Strategy & Communications Planning Specialist

Job summary

The role and responsibilities

As a Communications Planning Specialist, you’ll play a key role in helping The Pensions Regulator deliver clear, well‑timed and purposeful communications that support our strategic objectives and ultimately help protect savers. You’ll bring colleagues together from across the organisation to co‑ordinate internal and external activity, making sure our messages land effectively and our work is aligned to what matters most. Your planning will shape how we communicate across media, digital channels, speeches, stakeholder engagement and colleague updates, ensuring everything fits into a coherent and forward‑looking plan.

You’ll run our communications grid, build trusted relationships across the Strategy & Communications Directorate and beyond, and support senior stakeholders with thoughtful advice on timing, risks and opportunities. You’ll also carry out horizon scanning to help us stay ahead of emerging issues in the pensions landscape and evaluate our activity so we can continuously improve. This role offers the chance to collaborate widely, develop your expertise and make a meaningful impact on the way TPR engages the people who rely on us.

Job description

The role criteria

• Experience in a communications planning role with strong organisational, planning and project‑management skills.
• Knowledge of best practice in corporate communications or internal/stakeholder engagement, and understanding of current tools and techniques.
• Knowledge of effective communication and its role in achieving engagement or behaviour‑change goals.
• Ability to use good judgement and provide clear communication advice to senior stakeholders.
• Ability to solve problems creatively and work positively with complex challenges.
• Experience evaluating communications and turning insights into practical improvements.
• Ability to build trusted relationships and work collaboratively with internal and external stakeholders.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills across different channels and audiences.
• Experience co‑ordinating matrix‑style groups of communication specialists to deliver shared plans.
• Confident use of Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, Teams and Excel, with the ability to learn new tools.

Person specification

This role is ideal for someone who:

• Enjoys bringing clarity and structure to complex information.
• Likes working collaboratively with diverse teams and building strong relationships. Feels motivated by helping colleagues plan and deliver purposeful communications.
• Is comfortable anticipating risks and opportunities and offering thoughtful guidance.
• Values continuous learning and improving how things are done.

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £46,211, Pensions Regulator contributes £13,387 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

• The team

  The Internal Communications team informs and engages colleagues so they can perform at their best and deliver on TPR’s purpose to protect savers. The team turns individual stories into a shared organisational narrative, creating a sense of collective ownership while preserving and evolving the core message that connects our work.

  The team plays a key role in helping colleagues keep TPR’s promises and ensuring the organisation is seen as a clearer, quicker and tougher regulator by those we regulate, partner with and influence. The team supports colleagues through ongoing change and transformation, helping them understand what is happening, why it matters, and how they contribute.

  Using all key internal channels, the Internal Communications team delivers targeted, effective content that strengthens culture, builds alignment, and supports colleagues to live TPR’s vision and values.

  TPR offers:

  • Genuine opportunities for learning and development.
  • A values-led, inclusive environment.
  • Hybrid working and flexible shift patterns.
  • A vibrant workplace with employee networks (Disability, Family, LGBT+, Minority Ethnic, Mental Health, Women’s).

  Reward and benefits

  We offer 25 days annual leave plus bank holidays, a hybrid working model, 35 hour working week (full-time), flexible working patterns, and flexitime. We also provide competitive parental leave, as well as a Civil Service Pension with an average employer contribution of 28.97%. Our dedicated benefits portal (Edenred) offers retail, gym, tech and restaurant discounts, and a cycle to work scheme.

  Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

  Our culture

  TPR strives to be a high-performing organisation, and we prioritise our people's growth and well-being. We offer various learning, secondment and development opportunities, support flexible working, and foster a diverse and inclusive environment.

  Equality, diversity and inclusion is very important to us and we strive to make sure everyone has an equal opportunity to succeed. Our modern Brighton offices are in Telecom House overlooking Preston Park, they are over two floors of a shared building facility and when designed in 2023 we followed the government’s workplace design guide to ensure accessibility by design was achieved for our section.

  We're proud to have a range of networks and opportunities to bring people together with supportive and safe spaces to connect with one another.

  About The Pensions Regulator

  With a career at TPR, you’ll be joining an organisation with real purpose and who are proud of their diverse range of skills and experience that positively impact on millions of people. Everyone at TPR plays an important role in helping to keep more than £2trn of savings safe.

  Our Corporate Strategy outlines a bold and challenging vision of how pensions regulation should continue to evolve to keep pace with a change in the scale and nature of the pensions landscape. We believe diversity and inclusion are vital to good decision-making for positive saver outcomes. We’re committed to creating a supportive, inclusive, and dynamic work environment where everyone can thrive; understanding the link between the work we do and its positive impact on society.

  Find out more about us.

  Diversity and inclusion

  TPR is committed to promoting diversity, inclusion and equality in the workplace, creating an environment where everyone is encouraged to be themselves, enabling our people to feel supported, represented and do their best work.

  We encourage applicants from all backgrounds and with different identities and experiences to apply for roles with TPR.

  Further information

  Please visit our website to find out what it is like to work at TPR, our culture, interview process and our commitment to our employees.

  If you have any queries about this role, or if you have a disability and wish to request a reasonable adjustment at any stage of the recruitment process, please email recruitmentteam@tpr.gov.uk.

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

• Applications

  To avoid disappointment, we would invite you to submit your application as soon as possible, as we reserve the right to close the vacancy early if a high volume of applications are received. This is to ensure that we can continue to provide a positive candidate experience, with each application being reviewed and considered. Unfortunately, once a vacancy has closed, we are unable to consider further applications.

  Current TPR employees who want to apply for this vacancy should first contact their line manager to discuss their application.

  We welcome applications on a part time and job share basis.

  Selection and interview

  If you are shortlisted for interview, we’ll be in contact with you shortly after the closing date. We aim to respond to every application however due to the large volume of applications this is not always possible. If you have not heard from us within 21 days of submitting your application, please assume you have been unsuccessful on this occasion.

  As a Disability Confident Employer, we’re committed to the recruitment, employment, retention, and development of people with disabilities, and to improving their employment opportunities. Candidates who declare that they have a disability and who meet the essential criteria will be an offered an interview. Please note that if we receive a high volume of Disability Confident applicants, we reserve the right to offer an interview to those who best meet the essential criteria.

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

Security

People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

Nationality requirements

Open to UK nationals only.

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.

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

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 : recruitmentteam@tpr.gov.uk
• Email : recruitmentteam@tpr.gov.uk

Recruitment team

• Email : recruitmentteam@tpr.gov.uk