Visits and Engagement Officer

Job summary

The AGO is a ministerial department serving the Attorney General and the Solicitor General (the Law Officers). The Law Officers are the Government’s chief legal advisers.

The Law Officers make important decisions that affect public life. Among other things, they decide whether to send criminal sentences that may be too low to the Court of Appeal; whether to open inquests into deaths (for example, the Attorney General made the decision to open new inquests into the deaths at Hillsborough); are the Government’s chief legal advisors, providing advice to both the Prime Minister and Secretaries of State on a range of pressing issues touching on every aspect of daily life in the UK; and they represent the Crown Prosecution Service and Serious Fraud Office in Parliament.

The Office comprises around 72 multidisciplinary, engaged and high performing team members advising and supporting the Law Officers in all aspects of their work. We pride ourselves on our problem-solving creativity, sophisticated political and handling awareness, and smart ways of working.

The Law Officers also work alongside the Justice Secretary and Home Secretary to provide a more efficient, effective, and accountable criminal justice system for victims and the public.

The AGO comprises a high-performing, multi-disciplinary, engaged, and resilient team that prides itself on our:

• legal professional excellence and creativity;
• role and reputation;
• team spirit, ethos, and values; and
• individual development and wellbeing.

While the workload can be demanding and there may be times of pressure, the AGO is committed to staff wellbeing and ensuring colleagues have all the support and resources they need to succeed and ensuring our staff maintain a healthy work-life balance. AGO operates a hybrid working policy where there is a requirement of 60% office attendance.

AGO supports the Civil Service vision of being recognised as the UK’s most inclusive employer, by setting stretching diversity and equality objectives for our organisation.

AGO is an employer which promotes equality and aims to reflect the diversity of the society in which we live. It is committed to maximising the skills and potential of all its staff. We welcome applications from all suitably qualified persons irrespective of disability, race, colour, nationality, ethnic or national origins, gender, age, sexual orientation, gender reassignment, marital status or religion/belief.

Further information about the work of the Law Officers and the Office can be found at www.gov.uk/ago

Job description

We are looking for an ambitious and highly organised communications professional to join a growing communications function in a fascinating and varied department. As a member of a multi-disciplinary Communications Team, your key focus will be supporting the Head of Visits on the management, organisation and delivery of high-profile visits involving ministers.

You will work with the Head of Visits to ensure every visit runs smoothly – from initial concept and delivery right through to evaluation and factoring in lessons learned to forward planning – always keeping sight of the bigger picture. You may also be required to attend visits alongside the Ministers, so a flexible approach and willingness to travel is essential.

Beyond visits, you will also be an excellent evaluator, able to apply the GCS evaluation framework to assess the success of communications activity across the team. This means evaluating the performance of visits, external campaigns, media engagements and internal communications.

This is a unique opportunity where you’ll get to pitch in and work across the communications mix, from visits and evaluation to internal communications and external campaigns. We're looking for someone who brings fresh thinking and innovative ideas to everything they do and a desire to gain experience across different communications disciplines.

Responsibilities will include:

• Supporting the Head of Visits to plan, coordinate and deliver ministerial visits, ensuring smooth delivery and execution from start to finish.
• Coordinating across visits workstreams and stakeholders to build and maintain a forward look of visits and events, aligned with wider strategic priorities.
• Attending visits regularly to provide communications support, including photography and videography as needed.
• Work closely and build strong relationships with Private Offices, Policy and other stakeholders to ensure logistics, briefings and risks are managed well.
• Support the development and delivery of innovative internal communications.
• Use the GCS Evaluation framework to assess the performance of communications activity across the team, including external campaigns and internal communications.
• Bring creative and innovative ideas to help enhance the impact of visits and internal communications.

Person specification

We are looking for the below skills, experience and behaviours and we will ask you to demonstrate these in your application form.

Essential Criteria:

1. Proven experience of planning and delivering visits and/or events in a fast-paced environment.
2. Strong stakeholder management and relationship building skills across a wide range of stakeholders.
3. Strong understanding of the GCS evaluation framework, with the ability to assess the performance of communications activity, and make improvements.
4. Exceptional organisational and project management skills, with the ability to manage multiple priorities, competing deadlines and last-minute changes.
5. Willingness and ability to travel regularly to attend visits, sometimes at short notice.
6. Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to adapt your approach for different audiences.
7. Experience producing engaging internal communications materials.
8. Strong digital skills, with the ability to create innovative photo and video content to enhance the impact of visits and internal communications.
9. A willingness to work across the communications disciplines, from visits and evaluation to internal comms and campaigns.

Behaviours

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

• Communicating and Influencing
• Delivering at Pace
• Changing and Improving

Technical skills

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

• Insight
• Impact

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £36,758, Attorney General's Office contributes £10,648 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 with an employer contribution of 28.97%

Contract Terms

The successful candidate must satisfy all requirements for Security Check (SC) Clearance. Please note you are required to apply for and obtain SC clearance prior to commencing employment in this role. Failure to secure the necessary clearance will result in the withdrawal of the employment offer.

The vacancy will be filled on Fixed Term or on Loan for an initial period of two years, with the possibility of an extension by mutual agreement. It is envisaged that the successful candidate will take up post within six – eight weeks of a job offer being made. If the incumbent is applying on temporary promotion, they will revert to their previous substantive grade and salary after the loan. There is the potential for permanent inward transfer, although this is by exception. Several criteria must be met concerning individual performance, business need and individual career development. A copy of AGO’s policy on secondment extensions and inward transfers can be made available upon request.

The transfer would be considered voluntary and so would not attract excess fares, travel costs or relocation costs.

Please note, due to the nature of loan agreements and the necessary release of staff into a new role, candidates will be required to discuss the loan and transfer with management at their home department prior to application. We will require confirmation that you have discussed this with management and they are content to release you into a new role, upon acceptance of any role.

Please note that any move across the Civil Service on or after October 2018 may have implications on an employee’s ability to carry on claiming childcare vouchers. You may however be eligible to claim tax free childcare.

Salary

Existing civil servants on level transfer will retain their current basic salary if it is within the AGO pay range. If your salary is higher than AGO maxima you will be placed on the maxima of the pay range and receive the difference as a mark-time allowance, if agreed by HR.

Where your salary is below AGO’s minima you will be raised to the minima of the pay range £36.758. Any reserved rights to London Weighting or associated London allowances, will be consolidated into basic salary before the uplift to AGO’s minima. Any other allowances will not be retained on moving to AGO. If this results in your salary exceeding the pay range maxima, you will retain the difference on a mark-time basis.

On promotion there will be an increase of 10% to your current basic salary, or move to the pay range minima, whichever is the highest. If you are in receipt of any reserved rights to London Weighting or associated London allowances, these will be consolidated after applying the 10% promotion calculation. After this calculation if your salary is below the minima of the pay range, you will be moved to the minima of the pay range. Any other allowances will not be retained on promotion.

Hours and Holiday

You will be expected to work a 5-day week of 37 hours (excluding lunch breaks).

AGO is committed to flexible working, but business needs for some roles may limit the scope for particular working patterns. You are encouraged to contact the relevant manager to discuss the position for specific roles.

The annual leave allowance for those who joined the Civil Service before 1st July 2013 is 26.5 days per annum, and then 31.5 days after 5 years’ service, plus 9 public and privilege days.

For those who joined the Civil Service on or after 1st July 2013, or those on modernised terms and conditions, the annual leave allowance is 25 days rising to 30 days, plus 9 public and privilege days.

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.

Applicants must be able to demonstrate the following Success Profiles behaviours in your application and at the interview at HEO level:

Behaviours

• Communicating and Influencing (Lead Behaviour)
• Delivering at Pace
• Changing and Improving

Your application will be sifted by an AGO panel. In the event that we receive a high number of applications, an initial sift will be carried out on the leadbehaviour: Communicating and Influencing.

Technical

• Insight
• Impact

Working for the AGO means you will be a part of the Government Communications Service (GCS). We'll assess you during the interview against these technical skills outlined in the GCS Competency Framework.

Interviews will take place week commencing 9 February 2026 in person at our AGO Offices. Please note this may be subject to change.

Candidates will be asked to talk through a communications scenario and will be contacted before the interview with the topic.

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

Please note this Post is NOT regulated by the Civil Service Commission.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

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 : Asif Siddiquee
• Email : Asif.Siddiquee@attorneygeneral.gov.uk

Recruitment team

• Email : Recruitment@attorneygeneral.gov.uk

Attachments

HEO Visits and Engagement Officer - Candidate Pack Opens in new window (pdf, 409kB)