Deputy Head of Digital Communications

Job summary

If you’re interested in making a difference to people’s lives, the Treasury can offer you an exciting opportunity to influence decision making that affects the whole of the UK. Working at the heart of government, we collaborate across government to promote responsible public spending and drive strong and sustainable economic growth.

Our work ranges from protecting customers through the regulation of the financial sector, helping to reduce carbon emissions and creating a greener economy, to promoting British trade around the world and supporting people across the country on jobs, growth and more.

We are part of the Darlington Economic Campus, a cross-government hub bringing people together to tackle key national issues while working closer to the communities we serve.

Job description

This is a strong opportunity to lead a high-performing, close-knit digital communications team of ten at a point of real change, where digital is becoming more strategic, more data-led and more integrated with wider communications. You would shape how the department plans, produces and publishes content across channels, setting a high bar for quality, accessibility and evaluation, and building an operating model that can deliver at pace without losing grip on risk and governance - with support from the Head of Digital Communications.

The role also offers unusual proximity to the centre. Working closely with one of the most senior Cabinet members, you will help bring major announcements to life for the public - translating complex policy into clear, accurate content, and ensuring delivery is joined-up, timely and effective. That combination - supportive leadership, high-profile moments, and the chance to influence how digital communications is done across the department - makes it a genuinely stretching and rewarding next step.

Job description

The Deputy Head of Digital Communications will provide operational leadership for HM Treasury's multi-disciplinary digital team, managing five Senior Executive Officers and their teams.

This is a pivotal leadership role in one of government's highest-profile digital teams. You will oversee day-to-day operations, providing first-line quality control with excellent attention to detail and political instincts.

You will be a natural collaborator, working closely with colleagues across media, strategy, events and policy teams. You will foster a collaborative culture within the team and beyond, building bridges and breaking down silos.

You will deputise for the Head of Digital Communications when required and lead performance management and talent development. With broad expertise across digital disciplines – not just one specialism – you will be passionate about digital communications and ideally have practical content creation skills to support the team hands-on when needed.

Responsibilities

• Lead and develop five Senior Executive Officers and their teams across digital partnerships, content production, social media and GOV.UK publishing
• Manage resource allocation, workflow coordination and capacity planning across competing priorities
• Work collaboratively with media, strategy, events and policy teams to integrate digital into wider communications planning
• Provide first-line quality control and clearance, ensuring high standards and compliance with Civil Service Code
• Apply political instincts and attention to detail to spot risks and opportunities in content before publication
• Lead performance management, setting objectives and providing regular feedback
• Create a culture of excellence, innovation and collaboration, identifying development opportunities and supporting career progression
• Build strong relationships with Private Offices, special advisers, policy officials and press teams
• Deputise for the Head of Digital Communications with senior stakeholders when required
• Manage relationships with external suppliers, agencies and partners
• Support delivery of major campaigns and fiscal events, taking operational ownership of planning and coordination
• Stay ahead of digital trends and bring fresh ideas to the team

Person specification and essential criteria

• You have significant experience leading digital communications in a high-profile, fast-moving environment, with responsibility for coordinating delivery across multiple channels and priorities.
• You are confident leading and developing teams through others, setting clear expectations, managing performance and building capability across a range of digital disciplines.
• You have strong judgement and attention to detail, and can provide effective quality control and clearance in politically sensitive or reputationally important situations.
• You build strong, collaborative relationships with senior stakeholders and partner teams, and can influence decisions while balancing strategic goals, delivery pressures and governance requirements.
• You bring broad digital communications expertise and are comfortable being hands-on when needed, ideally with practical content creation skills as well as the ability to spot opportunities for innovation and improvement.

Desirable criteria

• You have practical content creation skills, for example drafting or editing copy, overseeing asset production, or shaping content directly when needed.
• You have experience managing high‑profile or sensitive communications where accuracy, judgement and reputational risk are critical

If you would like to speak to the hiring manager informally prior to the closing date, please contact lizzie.carse@hmtreasury.gov.uk

Visa sponsorship is not available for this role.

Person specification

Application Stage

Application Form

Applications should consist of a CV including your employment history, and a 250-word statement demonstrating evidence of each of the below shortlisting criteria. Your CV and employment history won’t be scored. It’s used to give context to your application and support discussions at interview.

The panel will review applications and invite those that best demonstrate evidence of the shortlisting criteria below for interview. Please keep this in mind when writing your application.

Please note that only applications submitted through Civil Service Jobs will be accepted.

1. Technical skill: leading the operational delivery of a high-profile comms package across digital channels, including coordination, governance/clearance, and measurable impact.

Behaviours:

1. Leadership: show how you have led a team or function through others (setting direction/standards, prioritising work, and improving capability).
2. Communicating and Influencing: Show how you have influenced senior stakeholders to agree an approach in a sensitive or contested situation, using evidence and clear trade-offs.
3. Making Effective Decisions: Show a time-critical decision you have made under uncertainty and risk (accuracy, propriety, reputational impact), the options you weighed, and the outcome.

The lead criterion is: Technical skill

If we receive a high volume of applications, we’ll first sift using the lead criterion only. Those meeting the minimum score will then be assessed against all remaining criteria.

Interview Stage

If you are successful at the application stage, you will be invited to interview where you will be assessed against the following criteria:

• Experience
• Strengths
• Behaviours: Leadership, Communicating and Influencing, Making Effective Decisions

Interview Task / Presentation

Prior to your interview, we will contact you about a task / presentation that the panel would like you to deliver as part of the assessment. Further details will be communicated to you nearer the time.

Behaviours

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

• Leadership
• Communicating and Influencing
• Making Effective Decisions

Technical skills

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

• Leading the operational delivery of a high-profile comms package across digital channels, including coordination, governance/clearance, and measurable impact.

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £57,670, HM Treasury contributes £16,706 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

• Generous Annual Leave - 25 days (rising to 30 after 5 years), plus public holidays and the King’s birthday.
• Outstanding Pension Scheme - Defined Benefit pension with employer contributions of 28.97%
• Parental Leave Packages - Including 6 months’ occupational pay for maternity/adoption, shared parental leave options.
• Flexible & Hybrid Working - Options include part-time, job-share, compressed hours, flexitime, and hybrid working (where business needs allow).
• Advance Schemes & Discounts - Rental deposit, cycle-to-work, SmartTech, season ticket loans, and access to HM Treasury’s benefits portal for a wide range of discount codes.

You can review HM Treasury’s full offer here.

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, Experience and Technical skills.

Candidate Guidance

Please review the candidate guidance for an overview of the Success Profiles and STAR approach, along with top tips for applications and interviews.

Recruitment Timeline

• Closing date: Sunday June 28th 2026 before 23:55
• Shortlisting: Week commencing June 29th 2026
• Interviews: Week commencing July 13th 2026

This timeline is indicative and may be subject to change. We will inform you if there is a substantial change to the recruitment timeline.

If your contact details change at any time during the selection process, please ensure you update your Civil Service Jobs Profile.

Reserve Lists

You will be placed on a reserve list if your application is successful, but we cannot offer you a role immediately. Where more than one location has been advertised, candidates will be posted in merit order by location. You will be asked to provide your location preference on your application form. Please note that a place on the reserve list does not guarantee an offer.

If you are offered a role in your first preferred location and you decline the offer or are unable to take up the post within a reasonable timeframe, you will be removed from the reserve list, other than in exceptional circumstances.

Those on the reserve list may also be approached for similar roles at a lower grade. If you are offered a role at a lower grade and choose to decline, you can remain on the reserve list.

Internal Fraud Database Check

Candidates cannot apply to roles in the Civil Service if the application is made within a 5-year period following a dismissal for carrying out internal fraud against government.

Successful candidates will be subject to a check on the Internal Fraud Database. This check will provide information about employees who have been dismissed for fraud or dishonesty offences. This also applies to those who resign or otherwise leave before being dismissed for fraud or dishonesty offences had their employment continued. Any applicant’s details held on the database will be refused employment.

National Security Vetting

Everyone working with government assets must complete Baseline Personnel Security Standard (BPSS) checks. Additionally, successful candidates will be subject to National Security Vetting. The level of security vetting required for this role is Security Check (SC).

To allow for meaningful checks to be carried out, applicants will need to have lived in the UK for at least 3 out of the past 5 years. You will be asked to provide residency information within your application form, and eligibility for national security vetting will be checked once the advert closing date has passed. In certain circumstances, for example if you have been working abroad on a government posting, a lack of residency would not be a bar to security clearance however the Department will need to consider eligibility on a case-by-case basis once the advert closing date has passed.

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 : lizzie.carse@hmtreasury.gov.uk
• Email : lizzie.carse@hmtreasury.gov.uk

Recruitment team

• Email : hrrecruitment@hmtreasury.gov.uk

Further information

Complaints Process: Our recruitment process is underpinned by the principle of appointment based on 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 HMT by email at: hrrecruitment@hmtreasury.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.

Attachments

Role Profile - G7 Deputy Head of Digital Communications Opens in new window (pdf, 108kB)