OFFICIAL

LAA Job Description Template V7

Job Title & Grade:

Senior Communications Change Manager - SEO

Contract Type:

2-year Fixed Term Contract

(Loan or Detached Duty)

Salary range (depending on location):

National - £41,463 to £45,276

London - £47,657 to £52,040

Location:

National, LAA Offices

Directorate:

Corporate Services

Team:

External communications

Working Pattern:

The post is supported by the MOJ flexible working policy and includes colleagues who work flexibly, remotely (as part of hybrid working), part time or as part of a job share etc.

If you are applying for a part time role, please note that in order to meet business demands we need cover for a minimum of 3 days of the week

To meet legal requirements, if you are between the ages 16-18 and you are a successful candidate, you will be required to complete an apprenticeship after your initial on the job training.

Reporting to:

Head of External Communications

Closing date for applications

11 April 2025

The Legal Aid Agency

We are an executive agency of the Ministry of Justice (MoJ). We are responsible for operationally administering the legal aid fund to provide criminal and civil legal aid advice to people in England and Wales.

Our people are at the heart of achieving excellence. Employing around 1,200 colleagues across England and Wales, we feel proud to have some of the best People Survey results in the Civil Service.

Our LAA commitment to 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 and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy.

As a Disability Confident organisation, we will offer a guaranteed interview to candidates with a disability who meet the essential criteria for this role. Under the Equality Act 2010 a disability is defined as a physical or mental impairment which has a substantial and long-term adverse effect on your ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities which has lasted, or is expected to last, at least 12 months.

If you are responding to a role within the Legal Aid Agency and would like to be considered under the guaranteed interview, please indicate this in your application and let us know of any reasonable adjustments you may require during the sift or later selection processes.

The LAA’s goal is to build an organisation that is open and inclusive and truly values and celebrates the diversity of its workforce. One that reflects and understands the needs of the diverse society we serve. This is regardless of social background, gender, age, ethnicity, sexual orientation, beliefs, disabilities or long-term illness or caring responsibilities.

Reasonable Adjustments

We are committed to ensuring our recruitment process is inclusive and accessible to all. If you have a disability or long-term condition (for example dyslexia, anxiety, autism, a mobility condition or hearing loss) and need us to make any reasonable adjustments to support you through the recruitment process, please let us know by adding the information to the applications system or emailing LAARecruitment@justice.gov.uk after you have applied so that we can discuss options with you.

Corporate Services

The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) is one of the largest government organisations with more than 80,000 staff in offices, courts, and prisons across the country. 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.

The Legal Aid Agency (LAA) is an executive agency of MoJ with offices across England and Wales. Our role is to provide civil and criminal legal aid and advice to help people deal with their legal problems.

External Communications

In this position, you will be part of the MoJ communications directorate, working with the team responsible for LAA communications. You will lead a dedicated communications workstream within our change programme, working collaboratively across LAA, LAA Policy, LAA Digital, and MoJ communications teams.

Job Summary

We are looking for an experienced change communications professional to develop and deliver the communications strategy for LAA's ambitious change programme over a two-year fixed term.

This is an exciting opportunity to shape communications to support the business embed digital and data at the heart of service delivery, improving outcomes for the public.

You will work across internal, stakeholder, and public-facing channels, ensuring that all audiences understand the changes, service provision and impacts of the programme.

In this role you will be part of the Government Communication Service (GCS), the professional body for government communicators - https://gcs.civilservice.gov.uk/

Key Responsibilities:

Be a trusted advisor to the LAA change programme board and be the communications lead at relevant board and implementation meetings
Plan, coordinate, implement and evaluate engagement strategies and behaviour change campaigns to secure delivery, advocacy and amplification of key change initiative and messages
Work with the LAA and MoJ external communications teams to support delivery of public facing communications where relevant
Produce creative materials including social media content, briefings, intranet articles, videos, blogs, senior leader events, for internal and external audiences
Set clear KPIs to assess project delivery and deliver continuous evaluation of communications effectiveness on change.
Support business as usual in internal and external communications where required (internal and external transformation comms need to take place alongside, and be integrated with, business as usual internal and stakeholder communications)
Build strong relationships across LAA, LAA Digital, LAA Policy and MoJ communications
Ensure communications comply with the Public Sector Equality Duty and inclusive communications principles

Essential Knowledge, Experience and skills	Experience in leading change communications in complex organisations Proven track record of developing and delivering effective communications strategies that drive engagement and behaviour change Experience advising senior leaders and providing strategic communications counsel Excellent written and verbal communication skills with the ability to translate complex information into clear, compelling content Creative approach to communications with experience in producing engaging content Effective project management skills with ability to manage multiple priorities and deliver to tight deadlines Experience evaluating communications effectiveness and using insights to improve approach Proven experience of working with internal and external stakeholders, and ability to build strong stakeholder relationships at all levels
Desirable Knowledge, Experience and skills	Understanding of agile delivery methodologies Video production and editing skills Experience with digital communications tools and platforms Knowledge of behavioural science approaches to communications
Person Specification	Ability to work under pressure, manage competing priorities and changing deadlines You have effective organisational and time management skills Able to build and maintain effective relationships, effective at negotiating and influencing Have an interest in the communications profession, and the role of digital communication Enjoys working collaboratively with the team, key stakeholders, and other government departments Approaches new challenges with enthusiasm and drive

Assessment approach

Application Process

To apply please submit a CV and an application demonstrating how you can fulfil the following Behaviours:

Communicating and Influencing
Delivering at Pace
Working together

When you are writing your application, please relate your behaviour examples to what we require as Essential Knowledge and Skills.

Please note that if we have a large number of applications will we do an initial sift on the Communicating and Influencing behaviour.

Interview / assessment Process

If you are successful through the application stage, you will be invited to an interview / assessment centre in person or via Microsoft Teams where you will be assessed against the following:

Strengths relevant to the role
Some or all of the following Behaviours:

Communicating and Influencing
Delivering at Pace
Working Together

Your Experience of implementing, promoting, or understanding diversity and inclusion policy - Diversity is the presence of difference, this can include one or more of the protected characteristics (Gender, Age, Race, Disability etc.) or it can be about working patterns, whether we like to jump into a task or reflect on it before acting. Inclusion is how we welcome, value, and celebrate diversity, giving everyone a voice, tapping into ideas, and enabling everyone to be themselves at work and achieve their potential.

For this grade/ role we would expect the candidate to demonstrate understanding of the terms Diversity and Inclusion and be able to explain why they are important in a work environment. We would also expect examples of action they have taken to embrace diversity (e.g., increasing understanding for self or others) or improve inclusion at a team or wider group level.

Behaviour Definitions:

Communicating and Influencing

Examples of communicating and influencing at HEO and SEO grades or equivalent are when you:

communicate in a straightforward, honest and engaging manner - choosing appropriate styles to maximise understanding and impact
encourage the use of different communication methods, including digital resources and highlight the benefits, including ensuring cost effectiveness
ensure communication has a clear purpose and takes into account people’s individual needs
share information as appropriate and check understanding
show positivity and enthusiasm towards work, encouraging others to do the same
ensure that important messages are communicated with colleagues and stakeholders respectfully, taking into consideration the diversity of interests

Delivering at Pace

Examples of delivering at pace at HEO and SEO grades or equivalent are when you:

show a positive approach to keeping the whole team’s efforts focused on the top priorities
promote a culture of following the appropriate procedures to ensure results are achieved on time whilst still enabling innovation
ensure the most appropriate resources are available for colleagues to use to do their job effectively
regularly monitor your own and team’s work against milestones ensuring individual needs are considered when setting tasks
act promptly to reassess workloads and priorities when there are conflicting demands to maintain performance
allow individuals the space and authority to meet objectives, providing additional support where necessary, whilst keeping overall responsibility

Working Together

Examples of working together at HEO and SEO grades or equivalent are when you:

encourage joined up team work within your own team and across other groups
establish professional relationships with a range of stakeholders
collaborate with these to share information, resources and support
invest time to develop a common focus and genuine positive team spirit where colleagues feel valued and respect one another
put in place support for the wellbeing of individuals within the team, including consideration of your own needs
make it clear to all team members that bullying, harassment and discrimination are unacceptable
actively seek and consider input of people from diverse backgrounds and perspectives

Shortlisting is planned for week commencing 14^th April 2025

Interviews are planned for week commencing 5^th May 2025

If you would like more information on this opportunity, please contact - Anna Bevilacqua at anna.bevilacqua@justice.gov.uk

Complaints procedure

If you have any complaints about this recruitment activity, please share your concerns by emailing LAARecruitment@justice.gov.uk initially. We aim to respond to any complaint within 10 working days.

OFFICIAL