please not that that feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview.

Contact point for applicants

Job contact :

• Name : Emma Keegan, Head of Resourcing Communications

• Email : Emma.Keegan@justice.gov.uk

Recruitment team

• Email :Moj-recruitment-vetting-enquiries@gov.sscl.com

Security clearance and residency

If you are successful at interview, we will work with you to acquire SC security clearance. This is a straightforward process for most people but does, generally, require you to have been resident in the UK for at least the last five years.

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).

Benefits

Alongside your salary, Ministry of Justice contribute towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

• 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 average employer contribution of 27%

• 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

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 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 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

Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.

Further information

Appointment to the Civil Service is governed by the Civil Service Commission’s Recruitment Principles. I 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-recruitment/complaints/