Deputy Director – Digital, External Affairs and Visits

Job summary

Our communications transformation ​

DBT's Communications and Marketing function is undergoing a bold transformation to meet the demands of the modern media landscape and deliver on our ambitious growth mission. We're moving from traditional discipline-based communications to an integrated, outcome-focused model that positions communications as a critical delivery enabler, not just a service function.​

Our integrated approach ​

Working through matrix teams, we bring together multidisciplinary communications and engagement professionals to deliver priority campaigns under one strategy aligned to the growth mission. Our approach is built on three pillars: ​

• Targeted behaviour change: Hyper-focused campaigns driving business uptake of export support, employment rights compliance, and service-led communications linking policy to practical business support ​
• Real stories: Case study-driven campaigns featuring businesses creating jobs and workers benefiting from new rights, with local ministerial visits showcasing investment wins and peer-to-peer business advocacy ​
• Progress and delivery moments: Strategic use of set-piece events and milestones to demonstrate momentum and build trust through demonstrated impact ​

​Mission-led approach ​

• All our activities directly support the Government's Growth Mission. We translate complex economic policies into clear narratives for target audiences across all DBT communications and engagement channels. Our communication outcomes contribute to the overall mission milestone of "higher living standards in every part of the United Kingdom." We operate with SMART objectives, use insight to drive clear audience journeys from awareness to action, and measure impact through metrics aligned to the mission milestone. ​
• By joining DBT Communications and Marketing, you'll be part of a team that's redefining how government communicates about economic growth – working collaboratively across disciplines, using evidence and insight to drive impact, and demonstrating how government partnership with business is creating jobs, driving investment, and improving living standards across the UK.

Job description

Lead the transformation of digital communications, external partnerships, and visits delivery into a centre of excellence for storytelling and partnerships. You will revolutionise how we plan and execute ministerial visits to maximise visual storytelling opportunities, drive step-change improvements in digital engagement and influencer partnerships, while building impactful external relationships that amplify our communications reach and effectiveness.​

​You will be a full and active member of the Communications and Marketing Senior Leadership Team, sharing collective responsibility for the performance of the whole directorate, the success of our integrated campaign model, and the professional development of our people. You will also play a significant role in the department's wider strategy and growth leadership, working across DBT to ensure communications is embedded as a genuine delivery function - not an afterthought - in everything the department does to drive economic growth.​

​Strategic Leadership​

• Develop and execute an integrated strategy for digital communications, external affairs, and visits that directly supports departmental objectives and the growth mission.​
• Lead the creation of a centre of excellence for storytelling and partnerships, ensuring all activities are designed to generate compelling visual content and broadcast opportunities.​
• Drive innovation in communications delivery, leveraging emerging platforms, technologies, and partnership models to maximise impact.​

​Digital Communications Excellence​

• Transform our digital presence across all platforms, delivering significant growth in engagement, reach, and influence.​
• Lead a step-change in influencer marketing and digital platform partnerships, building strategic relationships with key content creators and digital communities targeting our key audiences, working closely with press office.​
• Oversee social media and digital strategy and execution, ensuring content drives behaviour change and supports policy objectives.​
• Champion the use of data and insight to optimise digital performance and demonstrate return on investment.

External Affairs and Partnerships​

• Build and maintain high-impact external relationships with key stakeholders, thought leaders, and organisations that amplify our communications reach.​
• Develop strategic partnerships that enhance our storytelling capability and provide access to new audiences.​
• Lead cross-government collaboration on shared communications priorities, working closely with Government Communication Service (GCS) discipline networks.​
• Manage relationships with external agencies and suppliers to ensure value for money and quality delivery.​

Visits Innovation​

• Revolutionise visits planning and delivery to ensure every ministerial engagement maximises communications value through exceptional visual storytelling.​
• Work closely with policy teams, international network, and Private Offices to integrate communications thinking into visits planning from conception.​
• Working with press office and creative, develop new approaches to broadcast and media engagement during visits, creating compelling content opportunities.​
• Working with marketing, consider our agency support.​

​Team Leadership and Development​

• Lead, inspire, and develop a multi-disciplinary team across digital, external affairs, and visits functions.​
• Foster a culture of innovation, collaboration, and excellence, breaking down silos between disciplines.​
• Build capability both in your team and across the Directorate in emerging areas including influencer marketing, digital content creation, and strategic partnership management.​
• Ensure team development aligns with GCS professional standards and career frameworks.

Person specification

• A dynamic leader with a passion for storytelling, digital innovation, and building strategic partnerships, with a proven track record of leading high‑performing teams and delivering transformational change in communications.​
• Proven senior leadership experience in communications, with a strong interest in storytelling and the intersection of news, digital, and partnerships, and familiarity with the GCS operating model and professional standards.​
• Demonstrable success in transforming communications functions and delivering measurable improvements in performance, alongside strong knowledge of digital platforms, content creators, and social media strategy.​
• A proven track record of delivering high‑profile events, with appreciation of the considerations involved in managing ministerial visits.​
• Experience of managing complex stakeholder relationships and developing strategic partnerships, with an understanding of how organisations work effectively across government or with external agencies and suppliers to deliver high‑profile outcomes.​
• Excellent strategic thinking and analytical skills, including the ability to articulate and demonstrate return on investment.​

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £81,000, Department for Business and Trade contributes £23,465 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 with an employer contribution of 28.97%

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

How to apply​​​

Please follow the online instructions on the Civil Service Jobs website to apply for this role. Applications must be submitted no later than 23:55 on 10/05/2026. ​

​You will be asked to upload the two documents outlined below.It is essential you add your full name to both documents:​​

1. A CV setting out your career history, highlighting specific responsibilities and achievements that are relevant for this role. Please provide reasons for any gaps within the last two years.​​​
2. A Supporting Statement of around two pages of A4, providing examples of how your experience meets the essential criteria.​​​

​Failure to submit both documents will mean the panel only have limited information on which to assess your application against the criteria in the person specification. ​​

If you encounter any issues or are unable to apply online please contact SCSRecruitment@businessandtrade.gov.uk in the first instance​.

DBT now host Senior Civil Service (SCS) Candidate Support sessions for those wanting to learn more about the application and recruitment processes for SCS roles within DBT, if you are interested, please register for a session here - https://registration.crowdcomms.com/dbtscsrecruitment​

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.This role has a minimum assignment duration of 3 years. An assignment duration is the period of time a Senior Civil Servant is expected to remain in the same post to enable them to deliver on the agreed key business outcomes. The assignment duration also supports your career through building your depth of expertise.

As part of accepting this role you will be agreeing to the expected assignment duration set out above. This will not result in a contractual change to your terms and conditions. Please note this is an expectation only, it is not something which is written into your terms and conditions or indeed which the employing organisation or you are bound by. It will depend on your personal circumstances at a particular time and business needs, for example, would not preclude any absence like family friendly leave. It is nonetheless an important expectation, which is why we ask you to confirm you agree to the assignment duration set out above.

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.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 : SCS Recruitment Team
• Email : SCSRecruitment@businessandtrade.gov.uk

Recruitment team

• Email : SCSRecruitment@businessandtrade.gov.uk

Further information

Our recruitment process is underpinned by the principle of appointment on the basis of fair and open competition and appointment on merit, as outlined in the Civil Service Commissioners’ Recruitment Principles. If you feel your application has not been treated in accordance with these principles and you wish to make a complaint, you should in the first instance contact DBT by email at SCSRecruitment@businessandtrade.gov.uk. If you are not satisfied with the response you receive, you can contact the Civil Service Commission, which regulates all Civil Service recruitment. For further information on bringing a complaint to the Civil Service Commission please visit their web pages: Civil Service Commission Complaints​

Attachments

DD, Digital, External Affairs and Visits Domestic Candidate Pack Opens in new window (pdf, 6159kB)Accessible Candidate Pack - Deputy Director Digital, External Affairs and Visits Opens in new window (docx, 176kB)