Director of Communications & Engagement

Job summary

Why this role matters

This is not a traditional communications role in the Civil Service role. This is an opportunity to lead a fundamental transformation in how the Government informs and connects with citizens in an era of rapid technological change, evolving media consumption, and the critical challenge of building public trust.

And it is an exciting time to join the Home Office. We are undertaking a major transformation of the department under the Future Home Office programme, driving a significant improvement in delivery and performance, increasing our agility to respond to emerging challenges, and creating an organisation that all staff are motivated and proud to work for. As an advisor to the Home Secretary and Permanent Secretary, who play a pivotal role in shaping and guiding this work, you will play a critical senior role in not only helping to communicate this transformation and its importance to staff and colleagues, but also in driving improvements through your own communications team. As the most senior communications advisor in the Home Office and a member of the cross-government communications leadership group, you will build on the department’s formidable existing communications capability by actively leading and embracing further change and innovation, guided by a strong entrepreneurial mindset.

This is a pivotal role. You will operate at the heart of Government decision-making, shaping how policies and priorities are communicated to the public. Your work will directly influence the impact of Government policy, democratic engagement and the perception of Government, both domestically and internationally.

Audience-focused and insight-driven, you will bring consumer marketing and storytelling expertise to public service communication. You will boldly champion modern communications – putting the Home Office at the forefront of a cultural shift across Government communications from reactive, press-first communications to integrated always-on campaigns, embracing digital innovation, leveraging responsible AI and boldly putting citizens at the heart of our planning and delivery.

You will be part of a senior peer network of Government Communications leaders, collectively responsible for a Civil Service profession of communicators across departments, agencies and arm’s-length bodies.

Job description

Key accountabilities

As the most senior comms leader in the Home Office, you will:

• Provide decisive, expert counsel to the Home Secretary, ministers and Permanent Secretary on the communication of Home Office priorities and reputation management and work proactively with departmental senior leaders as their top comms advisor.
• Shape the senior leadership of Government Communications across the profession - visibly co-leading the Modernising Govt Comms strategy, driving collaboration and building a truly mission-led profession
• You will partner with policy colleagues to integrate communications thinking into the policy-making process, using insight, data, evaluation, and behavioural science to strengthen policy outcomes and public engagement
• Develop compelling narratives that connect Government priorities to real‑world citizen stories, building partnerships with content creators, community partners, influencers and leaders across the system
• Design and deliver creative high-impact behaviour change campaigns that align with the government’s narrative and drive strategic outcomes, directly enabling policy priorities and measurably improving public trust
• Lead crisis communications, with accountability for comms strategies through departmental or national crisis, protecting and rebuilding public trust and departmental reputation.
• Forge strong relationships with No.10, Cabinet Office and all Government departments ensuring joined-up delivery of both the Prime Minister’s and the department’s priorities
• Drive the digital transformation of communications delivery and champion deep audience insight - harnessing data, social listening and AI tools, bringing the voice of the citizen back to government to ensure communications is embedded at the start of policymaking
• Lead and develop a high performing, multi-disciplinary communications directorate, with accountability for ensuring your team has the highest professional standards and capabilities, and championing an inclusive, future-focused culture.

Person specification

Essential Criteria

You will be an exceptional senior communications leader with a strong track record of delivery for large, complex organisations. You will be able to demonstrate your capability and potential against the following essential criteria:

• Marketing and storytelling mindset with demonstrable experience of audience-led, insight-driven campaigns. You understand segmentation, targeting and positioning. You have proven success developing multi-channel campaigns and creative content strategies with clear evaluation metrics and measurable impact—including large-scale behaviour-change or trust-building campaigns.
• Senior advisory and influencing skills - excellent interpersonal and influencing skills as a trusted adviser with diverse stakeholders internally and externally, including at Board, C-suite and ministerial (or equivalent) level. You have experience advising and influencing at the most senior levels with political acumen and emotional intelligence.
• Demonstrable experience leading digital transformation in communications, with deep understanding of how to harness the most effective digital platforms and traditional media.
• Proven crisis management and transformation leadership - experience leading communications transformation with excellent judgement to manage crises, reputational risk and politically sensitive issues. An awareness of public sentiment and proven experience using this information to inform decision-making.
• Exceptional leadership of multi-disciplinary teams - a resilient leader with experience leading transformation, building capability and fostering a creative and impact-focused team.

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £120,000, Home Office contributes £34,764 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).

• 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

Saxton Bampfylde Ltd is acting as an employment agency advisor to the Home Office on this appointment. Candidates should apply for this role through Saxton Bampfylde’s website at https://roles.saxbam.com using code OHFD no later than 23:55hrs on Monday 20th July 2026.

Click on the ‘apply’ button and follow the instructions to upload the following:

• A CV– (max 2 pages) 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.​​
• A Statement of Suitability– (1250 words) providing examples of how your experience meets the essential criteria.​​ This is your opportunity to give examples and show how your skills and experience fit the job requirements.

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 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 : Maria Dodson
• Email : Maria.Dodson@saxbam.com

Recruitment team

• Email : scsrecruitment@homeoffice.gov.uk

Further information

The Commission publishes a guide that outlines its approach to handling a complaint under the Recruitment Principles. This can be accessed at http://civilservicecommission.independent.gov.uk/civil-service-recruitm…. We would recommend you read this guidance before submitting a complaint.
Complaints should be sent in writing to: Civil Service Commission, Room G8, 1 Horse Guards Road, London, SW1A 2HQ.

Attachments

Home Office, Director of Communications and Engagement - Candidate Pack Opens in new window (pdf, 2367kB)