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General Information

Salary
The national salary range is £58,511 - £65,329, London salary range is £63,343 - £70,725. Your salary will be dependent on your base location
Working Pattern
Full Time
Vacancy Approach
External
Location
London, Nottingham
Region
East Midlands, London
Closing Date
05-Jul-2026
Post Type
Permanent
Civil Service Grade
Grade 7
Number of jobs available
1
Reserve List
12 Months
Job ID
19008

Descriptions & requirements

Job description

Organisation: Ministry of Justice

Grade: Grade 7

Job title: Head of Leadership Communications

Contract type: Permanent

Location: National with a base in Birmingham, London or Nottingham

Vacancy description

Are you a strategic communications leader with a passion for driving engagement and organisational change? We're seeking a Head of Leadership Communications within the MOJ’s Corporate Communications team.

This role offers a unique opportunity for an experienced communications professional to shape and deliver our internal communications strategy. As part of the Ministry of Justice corporate communications unit, you'll be part of a small, high-performing team, providing strategic direction and creative excellence that supports our organisational priorities. 

The ideal candidate will bring proven leadership experience, exceptional stakeholder management skills at senior levels, and a track record of developing both communications strategies and team members. You'll have the confidence to operate independently, providing trusted communications counsel to our executive team while maintaining the high standards expected within the Government Communication Service. All our work is done in line with the GCS IC principles.

The Ministry of Justice is a major government department, at the heart of the justice system. We work to protect and advance the principles of justice. Our vision is to deliver a world-class justice system that works for everyone in society. 

In your role, you will lead our internal communications work on leadership and purpose. You will lead a team working on a varied programme that combines creative, factual and also reactive internal communications, including for the Deputy Prime Minister, Permanent Secretary and wider leadership team; and in communicating Cabinet Secretary and Cabinet Office priorities. At times, you may lean across into our wider work to build a culture of delivery and high performance.

 You will report into the Head of Internal Communications. You will line manage two people.

 

Responsibilities  

·        Trusted adviser to the MOJ’s leadership team, working collaboratively to build effective relationships. 

·        Contribute to the MOJ’s internal communications strategy

·        Develop and deliver creative internal communications activity to support business outcomes on MOJ priorities. This includes development of the organisation’s narrative, and comms activity for the leadership cadre.

·        Develop MOJ’s internal comms content and channels  

·        Respond to challenges with innovative communication methods, deploying them at pace to support business objectives, based on insight and informed by Government Communication Service best practice.  

·        Evaluate the effectiveness of communications and deliver ongoing improvement. 

·        Leadership of a team of two.

·        Key member of the MoJ corporate communications leadership team.

Person specification

You will be an experienced communications professional, with strong communications expertise and experience operating in a complex, high-profile environment.

You will bring excellent judgement, strong editorial instincts and the ability to operate confidently in fast-moving environments where priorities, stakeholder views and organisational pressures frequently compete.

You will be comfortable working in ambiguity, able to make sound decisions at pace, and experienced in supporting senior leaders through complex, sensitive and high-profile communications activity.

You will have experience advising senior leaders in a complex organisation, helping them communicate clearly and credibly through periods of change, uncertainty or competing priorities.

Communications judgement and news sense

You’ll need excellent communications judgement, strong editorial instincts and a well-developed news sense, with the ability to advise and influence senior leaders confidently in a fast-moving and high-profile environment.

This includes:

  • Providing high-quality internal communications advice to Ministers, senior leaders and stakeholders on sensitive and high-profile issues
  • Providing clear, evidence-based communications advice to senior leaders, including where this involves challenge, difficult conversations or balancing competing stakeholder perspectives.
  • Acting as a trusted adviser to senior leaders, using judgement and insight to shape communications approaches and organizational messaging.
  • Advising senior leaders on proactive and reactive communications handling, including organisational announcements, operational issues and periods of uncertainty or change
  • Exercising sound editorial judgement on leadership communications, sequencing and organisational narrative
  • Understanding the relationship between external and internal communications activity and ensuring strong alignment between both
  • Identifying communications opportunities arising from ministerial priorities, operational developments and organisational issues
  • Making sound decisions under pressure, and identifying and mitigating risks, where information, priorities and stakeholder views may be evolving
  • Building strong, credible relationships with senior leaders, Private Offices and communications colleagues

Managing competing demands

You’ll need the ability to manage multiple priorities and competing demands in a fast-paced and high-profile environment, balancing strategic intent with operational delivery.

This includes:

  • Managing competing priorities and changing deadlines in a reactive and fast-moving environment
  • Taking ownership of complex communications issues, creating clarity and direction for others where priorities or expectations may be unclear.
  • Coordinating multiple strands of leadership internal communications activity across senior stakeholders, channels and audiences
  • Balancing reactive issues and urgent organisational priorities with longer-term strategic communications activity
  • Making sound prioritisation and sequencing decisions to maintain organisational focus and clarity
  • Delivering reactive internal communications activity at pace while maintaining quality and judgement
  • Focusing effort on the highest-value activity and reducing unnecessary organisational noise

Creativity

You’ll bring strong creative capability and audience understanding, ensuring leadership communications are engaging, credible and effective in supporting organisational priorities.

This includes:

  • Developing engaging leadership communications approaches that support understanding, trust and engagement
  • Creating clear, accessible and impactful internal communications content for different audiences and contexts
  • Supporting leaders to communicate authentically and credibly through change, pressure and uncertainty
  • Identifying opportunities to improve channels, campaigns, leadership visibility and ways of working
  • Using audience insight, staff sentiment and feedback to shape communications approaches and improve effectiveness
  • Applying strong understanding of channels, audiences and the evolving internal communications landscape

As a communications leader, you'll be part of the MoJ corporate communications SMT, contributing to our strong collaborative, inclusive and supportive culture. You'll focus on your leadership role with accountability for your team's work, while also contributing to the wider corporate communications team and MoJ communications function. You will be responsible for maintaining team engagement and building a culture where team members feel supported and challenged, continuing to develop themselves and the work they deliver for the MoJ. 

APPLYING 

To apply please submit a 750-word statement of suitability setting out how you meet the criteria in the responsibilities and person specification; and also a CV (maximum 2-pages of A4). 

 

Additional Information

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). All employees will be expected to spend a minimum of 60% of their working time in an office, subject to local estate capacity.

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 role: all successful candidates will be appointed to the nearest viable office nearest to their home postcode and on its respective pay scale.  This will be at either a HQ building (subject to desk allocation, a Justice Collaboration Centre (JCC) or a Justice Satellite Office (JSO) – See Map. All employees will be expected to spend a minimum of 60% of their working time in an office, subject to local estate capacity). 

For current MoJ employees, your base location will need to be changed to the nearest viable office (to your home postcode), either at a HQ building, JCC or JSO within the National Office Network and moved its location’s respective pay scale (any legacy arrangements/locations will need to be amended).

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.

MoJ candidates who are on a specialist grade, will be able to retain their grade on lateral transfer.

All candidates who are currently in receipt of Mark Time / Pay Protection should ensure they are familiar with the new policy on permanent and temporary promotion which can be found on the employee intranet.

Flexible working hours

The Ministry of Justice offers a flexible working system in many offices. Standard full time working hours are 37 hours per week. MoJ welcomes part-time, flexible and job-sharing working patterns, where they meet the demands of the role and business needs. All applications for part-time, flexible and job-sharing working patterns will be considered in accordance with the MoJ’s Flexible Working policy.

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 www.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

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.

For more information on applying for a role as a candidate with a disability or long-term condition, please watch our animated videos.

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 TBS Recruitment Enquiries Team.

Diversity & 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 and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy.

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 is committed, as part of the Redeployment Interview Scheme, to providing opportunities to those who are 'at risk of redundancy'.

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

Civil Service Nationality Rules

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

Reserve list

A reserve list may be held for up to 12 months from which further appointments may be made for the same or similar roles.

Contact Information

MoJ:

If you require any assistance please call 0345 241 5359 (Monday to Friday 8am - 6pm) or e mail moj-recruitment-vetting-enquiries@resourcing.soprasteria.co.uk

Please quote the job reference 19008

HMPPS

If you require any assistance please call 0345 241 5358 (Monday to Friday 8am - 6pm) or e mail moj-recruitment-vetting-enquiries@resourcing.soprasteria.co.uk

Please quote the job reference

Application form stage assessments

Experience
We will assess your experience for this role via the following methods
CV or Work History, Statement of Suitability
Statement of Suitability
Guidance for the Statement of Suitability
To apply please submit a 750-word statement of suitability setting out how you meet the criteria in the responsibilities and person specification.
Evidence of Experience
CV or Work History, Statement of Suitability

Interview stage assessments

Interview Dates
To be confirmed
Behaviours
Communicating and Influencing
Delivering at Pace
Seeing the Big Picture
Strengths
Strengths will be assessed but these are not shared in advance. To learn more about Strengths and how they are assessed please click here.
Technical
GCS-Insight
Level of security checks required
Security Clearance (SC)

Use of Artificial Intelligence (Al)

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 for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.