Academy Lead - Skills & Standards GCS

Job summary

Our mission is to deliver exceptional public service communication that makes a difference.

People work in government communications because what we do matters. We explain the objectives and policies of the government of the day. We provide clarity and reassurance to the public at times of crisis. We support businesses to grow. We protect our environment. We help those in need to access support.

Government Communications is the professional body for all public service communicators working in government. Our membership incorporates marketing, stakeholder engagement, internal communications, media, digital and social, and operational communications professionals. We collaborate across government with 25 ministerial departments, 21 non-ministerial departments and more than 300 agencies in addition to other public bodies.

The Academy team is responsible for shaping and delivering the learning offer and programmes for the Government Communication Service, with the aim of building and maintaining world class skills, and the capability and talent of GCS people across government.

The field of communications is rapidly changing, with the advancement of AI and other technologies offering new possibilities but raising practical and ethical questions. Against this backdrop, communicators in government will require new training to develop new skills.

Job description

The role

In Government Communications, we focus on offering world class learning opportunities that we largely design and deliver ourselves in house. The portfolio of the Academy team currently spans Advance Expert, our flagship face-to-face learning and development programme for senior communications managers; regional and bespoke workshops; and other interventions in a wide range of formats for learners across all grades and organisations.

Given the backdrop of rapidly changing ways of communicating, our portfolio of learning and development is also evolving at pace. Reporting to the Head of Academy, you will be responsible for planning, designing, testing and introducing innovative learning interventions and events, from concept to implementation. You will also be responsible for learning delivery, together with the team that you will manage.

With a background in learning design and delivery, you will develop and deliver programmes for communicators throughout the UK that are innovative, meet learners’ needs and are of a consistently high quality. You will lead on ensuring that the learner experience, right from our initial communications through to the learning experience itself, is enjoyable and effective.

You will build and maintain relationships with a wide range of stakeholders, including Directors of Communication and Heads of Discipline; learners throughout the UK; and a range of external partners and suppliers. Strong communications and collaboration skills will be essential for ensuring effective delivery.

In order to ensure that we continually enhance and adapt our learner offer in response to user needs, you will be responsible for gathering insight and data on our learners and the market in which we operate. You will regularly evaluate all our L&D activity using a range of data as well as feedback from learners themselves, measuring whether our programmes are meeting both organisational and learning objectives.

You will be well-organised, with an ability to plan, schedule, and manage across teams, working with others in the unit to ensure the right resourcing is in place for the delivery of multiple programmes, both digitally and in person. You will also be expert at running and facilitating training and workshops and managing course participants so that they have an exceptional learning experience.

Possessing strong verbal and written communications skills, you will promote the Academy’s courses and learning interventions to GCS members, working with the Head of Academy and the Government Communications Member Services team to identify opportunities and channels. You will also oversee the development of promotional materials and content to support uptake of our offer.

Day-to-day work in the Academy team is fun, fast-paced and creative and the role will involve managing and working closely with team members based across a range of locations. There will be a requirement for regular travel, including some full weeks away on location, throughout the UK.

Person specification

Key responsibilities:

As Academy Lead you will:

• Lead a team within the Academy which is responsible for a large programme of work across the UK, and overseas via internal delivery partners; and coach and develop them as individuals as well as overseeing their day-to-day work.
• As a senior member of the Academy team, ensure the Academy programme runs effectively. This includes overseeing a range of processes: promotion; signing up learners; managing participants; and delivery and facilitation of learning events and workshops to meet business needs and priorities.
• Use data and insight from a range of sources to understand our learners and gain a strategic awareness of learning, trends and best practice for the profession. You will work closely with a wide range of stakeholders to ensure that the learning offer meets leaner needs, reflects the current market and learner environment and can be delivered cost-effectively.
• Forecast demand for the Academy for the year and rolling quarter ahead, and devise workable resourcing solutions to deliver courses and programmes across all learner groups, including planning for the use of additional resourcing capacity from outside the core team at peak periods.
• Lead on the strategy for promoting the uptake of programmes and courses and manage communications with our learners, working with the Government Communications Membership team to grow a community of learners in the UK and beyond.
• Work closely with the products team to ensure all learning products, including workshop assets for face-to-face delivery, as well as digital and hybrid learning, meet user needs.
• Lead on procurement and contract management with learning delivery partners as required.
• Build and maintain strong working relationships with a wide range of stakeholders, including Directors of Communications, Heads of Discipline, subject matter experts and other partner organisations such as OECD.
• Lead on evaluation of learning delivery, designing and using surveys and other tools for capturing data and feedback across all segments of learners, and feeding into regular reporting to different stakeholder groups. Proactively use evaluation to support the improvement of learning interventions and delivery.

Essential skills and experience criteria

• Experience of devising and delivering learning programmes and managing learner groups across a range of formats, with a proven track record of motivating and engaging learners and a passion for delivering great learning experiences.
• Excellent facilitation skills and a track record of delivering impactful, innovative learning events; expertise in communicating with participants in an accurate, accessible and engaging way.
• Strong verbal, written and visual communication skills with an ability to tailor materials to the needs of different leaner groups.
• Strong creative thinking and problem-solving skills, with the ability to understand the problem at hand and use evidence and insight to come up with workable options and solutions.
• Proven experience of leading, motivating and developing and others to ensure the team is able to deliver consistently great learner experiences.
• A track record of building and maintaining successful internal and external stakeholder relationships.
• Proactive, flexible and able to take the initiative.
• Experience of using data and evidence to influence decision-making; experience of monitoring and evaluation, and reporting on measurable targets.
• Financially literate with experience of managing and monitoring budgets and reporting on targets.
• Proven ability to deliver to tight deadlines with excellent prioritisation and organisational skills.

Additional information:

Cabinet Office policy is that a minimum 60% of your working time should be spent at your principal workplace. For some roles, due to their nature and the business need, this may be up to 100%. Requirements to attend other locations for official business will also count towards this level of attendance.

Behaviours

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

• Seeing the Big Picture
• Leadership
• Managing a Quality Service
• Communicating and Influencing
• Delivering at Pace

Technical skills

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

• technical assessment task, details of which will be given on the interview day

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £57,204, Cabinet Office contributes £16,571 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

• Learning and development tailored to your role.
• An environment with flexible working options.
• A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity.
• A Civil Service Pension which provides an attractive pension, benefits for dependants and employer contributions of 28.97%.
• A minimum of 25 days of paid annual leave, increasing by one day per year up to a maximum of 30.

Things you need to know

Artificial intelligence

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 (opens in a new window) for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.

Selection process details

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

Application process

As part of the application process you will be asked to complete a CV and a 750 word personal statement.

Further details of what this will entail are listed on the application form.

Please outline any experience, skills and qualifications

Please provide a personal statement of no more than 750 words that explains how your knowledge, qualifications, skills and experience (using examples) meet the Essential skills and experience criteria requirements for this role and make you a suitable candidate for this role in line with the Success Profile element(s) being assessed (e.g. Behaviours, Experience etc). Using the job advert information, particularly the job description and person specification.

Selection process

The behaviours we will be assessing at interview are as follows:

Seeing the Big Picture, Leadership, Managing a Quality Service, Communicating and Influencing and Delivering at Pace.

The selection process will involve a technical assessment task, details of which will be given on the interview day, and an interview covering your experience in relation to the behaviours that are contained within this advert.

Expected timeline (subject to change)

Expected sift date – tbc

Expected interview date/s – tbc

Interview location - Your interview will either be conducted face to face or by video. You will be notified of the location if you are selected for interview.

Reasonable Adjustment

If a person with disabilities is put at a substantial disadvantage compared to a non-disabled person, we have a duty to make reasonable changes to our processes.

If you need a change to be made so that you can make your application, you should:

Contact Government Recruitment Service via cabinetofficerecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk as soon as possible before the closing date to discuss your needs.

Complete the ‘Assistance required’ section in the ‘Additional requirements’ page of your application form to tell us what changes or help you might need further on in the recruitment process. For instance, you may need wheelchair access at interview, or if you’re deaf, a Language Service Professional.

Further information

If you are experiencing accessibility problems with any attachments on this advert, please contact the email address in the 'contact point for applicants' section.

This role is full time only. Applicants who wish to work an alternative pattern are welcome to apply however your preferred working pattern may not be available and you should discuss this with the vacancy holder before applying.

A reserve list may be held for a period of 12 months from which further appointments can be made.

Any move to Cabinet Office from another employer will mean you can no longer access childcare vouchers. This includes moves between government departments. You may however be eligible for other government schemes, including Tax Free Childcare; for further information visit the Childcare Choices website.

If successful and transferring from another Government Department a criminal record check may be carried out.

In order to process applications without delay, we will be sending a Criminal Record Check to Disclosure and Barring Service on your behalf.

However, we recognise in exceptional circumstances some candidates will want to send their completed forms direct. If you will be doing this, please advise Government Recruitment Service of your intention by emailing Pre-EmploymentChecks.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk stating the job reference number in the subject heading.

Please note that this role requires SC clearance, which would normally need 5 years’ UK residency in the past 5 years. This is not an absolute requirement, but supplementary checks may be needed where individuals have not lived in the UK for that period. This may mean your security clearance (and therefore your appointment) will take longer or, in some cases, not be possible.

For further information on National Security Vetting please visit the Demystifying Vetting website.

New entrants are expected to join on the minimum of the pay band.

Applicants who are successful at interview will be, as part of pre-employment screening, subject to a check on the Internal Fraud Database (IFD). This check will provide information about employees who have been dismissed for fraud or dishonesty offences. This check also applies to employees who resign or otherwise leave before being dismissed for fraud or dishonesty had their employment continued. Any applicant’s details held on the IFD will be refused employment.

A candidate is not eligible to apply for a role within the Civil Service if the application is made within a 5 year period following a dismissal for carrying out internal fraud against government.

Please note terms and conditions are attached. Please take time to read the document to determine how these may affect you.

Feedback

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check.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).

See our vetting charter (opens in a new window).People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

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 Code (opens in a new window) 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 (opens in a new window).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.The Civil Service also offers a Redeployment Interview Scheme to civil servants who are at risk of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the advertised vacancy.

Diversity and Inclusion

The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see theCivil 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

This vacancy is part of the Great Place to Work for Veterans (opens in a new window) initiative.The Civil Service welcomes applications from people who have recently left prison or have an unspent conviction. Read more about prison leaver recruitment (opens in new window).Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.

Contact point for applicants

Job contact :

• Name : Fiona Speirs
• Email : fiona.speirs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk

Recruitment team

• Email : cabinetofficerecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk

Further information

Appointment to the Civil Service is governed by the Civil Service Commission’s Recruitment Principles. If you feel that your application has not been treated in accordance with the Recruitment Principles, and wish to make a complaint, then in the first instance you should contact Government Recruitment Service by email at : cabinetofficerecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk
If you are not satisfied with the response you receive, then you can contact the Civil Service Commission at info@csc.gov.uk. For further information on the Recruitment Principles and bringing a complaint to the Civil Service Commission, please visit their website at: https://civilservicecommission.independent.gov.uk.

Attachments

Cabinet Office Employee Offer Opens in new window (pdf, 302kB)Cabinet Office Terms and Conditions - External 2025-02-20 Opens in new window (docx, 83kB)