Internal Communication Manager, Civil Service and Cabinet Office Communication

Job summary

The Cabinet Office supports the Prime Minister. It ensures the smooth running of government from developing policy to modernising public services. Home to cross-government functions, the Cabinet Office is a vibrant, modern and exciting place to work.

The Cabinet Office's Purpose is to ensure that the government works together to deliver for the people of the United Kingdom.

The Cabinet Office Communications team plays an essential role in delivering the Cabinet Office purpose through targeted communications to citizens, partners and the 500,000 employees who work across the Civil Service.

As part of the team, you will also be a member of the Government Communication Service with fantastic learning and development opportunities. You’ll join a team that is committed to our values:

• treating everyone with respect;
• actively collaborating; and
• building trust.

Job description

This is an opportunity to join the Cabinet Office Communication team and work with the UK Government’s most influential partners and deliver impactful communications for Cabinet Office and Civil Service staff and their senior officials.

You will be working on Cabinet Office-specific internal communication as well as some Civil Service-wide communication.

As part of the role, you will:

• help us enhance our communications, campaigns and engagement capability, improve how we cascade and amplify our messages to, and via, key partners and the service we provide to our lead officials
• manage and develop high-quality communication products for civil servants across the UK
• ensure that planning is proactive, coordinating and managing content across all appropriate channels
• advise colleagues, supporting them to identify a clear purpose and get the impact they need to support their strategic objectives
• make sure content follows corporate identity branding and writing style
• test the success of content and channels to identify any gaps and improvements, evaluating for success and lessons learned

Overall, the job requires strong writing skills, stakeholder management skills, excellent organisation, the ability to quickly and effectively make decisions, confident time management, and a desire to do something a little bit different every day.

Person specification

Main accountabilities include:

• supporting the team’s effective coordination and management of the planning process, in line with taking a campaign approach (OASIS)
• working across the organisation to source, write and edit news and articles that demonstrate the organisation’s vision and purpose and celebrate and showcase staff achievements
• delivering creative, high-quality multimedia communication content across a range of channels
• support at events including monthly Cabinet Office All Staff Calls and Civil Service Live, one of the largest learning events in Europe
• providing appropriate challenges to ensure material is what staff want to read
• being a champion for corporate identity branding and writing style and ensuring all internal communications content complies with this
• gathering insight on staff communication usage, needs and preferences. Using this data to inform the selection of communication channels
• assess the effectiveness and impact of communication and deliver changes to products and channels in response to feedback

Essential criteria

You must provide evidence of:

• relevant communications experience in producing multimedia content to strict deadlines
• creative flair and sensible news judgement to write engaging news stories and articles
• a good knowledge of communication good practices
• effective relationship management and influencing skills

Desirable criteria

• communication campaign management experience
• working with content management systems, audio or visual software
• an understanding, and advocacy for, the principles of staff engagement
• ability to apply evaluation and insight to drive forward engagement and product improvement
• an in-depth understanding of channels relevant to staff engagement including the role of digital technology in communication as well as face-to-face communication

Additional information:

A minimum 60% of your working time should be spent at your principal workplace. Although requirements to attend other locations for official business will also count towards this level of attendance.

Behaviours

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

• Communicating and Influencing
• Managing a Quality Service
• Delivering at Pace
• Seeing the Big Picture

Technical skills

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

• Analysis exercise

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £40,974, Cabinet Office contributes £11,870 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 which provides an attractive pension, benefits for dependants and employer contributions of 28.97%.
• A minimum of 25 days of paid annual leave, increasing by one day per year up to a maximum of 30.

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, Experience and Technical skills.

Application process

As part of the application process you will be asked to complete a CV and personal statement. Further details around what this will entail are listed on the application form.

Should a large number of applications be received, an initial sift may be conducted using the Personal Statement. Candidates who pass the initial sift may be progressed to a full sift, or progressed straight to assessment/interview.

Selection process

Behaviours

We will assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:

• Communicating and Influencing
• Managing a Quality Service
• Delivering at Pace
• Seeing the Big Picture

Technical

If progressed to interview stage, there will be a short written analysis/exercise task, details of which will be sent to candidates invited to interview

Expected timeline (subject to change)
Expected sift date – tbc
Expected interview date/s – tbc
Interview location - Your interview will either be conducted face to face or by video. You will be notified of the location if you are selected for interview.

Further Information

This role is full time only. Applicants who wish to work an alternative pattern are welcome to apply however your preferred working pattern may not be available and you should discuss this with the vacancy holder before applying.

A reserve list may be held for a period of 12 months from which further appointments can be made.

Any move to Cabinet Office from another employer will mean you can no longer access childcare vouchers. This includes moves between government departments. You may however be eligible for other government schemes, including Tax Free Childcare; for further information visit the Childcare Choices website.

Reasonable Adjustment

If a person with disabilities is put at a substantial disadvantage compared to a non-disabled person, we have a duty to make reasonable changes to our processes.

If you need a change to be made so that you can make your application, you should:

Contact Government Recruitment Service via cabinetofficerecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk as soon as possible before the closing date to discuss your needs.

Complete the ‘Assistance required’ section in the ‘Additional requirements’ page of your application form to tell us what changes or help you might need further on in the recruitment process. For instance, you may need wheelchair access at interview, or if you’re deaf, a Language Service Professional.

If successful and transferring from another Government Department a criminal record check may be carried out.

In order to process applications without delay, we will be sending a Criminal Record Check to Disclosure and Barring Service on your behalf.

However, we recognise in exceptional circumstances some candidates will want to send their completed forms direct. If you will be doing this, please advise Government Recruitment Service of your intention by emailing Pre-EmploymentChecks.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk stating the job reference number in the subject heading.

Please note that this role requires SC clearance, which would normally need 5 years’ UK residency in the past 5 years. This is not an absolute requirement, but supplementary checks may be needed where individuals have not lived in the UK for that period. This may mean your security clearance (and therefore your appointment) will take longer or, in some cases, not be possible.

For further information on National Security Vetting please visit the Demystifying Vetting website.

New entrants are expected to join on the minimum of the pay band.

Applicants who are successful at interview will be, as part of pre-employment screening, subject to a check on the Internal Fraud Database (IFD). This check will provide information about employees who have been dismissed for fraud or dishonesty offences. This check also applies to employees who resign or otherwise leave before being dismissed for fraud or dishonesty had their employment continued. Any applicant’s details held on the IFD will be refused employment.

A candidate is not eligible to apply for a role within the Civil Service if the application is made within a 5 year period following a dismissal for carrying out internal fraud against government.

If you are experiencing accessibility problems with any attachments on this advert, please contact the email address in the 'Contact point for applicants' section.

Please note terms and conditions are attached. Please take time to read the document to determine how these may affect you.

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 : Sam Robinson
• Email : sam.robinson@cabinetoffice.gov.uk

Recruitment team

• Email : cabinetofficerecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk

Further information

Appointment to the Civil Service is governed by the Civil Service Commission’s Recruitment Principles. If you feel that your application has not been treated in accordance with the Recruitment Principles, and wish to make a complaint, then in the first instance you should contact Government Recruitment Service by email at : cabinetofficerecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk
If you are not satisfied with the response you receive, then you can contact the Civil Service Commission at info@csc.gov.uk. For further information on the Recruitment Principles and bringing a complaint to the Civil Service Commission, please visit their website at: https://civilservicecommission.independent.gov.uk.

Attachments

Cabinet Office Employee Offer Opens in new window (pdf, 302kB)Cabinet Office Terms and Conditions - External 2025-02-20 Opens in new window (docx, 94kB)