Communication Officer (Band 4 / HEO)

Job summary

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is the independent regulator for work-related health and safety, building safety and chemicals. Our purpose is to protect people and places to ensure people feel safe where they live, where they work and, in their environment.

This opportunity is in our Building Safety Division. As part of the Government’s response to the Grenfell Tower tragedy, HSE established and is continuing to grow and develop the new Building Safety Regulator (BSR) under the Building Safety Act 2022 (BSA). There is considerable work still to do to develop and embed this fledgling regime and much work yet to come in the response to the Grenfell inquiry reports. This requires HSE to secure lasting and positive changes in industry leadership, competence and culture, work with stakeholders to overcome challenges and seize the opportunities that arise from policy that is driven from the very highest levels of Government.

We are looking for an experienced Communications Officer who can make a positive impact in citizens lives and can work across campaigns and media in a fast paced and collaborative environment.

The post sits within the External Communications Team part of the multi-functional communication Buildings Safety Regulator (BSR) Communication Unit that is responsible for developing and delivering a joint strategic communications approach to support the work of the BSR as a proportionate regulator whose mission is to maintain and improve safety standards for the built environment aspiring to be trusted, working together with all for better buildings.

Travel

There may be a need to travel to attend training sessions as required. For details of HSE locations please see here HSE Offices

Working Pattern

Part time working hours are available for this role. We can accept part time applicants who can commit to working a minimum of 30 hours per week.

Job description

The government announced on 30 June 2025 that BSR is to become an Arm’s Length Body (ALB) of Ministry for Housing, Communities, and Local Government (MHCLG) and will be moved out of HSE. This is the natural next step in the development of the regulator and was always a likely outcome once BSR was established.

It has been confirmed that the ALB will be a Non-crown, Non-Departmental Public Body (NDPB), and as such it’s employees will be Public Servants, rather than Civil Servants.

Any successful candidates recruited to this vacancy will initially be onboarded to HSE, with a move to the new NDBP to be undertaken in due course.

The BSR Communication Unit team is made up of specialists who work on all aspects of media, PR, campaigns, digital, design, content design and internal communications.

This role can be based in any of the advertised locations however, there will be a requirement to travel to Bootle at least 2 days a month (or when required). Therefore, we would encourage candidates to consider if the commute from home to the office or home to Bootle is a feasible distance to travel.

You may also be required to cover media out of hours duties on a rota basis for weekday evenings and weekend service for which full training will be given.

As a Communications Officer, you will contribute to setting and delivering the communication Strategy for BSR.

Key tasks include:

• Continuous media monitoring and reporting – including proactively identifying themes and sentiment, reputational risks and media opportunities, collection of campaign performance metrics, reporting and acting on insights, contributing to weekly dashboards.
• Media handling (reactive and proactive) - writing press releases, news reports, drafting and providing clear statements, arranging interviews, and developing responses to queries with the support of officials, liaising with partners and media and providing regular media handling advice to officials and colleagues.
• Maintaining a forward look content calendar for activity - including drafting and scheduling social activity, microsite and news/media, bulletin content.
• Researching, writing and creating high quality, audience-led content as part of integrated multi-channel campaigns from complex, technical information for a range of different channels, stakeholders and audiences.
• Cross BSR liaison- represent team at planning meetings and contribute to briefings for Ministers and other senior officials, working with other parts of the comms team to ensure content and activity is integrated, consistent and complementary.

Person specification

This high-profile position requires you to be comfortable working independently and using your own initiative across a variety of communications disciplines, selecting the most effective methods based on audience needs.

We’re seeking someone who is not only well-organised and proactive, but also passionate about shaping the narrative and communicating with clarity and purpose.

Your ability to build strong relationships with stakeholders and influence key conversations will be critical to success in this role.
You will have excellent organisational skills and an ability to deliver multiple projects on time and to a high standard, working at pace.

You will have excellent understanding of the national news agenda, social media landscape and communications handling, strong news judgement and political awareness and experience of working in a journalism, media, or press office environment.

You will be experienced in building strong working relationships at all levels, demonstrating leadership qualities and fostering a proactive, collaborative, and inspiring team environment that encourages mutual respect, values diversity, different skills, experience and specialism.

You will have an understanding of the broader government agenda and propriety issues.

Essential Skills and Criteria

• Experience of working in a regulated communications environment.
• Experience of carrying out complex regulatory investigations in line with the Criminal Procedure Investigations Act 1996 (CIPA), with evidence of thinking strategically, political awareness and delivering in a complex environment.
• Strong experience in public relations, including developing and delivering strategic communication campaigns, managing media relations, and protecting organisational reputation through clear, consistent messaging across multiple channels.
• Proven experience in horizon scanning and media sentiment analysis, with the ability to identify emerging issues, assess reputational risk, and provide timely, insight-driven recommendations to inform strategic communications and decision-making.
• Experience of converting complex information including insight and data into ambitious and effective communication outcomes to meet audience needs.
• Good working knowledge of MS Office systems (Word, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint), Office 365 (SharePoint, Planner and Teams) and content management and analytics systems (e.g. Hootsuite, Google Analytics, Cision, Vuelio).

Behaviours

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

• Delivering at Pace
• Seeing the Big Picture

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £38,005, Health and Safety Executive contributes £11,010 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

We invest in our people with;

• Competitive rates of pay
• Access to the highly competitive Civil Service Pension Scheme to which HSE contribute 28.97% far more than in the private sector
• Family friendly policies and working hours to help balance your home life and career
• Carer friendly policies to help create a supportive working culture
• 25 days annual holiday increasing to 30 days after 5 years' service, plus bank holidays and 1-day Civil Service privilege leave
• Parental leave benefits
• As a member of HSE you will gain access to a wide range of fantastic benefits that you can take advantage of such as the Cycle to Work Scheme, E-Gift Cards, and Vouchers via our partner EdenRed.

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 and Experience.

Application Information

As part of the application process you will be asked to complete the following:

• A CV that displays your career history, skills, experience and qualifications. Please ensure you tailor your CV to match the essential skills and criteria as listed within the advert.
• You will also be asked to complete an anonymised 750 word Personal Statement based on the essential skills and criteria of the job advert.

Application Guidance

Please access the following link for guidance on how to apply and how to complete a Personal Statement https://www.civil-service-careers.gov.uk/how-to-apply/

Sift Information

The sift will take place during week commencing 16th March 2026 where you will be assessed on your CV and Personal Statement only.

In the event of a high number of applications we will complete an initial sift on the lead criterion of 'experience of carrying out complex regulatory investigations in line with the Criminal Procedure Investigations Act 1996 (CIPA), with evidence of thinking strategically, political awareness and delivering in a complex environment'. Candidates that pass the initial sift will then progress to the full sift where the Personal Statement will be assessed.

Interview Information

The interviews will take place during the week commencing 6th April2026, when you will be assessed on the behaviours and experience listed in the advert.

Please note the sift and interview dates could be subject to change due to panel availability.

Sponsorship

This role is not open to application from those who will require sponsorship under the points-based system. Should you apply for this role and require sponsorship your application will be rejected, and any provisional offers of employment will be withdrawn.

Further Information

Please note that a Reserve List will be held for the period of up to 12 months. There is no guarantee you will be offered a role from our reserve lists, so if you see a vacancy on Civil Service Jobs that you are interested in, we recommend you apply. HSE reserve the right to conduct additional checks, including Google and social media checks, when recruiting candidates into a role within HSE. These checks will be carried out in line with the Civil Service Commission Principles and, if used all candidates will be subject to these additional checks.

From 23rd June 2025, if you are successful at interview, as part of your pre-employment checks, HSE’s Recruitment Team are required to check your details against the Internal Fraud Hub (IFH), using your personal details – name, NINO, and date of birth. If you are included on the database, you will be refused employment. If you believe that there has been an error in the inclusion of your data and wish to make an appeal, please contact the CO email box internal.fraud@cabinetoffice.gov.uk . Details of the types of internal fraud/dishonesty covered by this process are defined by the Cabinet Office and can be found here Internal Fraud Register privacy notice - GOV.UK

It is the candidate’s responsibility to ensure they are aware of the terms and conditions they will adopt should they be successful in their application. For a summary of HSE terms and conditions as part of Civil Service Reform, please see the attached HSE Terms and Conditions document.

Progression through pay ranges is subject to annual pay awards as permitted within annual Civil Service pay remit guidance and negotiations with Trade Unions.

HSE is proud to be a part of the Disability Confidence Scheme (DCS). As a Disability Confident employer, we positively welcome applications from disabled people. We are committed to making workplace adjustments to ensure anyone can participate in the recruitment and selection process.

If, during the application or interview process, you require any assistance due to a disability or a medical condition, please contact us at the email address below to discuss how we can support you. For example, if you have a disability, and you need an application form in an alternative format or you would like to know more about our recruitment process, please contact: HR.Resourcing-Team@hse.gov.uk If successful in securing your role, HSE can provide suitable workplace adjustments to support you throughout your career with HSE.

Any move to HSE 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. Determine your eligibility here.

Please note, if you are a current civil servant and you are currently undergoing any of the following formal actions your application will not be progressed any further; Formal discipline action, any formal action regarding attendance, poor performance or any restriction of duties as a result of disciplinary action.

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

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check.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.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 : Ian Clarkin
• Email : ian.clarkin@buildingsafety.gov.uk

Recruitment team

• Email : hr.resourcing-team@hse.gov.uk

Further information

If you believe that Civil Service Commission principles of selection for appointment on merit on the basis of Fair and Open competition have not been met, you can raise a complaint by emailing: HR.Resourcing-Team@hse.gov.uk or by writing to HSE at the following address: HR Resourcing Team, 2.3 Redgrave Court, Merton Road, Bootle, Merseyside, L20 7HS. If you are not satisfied with the response you receive from the Department, you can contact Civil Service commissioners: https://civilservicecommission.independent.gov.uk/code/civilservicecode…

Attachments

HSE Terms and Conditions - CSJ Advert Annex Opens in new window (pdf, 116kB)