Channel Lead (G7) New Media Unit - GCS

Job summary

The New Media Unit (NMU) is part of the Government Communication Service (GCS) and sits within the Cabinet Office. The NMU was established in November 2024 with the clear goal to reach, connect and rebuild trust with audiences in the most effective way possible. Our aim is to provide the public with relevant, useful and authentic content when and where they want to receive it and communicate in an entirely new way.

The government has signalled a clear intention to focus on ambitious, measurable, long-term objectives that deliver better outcomes for citizens. This requires a new way of doing government which is more joined-up and better reaches the public to build awareness, understanding and trust in the government’s missions. The New Media Unit is a critical lever in achieving these long-term aims, bringing together the specialist skills required to reach citizens with content they want to consume at a time and place they want to consume it.

The team is evolving, and works in an agile way proactively delivering on missions-based campaigns and responding to nation-wide communications. We need people who think differently and who can respond in an agile way to the ever-changing media landscape. At its core this team is focused on flexibility and collaboration across the three pillars (Strategy, Campaign and Creative), working closely with the GCS Strategy & Campaigns and Applied Data & Insight teams, alongside No 10 and departmental communication teams across government.

This is a really exciting time to be joining the NMU as we look to expand our activity, test and learn different approaches and deliver communications which make a difference to people’s lives. This is a rare chance to be part of something truly groundbreaking, where your ideas will directly influence the future of digital communications at the heart of government.

About the Government Communication Service

By joining a communications team, you will become a member of the Government Communication Service (GCS), a professional network of communicators working in government departments, agencies and arm’s length bodies. You’ll benefit from continuous professional development from our new learning and development curriculum, a network of skilled communicators sharing best practice, mentoring opportunities, and more!

For more information on how becoming a part of the Communications Profession can support your career and development please visit our careers page.

For our top tips take a look at our recruitment top tips for candidates guide.

Job description

What we’re looking for

We need outstanding specialists in design, content production, digital strategies, marketing and partnerships, who have a high level of digital expertise and will put audiences at the heart of everything they do. We're seeking innovative minds and creative talents to help craft our evolving vision. This is a unique opportunity to grow, learn and share your talent with a team of diverse experts with passion and a genuine curiosity to innovate government comms. Most importantly, we want people who care passionately about delivering outstanding communication for the public.

We value colleagues who embrace change, think outside the box, and thrive in a dynamic environment where responsibilities evolve with our ambitions. We welcome applications from the widest range of people of different backgrounds, cultures and experiences. If you're passionate about making your mark and flourishing in an atmosphere that champions fresh thinking and adaptability, we want to hear from you.

Digital Campaigns, these staff collaborate on insight and strategy, and create a digital marketing plan to deliver the agreed campaign objectives, through collaborating with GCS, No.10, external partners, creators and influencers, agencies and media owners.

Job Description

As a Channel Lead in the New Media Unit, you are responsible for the strategic direction and operational excellence of our paid digital media ecosystem. Reporting directly to the Head of Marketing, you will ensure that all paid activity supports the government’s goals of increasing public understanding, trust, and confidence in UK government activities.

While you will maintain "hands-on" ownership of high-priority channels, you will additionally lead and develop a team of three Channel Managers. You will support the Head of Marketing to develop our media framework, designing the processes for testing, optimisation, and measurement that allow us to deliver impactful messages to UK citizens at scale. You will act as a senior liaison between the New Media Unit, 10 Downing Street, and our media agency partners to ensure world-class execution across the digital landscape.

Key Responsibilities & Duties

Strategic Campaign Management

• Plan and execute paid digital media strategies that support the government’s long-term goals of increasing public understanding, trust, and confidence in UK government activities.
• Portfolio Oversight: Directly manage 5 "Always-On" campaigns covering key policy areas and 6 tactical campaigns, ensuring impactful message delivery to UK citizens.
• Cross-Government Collaboration: Work closely with government departments and 10 Downing Street to create and implement targeted campaigns that align with national priorities.
• Reactive Agility: Lead fast-paced reactive elements, either by rapidly adding assets to existing "Always-On" campaigns or launching new in-platform activations to meet shifting communication needs. Please note, the media agency is responsible for in platform actions.

Hands-on Channel Ownership & Agency Partnership

• Operational Management: Take full ownership of assigned paid media channels, managing the hands-on optimisation and refining performance to meet public engagement goals efficiently. N.B there will be occasions when you are responsible for unassigned channels/platforms outside of your nominated channels/platforms.
• Agency Leadership: Manage the media agency relationship to ensure strategic plans are executed with precision, including direct oversight of trafficking and financial reconciliation.
• Cross-Functional Integration: Partner with Campaign Leadership to bring strategies to life, and collaborate with Creator Leads to integrate creator-led content into the channel-specific media mix.
• Creative Technical Specs: Work with the Creative Team to ensure they have clear requirements for formats, variations, and technical specifications for your specific channels.

Developing Best Practice & Channel Excellence

Strategic Benchmarking: Through a test and learn framework develop best practices for your assigned channels, defining which solutions and formats to use across the funnel to maximise impact.

Performance Thresholds: Establish a measurement framework and monitor channel-specific KPIs, including minimum weekly spend and reach thresholds required to move citizens through the engagement funnel.

Asset Optimisation: Determine the ideal number of asset variations and creative rotations needed to maintain campaign freshness and combat ad fatigue.

Team Leadership & Management

Line Management: Directly manage and mentor three Channel Managers, overseeing their professional development and ensuring the successful 6-month rotation of channel ownership.

Stakeholder Bridge: Act as a senior point of contact for government departments, ensuring the team’s paid media tactics align with broader communication goals.

Frameworks, Processes & Innovation

Process Architecture: Develop and implement standardised processes and frameworks for media delivery to be used across the entire unit.

Optimisation Strategy: Create the unit’s roadmap for testing and optimisation, moving beyond basic metrics to find innovative ways to drive public engagement and trust.

Measurement & Attribution: Own the unit’s approach to measurement and attribution, defining how the New Media Unit calculates ROI and tracks "trust and confidence" through the digital funnel.

Person specification

Essential criteria

Skills & Experience

• Senior Media Management: Proven experience managing and optimising high-budget paid marketing campaigns across digital platforms with a track record of innovation.
• Leadership Track Record: Demonstrated experience in managing a team, with the ability to coach practitioners and manage resource allocation across multiple competing priorities.
• Systems & Strategy: Experience in developing operational frameworks or "best practice" playbooks that have improved team efficiency and campaign impact.
• Public Sector Literacy: Experience in public sector or government communications, with a deep understanding of audience segmentation and demographic targeting for national audiences.
• Financial Oversight: Skilled in budget tracking and reporting on a departmental level to show clear accountability and performance.

Technical

• Expert technical knowledge of the UI and optimisation levers for major platforms (Meta, Google, TikTok, Programmatic).
• Measurement & Data: Advanced proficiency in analytics tools (e.g., GA4, social ad platforms) and a deep understanding of attribution modeling and ROI measurement.
• Ad-Ops Leadership: A comprehensive understanding of the technical "plumbing" of digital media (pixels, GTM, tracking URLs) to provide quality assurance for the team's work.
• Creative Fluency: Expert knowledge of platform-specific creative requirements to guide both the Creative team and your direct reports.

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:

• Communicating and Influencing
• Delivering at Pace
• Making Effective Decisions

Technical skills

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

• Candidates who are invited to interview will need to prepare a short presentation, details of which will be sent before interview.

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
For your application you will need to provide your CV outlining your work history and experience as well as a 500 word personal statement. It should explain how your knowledge, skills and experience (using examples) meet the requirements for this role in line with the Success Profile element(s) being assessed.

Should a large number of applications be received, an initial sift may be undertaken using experience from your CV.

Interview process

• Experience
• Behaviours

Candidates who are invited to interview will need to prepare a short presentation, details of which will be sent before the interview.

Expected timeline (subject to change)
Expected sift date – TBC
Expected interview date/s – TBC
Interview location - Interviews will be held in person in 1 Horse Guards, London where possible - if not details of virtual interviews will be sent to candidates.

Further Information

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.

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 cabinetoffice.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 an interview, or if you’re deaf, a Language Service Professional.

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/Disclosure Scotland 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.

For further information on the Disclosure Scotland confidential checking service telephone: the Disclosure Scotland Helpline on 0870 609 6006 and ask to speak to the operations manager in confidence, or email Info@disclosurescotland.co.uk

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.

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

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.

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.

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

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 : The New Media Unit
• Email : nmu@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 (docx, 762kB)Cabinet Office Terms and Conditions - External 2025-02-20 Opens in new window (docx, 83kB)