Communications Officer

Job summary

Do you have experience in communications and an interest in how the criminal justice system works? Would you like to use your creativity, judgement and content skills to help the Crown Prosecution Service communicate clearly with colleagues and the public?

As a Communications Officer, you will lead and support internal and external communications projects that contribute to organisational priorities and the CPS 2030 strategy. You will work with colleagues and stakeholders at all levels, from senior leaders to frontline teams, to turn complex information into clear, engaging and accessible communications.

You will create content for a range of channels to help deliver priority communication campaigns and communications for organisational change and transformation programmes, along with supporting events. You will manage in house communications channels and use audience insight to improve our work. This is a varied role in a busy, supportive and forward-thinking communications team, offering opportunities to develop your professional communications skills while making a visible contribution to the delivery of justice.

Please note, there is an expectation of attendance at the London office once a week, alongside attendance at your local office in line with the hybrid working policy.

Job description

Your roles and responsibilities:
• Lead and support internal and external communications projects aligned with organisational priorities.
• Create clear, engaging and accessible content for channels including the intranet, newsletters, blogs, social media and video.
• Manage and improve communications channels, using audience insight and evaluation to inform content and plans.
• Support the planning and delivery of priority campaigns and corporate events, coordinating activity and stakeholders.
• Provide practical communications advice and contribute to team planning, schedules and continuous improvement.

Person specification

To be eligible to apply, you need to:
• Have experience of working across a range of communications channels and producing clear, audience-focused content.
• Demonstrate strong written and oral communication skills and the ability to work effectively with stakeholders.
• Have experience of planning or delivering communications projects, campaigns or events while managing competing priorities.
• Be able to create or edit visual and video content using appropriate design tools, such as Adobe Creative Suite.
• Understand how audience insight and evaluation can be used to improve communications activity.

Behaviours

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

• Making Effective Decisions
• Delivering at Pace
• Working Together

Technical skills

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

• Government Communications Service’s professional competency framework. This will be assessed against level 2 of the GCS professional competency framework.

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £35,935, Crown Prosecution Service contributes £10,410 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides (opens in a new window).

Join the Crown Prosecution Service and find your purpose.

The Crown Prosecution Service is passionate about ensuring that we're a top performing organisation and a great place to work. We're a committed equal opportunities employer, creating a culture where you can bring your whole self to work, and individuality is truly appreciated.

This culture of inclusion is underpinned by our staff networks covering disability, faith and belief, LGBTQI+, race, social mobility alongside our mental health first aiders programme and wellbeing sessions.

The Crown Prosecution Service commits to offer its employees the following experience.

• You can do impactful, purposeful work that’s making a difference to your local communities.
• You are able to learn and grow, with access to the right opportunities and resources.
• We care about your wellbeing.
• We want you to feel valued, trusted and included.

We also offer the following range of benefits:

• Civil Service contributory pension of up to 28.9%
• 25 days’ leave, increasing to 30 days after 5 years
• £350 each year to spend on personal development
• lawyer training programme for all new prosecutors
• an extra privilege day to mark the King's birthday
• competitive maternity, paternity and parental leave
• flexible working including flexitime, and a family friendly approach to work
• Cycle2Work scheme, employee savings.

Diversity at the Crown Prosecution Service is about inclusion, embracing differences and ensuring our workforce truly reflects the communities we serve. We want you to feel that you belong and can thrive, whatever your background, identity or culture. As a Disability Confident employer, we're happy to support requests for reasonable adjustments and improve your recruitment experience. If you'd like any reasonable adjustments made to our recruitment process, let us know within your application or contact Ben.Savage@cps.gov.uk

The Crown Prosecution Service has fixed rates for its Higher Executive Officer grade – a developing rate (the starting salary) and a spot rate (the maximum salary). Applicants typically join us on the developing rate and, after completing a 18-month development period, move to the spot rate – this is subject to your line manager confirming that you’re performing the role to a satisfactory standard.

We want to ensure our employees can thrive at work and home and offer a range of support to achieve a balance. This includes flexibility of working hours, flexibility to support caring responsibilities and a flexible approach to deployment. We offer a hybrid working policy. You must spend at least 40% of your contracted hours over a four-week period at court, in an office or another official workplace depending on business need and the kind of work you're doing.

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, Strengths, Ability, Experience and Technical skills.

Recruitment process

The recruitment process consists of an online application, assessment and interview.

Personal statement

We ask you to complete a personal statement of no more than 1,250 words. You need to address the core behaviours for this role, which are:

1. Making effective decisions
2. Delivering at pace

You also need to demonstrate the following experience/technical skills required for this role:

• Experience of creating engaging content across a range of communication channels.
• Experience of delivering communication projects, campaigns and events, while managing stakeholders and competing priorities.
• Experience of creating or editing visual and video content using Adobe Creative Suite or similar tools.

Government Communications Service’s professional competency framework. This will be assessed against level 2 of the GCS professional competency framework.

Insight

• Review existing sources of insight (including previous communication activity) to understand the overall context for communication and audience influences/influencers.
• Use insight to identify target audiences and partners, support decision making and help inform the overall communication approach.

Ideas

• Develop outline communication plans, identifying the most effective channels and tools to engage audiences and maximise reach.
• Design and develop engaging, targeted content and messages suitable for use across a range of channels.

Implementation

• Adhere to all relevant policies, legislation and guidance for delivery of communication (including for example diversity, language, social media and corporate branding guidelines and requirements).
• Demonstrate good written and oral communication skills. Write clearly, concisely and accurately.
• Select and create appropriate visuals to improve the impact of communication (for example, photography, video and infographics).

Impact

• Support the design and delivery of techniques to assess the effectiveness and impact of communication.

In addition, you need to demonstrate the Crown Prosecution Service or Civil Service values.

The panel has the right to assess the ‘GCS Technical skills’ as the lead criteria first. If the standard on this criteria isn’t met, the other behaviours won’t be considered and your application won’t progress. The panel also has the right to raise the minimum standard pass mark. The panel may also refer to the lead behaviour at the interview stage to determine merit order.

CV

You’re not required to upload your CV. However, when submitting your application there is a ‘CV section’. You are required to provide information about your employment and/or academic history for the past three years.

The CV section will be used as supporting evidence, it won’t be assessed.

It’s your responsibility to provide the specified information in the requested format to ensure that you're considered for the post.

If you're unable to cover three years through employment or academic history, you must provide a character reference for clearance purposes.

Interview and Assessment

The interviews and assessments are expected to take place W/C 2 November 2026.

Your interview takes place online through Microsoft Teams. A member of our recruitment team will be in touch with guidance. If you have any queries about this, contact Ben.Savage@cps.gov.uk

You should keep this date free or notify us if you're not available. We'll make every effort to accommodate your date preferences but we can't guarantee it.

We ask you to complete an assessment as part of the recruitment process for this role. We will provide details immediately before your interview.

We use behaviours to help us understand your experience, to see if you're a good fit for the role. You are assessed against HEO in the Civil Service success profiles behaviours framework. We are assessing 3 behaviours at interview and assessment stage:

1. Making Effective Decisions – interview
2. Delivering at Pace – interview
3. Working Together – interview

Essential Experience/Technical Skills - assessed at interview and assessment

Strengths

Strengths are tested at interview stage - the strengths tested are not shared before the interview.

Other

This is a full-time post. We do consider requests for flexible, part-time working and job share, always considering the operational needs of the department.

Please note that the CPS is unable to offer visa sponsorship. If you require visa sponsorship to work in the UK, you will not meet the eligibility criteria for this role.

Clearance

If successful, you are required to securea Disclosure and Barring Service check for which you must have a current valid UK address.

If successfully appointed, we ask you to complete a character enquiry form, and nationality and immigration questionnaire,

If you're a Crown Prosecution Service member of staff, you won’t need to do a Disclosure and Barring Service check as you already hold this clearance.

The job you’re applying for is covered by Article 3(a) of the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975, consequently Section 4(2) of that Act doesn’t apply.You’re required to disclose all previous convictions and cautions including spent convictions. Failing to make a full declaration will result in withdrawing your offer of employment if our checks reveal convictions that haven’t been disclosed.

Reserve list

If you're recommended by the selection panel but not appointed to the current vacancies, you’re put on a reserve list for 12 months. You may be offered another Communications Officer post in the CPS if a vacancy comes up during this period. We may also approach candidates on the waiting list to fill other roles that require similar knowledge and experience.

Civil Service Commission

If you’re dissatisfied with the recruitment process and wish to make a complaint, please contact Strategic.Resourcing@cps.gov.uk with your concerns.

If you remain dissatisfied and wish to make a further complaint, please click on the following link to the Civil Service Commission complaints page Recruitment Complaints - Civil Service Commission

Civil Service Commission Recruitment Principles can be found at https://civilservicecommission.independent.gov.uk/recruitment/

Details of the Civil Service Nationality Rules are located at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/nationality-rules

Candidates are subject to UK immigration requirements. For the most up-to-date information on the requirements of working in the UK, please go to the UK Visas and Immigration website at https://www.gov.uk/browse/visas-immigration/work-visas

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

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a basic (or equivalent) 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 : Strategic Resourcing Team
• Email : strategic.resourcing@cps.gov.uk

Recruitment team

• Email : strategic.resourcing@cps.gov.uk

Attachments

NEW CPS Personal Statement Guidance 2023 Opens in new window (docx, 269kB)CPS Terms and Conditions 2025 Opens in new window (docx, 255kB)Communications Officer - Job Description and Person Specification Opens in new window (doc, 108kB)