Head of Creative Social Media

Job summary

We are MHCLG

As the Head of Creative Social Media, you will work alongside the Head of Social Media Content to lead a team within the Communications Directorate that designs and delivers our social media strategy. You will lead a team of digital communicators, content creators and channel managers, directing the production of engaging social media content for Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) corporate channels, as well as leading the department’s content creator strategy to help government reach wider audiences.

As part of the Press, Social Media, External Affairs and Visits team, you will work closely with colleagues across the department to identify opportunities to engage audiences on the Government’s priorities. You will find and pursue opportunities to communicate our work to build more homes, improve living standards and devolve power out of Westminster to local leaders. You will champion a social-first approach to communications, ensuring departmental channels deliver engaging, audience-focused content that informs, influences and connects with the public. You will be an experienced communications leader with a track record of working in fast-paced environments, managing risk, demonstrating excellent judgement, influencing senior stakeholders and solving complex communications challenges. You will be capable of developing and motivating a high-performing team while operating effectively under pressure.

Job description

• Promote a social-first culture that empowers the team to think creatively, act at pace and deliver highly engaging content that cuts through to key audiences while maintaining strong standards of judgement and risk management.

• Lead the team in identifying key stakeholders and content creators with trusted audiences to maximise the reach and relevance of departmental communications.

• Foster a culture of creativity, innovation and pace, ensuring the team identifies emerging social media trends, audience conversations and cultural moments, and develops timely content that supports departmental objectives and reaches audiences in engaging ways.

• Be a confident representative of and advocate for MHCLG, representing the department across the Government Communication Service and with special advisers and partners across government.

• Lead an efficient, high-performing team that provides expert social media advice at pace to ministers and senior leaders, and works collaboratively across the Communications Directorate to ensure activity is aligned.

• Play a leading role in the senior management team within MHCLG’s News, Social Media and Visits function, ensuring activity is coordinated and aligned with wider departmental communications.

Person specification

• Significant experience working in a social media environment, developing engaging content for social media platforms, including filming and editing content.

• Proven track record of working with partners, stakeholders and content creators to develop engaging and effective communications.

• Experience managing corporate channels and supporting senior leaders to communicate effectively through social media.

• The ability to segment audiences using insight and create targeted communications that resonate with different groups.

• Excellent judgement and a proven ability to identify emerging social media trends, audience behaviours and cultural moments, fostering a culture of creativity and pace that enables teams to translate insight into timely, impactful content while responding effectively to live events and evolving platforms.

• Understanding of the Government’s priorities and the ability to work collaboratively with other government departments to communicate the Government’s work.

• Experience leading and developing high-performing teams, embedding effective ways of working and maintaining high communications standards in line with Government Communication Service and No.10 expectations.

• Experience using insight, performance data and trend analysis to evaluate content, identify opportunities and continuously improve the effectiveness of social media activity.

• The ability to react quickly and confidently in developing situations, managing competing priorities across a broad policy portfolio and delivering high-quality communications advice to demanding deadlines.

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £65,820, Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government contributes £19,068 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).At MHCLG we offer many benefits that range from tailored career pathways and flexible working to MyLifestyle Staff Benefits Scheme, Childcare Vouchers, and Cycle to Work Schemes. For more information, please click 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

Application and Selection

The application process will be split into 2 stages, testing the following Success Profiles:

Behaviours , Experience , Technical

Stage 1: Sift

Lead sift question:
In no more than 250 words, please outline the social media project you are most proud of and why, and what were the metrics and impact of the project. If you are invited to the interview stage then you will be required to show this project as part of a show reel presentation, so this must be a genuine project that you have delivered.

If we receive many applications, we may conduct an initial sift using the lead question listed in the advert. Candidates who pass the initial sift may be progressed to a full sift or progressed straight to interview.

Please share your CV and a personal statement of no more than 700 words setting out how you meet the skills required in this role.

If you run into any technical problems when applying through Be Applied (for example, trouble logging in or submitting your application), their support team can help. Please contact them at hello@beapplied.com.

Please ensure your CV does not contain any personally identifiable information. We do not consider CV applications sent directly to our inbox. All applications must be
submitted via the provided application link.
Important: Your CV and personal statement must be merged into a single document before uploading.

Stage 2: Interview

Behaviours: Communicating and influencing, Delivering at Pace, Changing and improving
Experience: Experience questions will be based around the essential skills and criteria as listed in the job description.
Technical: Candidates will be asked to prepare a 5-minute presentation, further details will be provided on invitation to interview.

Sift and Interview Dates

Sifting is envisaged to take place the week commencing 05/10/26.

Interviews are envisaged to take place the week commencing 19/10/26. This could be subject to change.

Interviews will be held in person in 2 Marsham Street.

Disability Confident Scheme (DCS)

We are a Disability Confident employer.

We apply a fair and proportionate interview process for all candidates. In line with our commitment to the Disability Confident Scheme (DCS), we aim to progress candidates who apply under the Disability Confident Scheme and meet the required minimum selection criteria.

However, where high application volumes are received, progression to interview may be limited to those who best meet the role criteria. In these circumstances, the benchmark required to proceed to interview may be raised for all candidates.

How We Recruit

Find out more about our recruitment processes here.

• Applying

• Sifting

• Interview

• Interview Results & Feedback

• Reserve List

• Near Miss

• Civil Service Grades

• We are a Disability Confident Scheme, Redeployment Interview scheme & Great Place to Work for Veterans employer

• Reasonable Adjustments

How to Apply

Find out everything you need to know before applying here.

You must review the following information from the MHCLG Career's Site before submitting your application. This step is essential to ensure your eligibility for the role and that your application is completed correctly.

• Security Clearance Requirements

• Civil Service Nationality Requirements

• Right to Work

• Civil Service Code and Recruitment Principles

• CV Declaration

• Sponsorships

• Salary and Grade

• Existing Civil Servants

• Conflict of Interest

• Location and Flexible Working

• Internal Fraud Database

• Appeals and Complaints

• Fixed Term Appointments for:

• External Candidates

• Existing Civil Servants (Including Loans)

• Secondments

• MHCLG employees

Security Clearance Requirements

London Office: BPSS + SC

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

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a basic (or equivalent) 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 : Charlotte Bransgrove
• Email : charlotte.bransgrove@communities.gov.uk

Recruitment team

• Email : recruitment@communities.gov.uk

Further information

If you are unsure about any part of the process or require additional information about the post to enable you to progress your application, you should speak to the Resourcing team - recruitment@communities.gov.uk. Candidates can appeal at any stage of the recruitment process if they believe there has been:

a procedural irregularity

an infringement of the Civil Service equal opportunities policy

exceptional circumstances which were not notified to the interview panel which might have affected performance on the day.

It is important to note that these are appeals about the process not the decision. In the first instance, an appeal should be directed to the MHCLG Resourcing Hub at recruitment@communities.gov.uk.

If the MHCLG Resourcing Hub is unable to satisfactorily resolve your complaint, you may contact put your complaint in writing to the Civil Service Commission, Room G8,1 Horse Guards Road, London, SW1A 2HQ or by email to: info@csc.gov.uk