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General Information

Salary
The national salary is £35,335 - £37,847. London salary is £40,014 - £42,859. Your salary will be dependent on your base location
Working Pattern
Full Time
Vacancy Approach
External
Location
National
Region
National
Closing Date
13-Sep-2026
Post Type
Permanent
Civil Service Grade
HEO
Number of jobs available
1
Reserve List
12 Months
Job ID
21144

Descriptions & requirements

Job description

Job Title:

Resourcing Communications - Outreach and Partnerships Communications Officer

Number of roles

1

Directorate:

MoJ Communications Directorate.

Team:

Resourcing Communications Team -Recruitment and Retention Communications

Location and Working Pattern:

National, London, Hybrid working

Duration

Permanent

Grade

HEO/ IO

Level of National Security Vetting required

SC

Job Description

Are you looking for a communications role where your work can make a real difference?

We're looking for a proactive and enthusiastic communications professional to join the Recruitment and Retention Communications team within the Ministry of Justice's award-winning Communications Directorate.

You'll help deliver communications that attract, engage and retain the people who keep our justice system running. From supporting magistrates' recruitment and retention to wider work across prisons and probation, you'll play a key role in helping us reach and inspire new audiences.

This is an exciting time to join the team as we expand our outreach and partnership activity to support recruitment into critical operational and judicial roles. You'll have the opportunity to help shape new initiatives that directly support ministerial and departmental priorities.

Role Overview and responsibilities

As part of a supportive and high-performing team, you will help deliver outreach, stakeholder and partnership communications that support recruitment and retention priorities across the Ministry of Justice.

You will plan and support engagement activity including recruitment fairs, open days, employer partnerships, educational engagement and community outreach. Working with colleagues across communications, policy and operational teams, you will develop content, coordinate events and engagement activity, build relationships with internal and external stakeholders, and identify opportunities to reach new audiences.

A key part of the role will be supporting partnerships that raise awareness of the magistracy and encourage applications from a broad range of communities. You will also contribute to wider recruitment and retention communications across prisons and probation.

Alongside delivery, you will use audience insight to support communications planning, monitor performance and contribute to evaluation and reporting, helping the team understand impact and continuously improve activity.

This role is ideal for someone who is organised, collaborative and creative, with strong communication skills, a proactive approach and a genuine interest in helping people discover rewarding opportunities to serve the public.

Person Specification

Communications Delivery

Experience of supporting communications activity, campaigns, events or engagement work. You will be able to help develop communications products and support delivery across a range of channels and audiences.

Strong Written and Verbal Communication Skills

You will be able to produce clear, accurate and engaging content, adapting your style for different audiences and purposes.

Organisation and Delivery

You will be able to manage a varied workload, keep track of actions and deadlines, and support delivery in a busy and fast-moving environment.

Collaboration and Relationship Building

You will be confident working with colleagues and stakeholders, building positive relationships and sharing information to support delivery.

Organised and Proactive

You will be able to manage multiple tasks and competing priorities effectively, keeping activity on track and ensuring deadlines are met. You will take ownership of your work and identify practical solutions to problems as they arise.

Using Insight and evaluation of communications.

You will understand the importance of using audience insight to inform communications activity and help identify lessons learned to improve future work. You will also support the team to evaluate and subsequently improve its work.

Adaptable and Flexible

You will be comfortable responding to changing priorities and supporting urgent or emerging work when needed.

Travel Requirements

This national role may involve occasional travel across England and Wales to support stakeholder meetings, outreach events, engagement activity, magistrates’ events and visits to operational sites.

Application Process

We will use Success Profiles to assess your communication and delivery abilities.

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

Your personal statement should be no more than 1,000 words and explain:

  • Why you are interested in the role.
  • How your experience makes you suitable for the position.
  • How you meet the essential requirements.
  • Examples demonstrating the Civil Service behaviours outlined below. Success Profiles: Civil Service behaviours - GOV.UK

Please note that feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview.

At written application stage we'll assess you against these three behaviours below.

Civil Service Behaviours

Delivering at Pace

Deliver results efficiently and to deadlines. Take responsibility for managing activities, tracking progress and ensuring work is completed to a high standard.

Working Together

Develop effective working relationships with colleagues and stakeholders from a range of backgrounds. Share information, support others and contribute to team success.

Changing and Improving

Seek opportunities to improve ways of working, learn from experience and feedback, and contribute ideas that help improve communications activity and stakeholder engagement.

If invited to interview, we will assess you on the three civil service behaviours outlined above and also the three Civil Service strengths and three Government Communications Service (GCS) technical competencies outlined below.

Civil Service Strengths Success Profiles: Strengths - GOV.UK

Organiser

You are highly organised and able to manage competing priorities effectively. You keep track of actions, deadlines and commitments to ensure work is delivered successfully.

Adaptable

You can adapt to changing priorities, work flexibly and remain effective when circumstances change.

Team Player

You work collaboratively with others, build positive relationships and contribute to a supportive and inclusive team environment.

Government Communication Service Technical Competencies  Government Communication Professional Com

Ideas

Support the development of proactive communications, working constructively with communications, policy colleagues and partners to gather insight, advice and views.

Implementation

Support the delivery of effective communication plans and work with stakeholders and partners to deliver communications activity.

Impact

Support evaluation of communications activity to assess effectiveness and identify learning for future work.

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 be asked to present on the task at interview. Candidates will be given more information about the presentation, when invited to interview.

Security Clearance and Residency

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

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 - 21144

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
In your statement of suitability, clearly demonstrate how your skills, experience, and knowledge make you a strong fit for the role. Address the essential criteria outlined in the job advert. Please also provide relevant examples of the following Civil Service behaviours: Changing and Improving, Delivering at Pace, and Working Together.
Evidence of Experience
CV or Work History, Statement of Suitability

Interview stage assessments

Interview Dates
To be confirmed
Behaviours
Delivering at Pace
Working Together
Changing and Improving
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 - Ideas
Support the development of proactive communications, working constructively with communications, policy colleagues and partners to gather insight, advice and views.
GCS - Implementation
Support the delivery of effective communication plans and work with stakeholders and partners to deliver communications activity.
GCS - Impact
Support evaluation of communications activity to assess effectiveness and identify learning for future work.

Other Assessments

Which assessment methods will be used?
Presentation
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.