22925 - Communications Manager

Ministry of Justice UK•National City, CA

7d•£42,914 - £53,081•Hybrid

About The Position

We are looking for an enthusiastic communications professional with experience of working in large organisations and with senior leaders, to lead and deliver operational and wider cultural campaigns and updates to HMPPS staff. You will help develop and deliver campaigns, updates and strategies which reach and engage the frontline, keeping them up to date with the latest operational and corporate messages. You will be comfortable working with senior leaders in a nationally dispersed and hierarchical structure to support their priority messages. You will spend time in operational settings, developing good relationships with staff networks and the frontline to better understand how they consume content and champion their needs. You will be a champion for GCS standards, supporting the development and upskilling of embedded communicators across the Agency. You will be an advocate for insight and evaluation, ensuring all your products are robustly evaluated and are based on evidence. You will play an active role in the HMPPS and wider MoJ Communications Team culture and thrive in a fast-moving, high pressure role supporting people who work in difficult circumstances, often with the most vulnerable and complex personalities.

Requirements

Experience of working in large organisations
Experience working with senior leaders
Experience developing and delivering campaigns, updates and strategies
Experience working with senior leaders in a nationally dispersed and hierarchical structure
Experience spending time in operational settings
Experience developing good relationships with staff networks and the frontline
Champion for GCS standards
Advocate for insight and evaluation
Experience in a fast-moving, high pressure role
Experience supporting people who work in difficult circumstances
Experience supporting people with the most vulnerable and complex personalities
Experience as a trusted advisor to senior leaders
Experience supporting a Head of Communications to deliver impactful and engaging products
Experience developing and delivering operational campaign strategies
Experience proactively account managing operational and policy teams
Experience championing standards
Experience building and nurturing positive relationships with local staff or communication leads
Experience managing and developing corporate channels including the intranet, GOV.UK, social media
Ability to respond tactically during times of significant operational pressure
Ability to develop communications at pace to respond to unexpected incidents
Experience developing forward-looking operational campaign plans
Experience leading the commissioning and creation of stories
Experience with insight and evaluation metrics
Experience managing intranet content sections
Experience drafting updates and news articles
Experience engaging with and advocating for internal processes
Experience adhering to planning and content standards and policies
Experience playing an active and visible role developing, embedding and championing a positive and supportive team culture
Experience leading cross-team working groups
Experience leading on team projects
Experience supporting Senior Management Team on ad hoc projects
Experience encouraging team contribution to shared culture
Experience taking an active corporate role within the team
Experience participating in the daily global rota
Experience participating in the media monitoring rota
Experience presenting at Team Business Meetings
Support colleagues beyond your own area of responsibility
Take the initiative to work on areas outside your immediate team
Create an environment where people feel safe to challenge and know their voice will be heard
Effectively managing conflict, misconduct, and non-inclusive behaviour
Understand your own level of responsibility
Empower others to make decisions where appropriate
Take responsibility as a line manager seriously
Be a role model
Know well the people you manage
Be visible and accessible
Give honest and timely feedback
Provide stretching and timely objectives
Inspire your people to produce their best
Invest time to develop a common focus and genuine positive team spirit
Promote a culture of following the appropriate procedures to ensure results are achieved on time whilst still enabling innovation
Be responsible in handling public money
Ensure financial accountability on your projects and through your teams
Manage project budget
Procure and manage external suppliers
Adopt a positive, proactive attitude
Seek out opportunities to contribute and improve the running of the HMPPS Communications team

Nice To Haves

Experience with launchpad and owned newsletters

Responsibilities

Become a trusted advisor to senior leaders, supporting your Head of Communications to deliver impactful and engaging products to the frontline, to those we supervise and their families.
Develop and deliver operational campaign strategies that demonstrably reach the audience and drive the changes required by the business.
Proactively account manage operational and policy teams. You will champion our standards, ensuring products and communications are designed appropriately for the operational frontline and are planned effectively.
Build and nurture a positive relationship with local staff or communication leads, ensuring they are an effective channel for national communications, and they are supported to deliver local campaigns.
Working with the content, channel and digital teams, manage and develop corporate channels including the intranet, GOV.UK, social media and where applicable, launchpad and owned newsletters.
Respond tactically during times of significant operational pressure, including the ability to develop communications at pace to respond to unexpected incidents.
Develop forward-looking operational campaign plans which feed into our strategic communications priorities, is founded on insight and evidence, and which support our strategic objectives.
Lead the commissioning and creation of stories which support the Strategic Communications team to deliver the Agency’s priority corporate objectives and cross-cutting campaigns including Equality, Diversity and Inclusion, reducing reoffending, People Survey strands and senior leader champion areas.
Responsible for robust and up-to-date insight and evaluation metrics for your policy area and campaigns, working with content teams and Strategic Communications to maintain your KPIs and ensuring your team actively engage with an evaluation culture.
Responsible for the account management of your policy area’s intranet managed content sections and drafting any required updates and news articles for your channels, clearing at the appropriate level.
Engage with and be an advocate for internal processes, ensuring you and your team adhere to planning and content standards and policies.
Play an active and visible role developing, embedding and championing a positive and supportive team culture. This includes leading cross-team working groups, leading on team projects and supporting the Senior Management Team on ad hoc projects, and encouraging your team to contribute to our shared culture.
Take an active corporate role within the team, participating in the daily global rota, media monitoring rota, and presenting at Team Business Meetings.

Benefits

Annual leave is 25 days on appointment and will increase to 30 days after five years’ service.
Scheme to allow qualifying staff to buy or sell up to three days leave each year.
Additional paid time off for public holidays and 1 privilege day.
Leave for part-time and job share posts will be calculated on a pro-rata basis.
Choice of pension schemes.
Extensive range of training and development opportunities.
Opportunity to join employee-run networks.
Family Friendly’ policies such as opportunities to work reduced hours or job share.
Access to flexible benefits such as voluntary benefits, retail vouchers and discounts on a range of goods and services.
Alternative government childcare support schemes, including Tax Free Childcare.
Paid paternity, adoption and maternity leave.
Free annual sight tests for employees who use computer screens.