Judicial Communications Team, Judicial Office.

HEO - Communications Officer

The Judicial Communications team for judges and magistrates is looking for an experienced communications professional to add to a reliable and innovative communications team based at the Royal Courts of Justice. 

The Judicial Office is completely independent of the Ministry of Justice and provides a trusted service to the judiciary across England and Wales. The candidate will be joining a multi-disciplinary comms team and be able to access professional support and expertise, including as part of the Government Communications Service (GCS). 

For candidates within the Civil Service this post is available on level transfer or on promotion.

Judicial Office

The Judicial Office (JO) reports to, and is accountable, to the Lady Chief Justice (LCJ). It was established in 2006 to provide support to the LCJ and to the wider judiciary in upholding the rule of law and in delivering justice impartially, speedily and efficiently, following the Constitutional Reform Act 2005.

In addition, we support, and are accountable to, the Senior President of Tribunals, whose responsibilities extend to Scotland and Northern Ireland.

The JO is an interesting and unique place to work. Everything we do is in support of upholding the independence and impartiality of the judiciary. We work closely with HM Courts & Tribunals Service (HMCTS), the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) and others across Government as well as with the legal professions.

We are an Arm’s Length Body sponsored by the Ministry of Justice. This creates an interesting and complex environment in which to work where we agree our priorities with the senior judiciary and receive our funding to deliver them from the Ministry of Justice. The Judicial Office has been through a period of significant growth resulting from an expansion of our remit and responsibilities.

See JO staff talk about working here: https://design102.wistia.com/medias/uhgtmbtnlv

Background

Magistrates are a vital part of the justice system and central to reducing the criminal court backlog. Following the Independent Review of Criminal Courts, strengthening the resilience and capacity of magistrates’ courts is a critical priority for the Judiciary, Ministers, and the MoJ Board.

Most criminal cases start—and around 95% conclude—in magistrates’ courts, making a sufficient, skilled and diverse magistracy essential. The Magistrates Uplift programme will ensure we have the magistrates we need and brings together the Judiciary, the Ministry of Justice, HMCTS, magistrates themselves and key partners such as the Magistrates Association.

This high‑profile programme aims to increase magistrate numbers by 50% to reach 21,000 by 2028/29. It is closely overseen by Ministers and the judiciary.

The Job

Reporting directly to the Senior Communications Manager, you will work across the communications team on high-profile internal and external communications focused on the recruitment and retention of magistrates and the implementation of proposed changes arising from Sir Brian Leveson’s review of criminal courts. 

The Judicial Communications team is responsible for providing information via a range of communication channels to all judges and magistrates. They are also responsible for managing judiciary.uk and contributing to a dedicated magistrates recruitment website and associated content aimed at the general public. 

You will be expected to work closely with the judicial press office and Ministry of Justice (who have ultimate responsibility for recruiting magistrates). You will also be expected to suggest innovative new campaign and content ideas and work on their implementation, while assisting with the co-ordination of communications relating to changes happening across all jurisdictions. 

The successful candidate will: 

• Identify opportunities for strategic magistrates’ recruitment and retention communications activity and deliver them using a range of internal and external channels 

• Support the production and coordination of communications regarding proposed changes to the judiciary arising from the Courts and Tribunals Bill and any subsequent legislation 

• Produce and edit engaging written and filmed content 

• Ensure content on the judicial intranet and website is up to date and tailored to different audiences   

• Work closely with the press office team, the wider Judicial Office, HMCTS and Ministry of Justice staff to deliver messages across channels and extend our reach to target audiences 

• Work with external suppliers and design agencies to design and deliver content where appropriate 

• Evaluate and report on communications activity and outcomes, using insights to enhance how we engage with our targeted audience and apply any findings to shape future work 

• Contribute, as required, to the preparation and delivery of the projects of all other team members  

• There may also be potential to participate in the social media out of hours rota, for which an additional allowance is paid. 

 Behaviours

This vacancy is using Success Profiles, and will assess your Behaviours and Experience.

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

1. Communicating and Influencing

2. Seeing the Big Picture

3. Delivering at Pace

4. Making Effective Decisions

You are encouraged to become familiar with the Government Communications Framework (Government Communication Service (GCS) competencies), as you may be assessed against any of the technical criteria recorded within at SEO level, particularly under the ‘Campaigns/Marketing and Internal Communications’ disciplines.

To apply for this post, you will need to complete the online application form which will include:

A CV setting out your career history, highlighting specific responsibilities and achievements that are relevant to the person specification for this role, including details where applicable of numbers of people managed, relevant achievements in recent posts, together with reasons for any gaps within the last two years.

Behaviour examples, setting out relevant experience for the behaviours being assessed.

Interviews/assessments are likely to be held in late July. We will try to meet the dates set out in the advert. There may be occasions when these dates will change. You will be provided with sufficient notice of the confirmed dates. 
 
The selection process will be designed specifically for the role. As a result, your assessment will include an interview based on the behaviours and communications competencies set out above. Candidates invited to interview will be asked to deliver a 5 minute presentation outlining the approach they would take to an internal communications campaign recognising; “the value of the role magistrates undertake". 

Hybrid Working Requirement

This position is eligible for hybrid working (current minimum requirement for time spent at base location is 60%, which is subject to business requirements).

This Role is linked to the Magistrates Uplift programme. It is funded until 1 April 2029. Existing Civil Servants may apply for it either as a Loan or for a Fixed Term.