23817 - Head of External Communications
About The Position
The Office of the Public Guardian (OPG) is seeking an experienced communications leader to head its external communications function. The role sets the strategic direction for public-facing communications, including campaigns and media, ensuring activity is insight-led, audience-focused and delivers measurable outcomes. It oversees integrated strategies to improve public understanding of OPG services, reach audiences facing barriers to access, protect and enhance OPG’s reputation, and support organisational and service transformation. The postholder provides expert advice to OPG’s Executive Team and senior leaders on communications opportunities, risks and priorities, and ensures communications considerations are embedded in organisational decisions. Working with communications leads, customer and operational teams, policy colleagues, Ministry of Justice colleagues and partners, the role joins up communications across disciplines and channels and develops relationships with external stakeholders, government departments, agencies and suppliers. It also requires strategic judgement, confidence to advise and constructively challenge senior decision-makers, and the ability to lead teams through complex delivery, organisational change and heightened scrutiny.
Requirements
- Significant senior-level experience developing and leading complex, insight-led external communications strategies and integrated, multi-channel activity.
- Strong strategic judgement and political awareness, with confidence advising and constructively challenging executive-level leaders on communications, reputation, risk and organisational priorities.
- A strong track record translating complex policy, legal, regulatory or operational subjects into clear, accessible, audience-focused communications.
- Experience leading campaigns or public communications designed to improve understanding, change behaviour or increase service take-up.
- Strong media and reputation-management experience, including handling sensitive issues, emerging risks or communications under significant scrutiny.
- Excellent leadership and line-management capability, including setting direction, developing people and creating an inclusive, collaborative and high-performing culture.
- Experience managing budgets, agencies or suppliers and ensuring activity is delivered to agreed standards, timescales and outcomes.
- Confidence using research, audience insight, data and evaluation to shape communications decisions, optimise delivery and demonstrate impact.
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to communicate clearly and persuasively with senior, professional and public audiences.
Nice To Haves
- Experience of communications within government, an arm’s-length body, regulatory organisation or another complex public-service environment.
- Experience leading communications for organisational transformation or service change.
- A relevant communications, journalism, marketing or public-relations qualification, or equivalent professional experience.
Responsibilities
- Lead the development, implementation and evaluation of OPG’s external communications, translating organisational and service priorities into clear, measurable objectives and plans.
- Advise the Executive Team and senior leaders on external communications, corporate reputation, customer communications, service changes, emerging risks and opportunities.
- Align external communications with OPG’s organisational narrative, business planning and customer needs, supporting public understanding of complex services and legal processes.
- Deputise for the Head of Communications when required and contribute to leadership, governance, prioritisation and resourcing of the wider communications function.
- Lead insight-led, integrated and accessible public communications and behaviour-change campaigns from strategy and audience research through creative development, delivery, optimisation and evaluation.
- Oversee proactive storytelling and reputation management, including media handling of sensitive, high-profile or rapidly developing issues.
- Coordinate campaigns, media, digital, content and stakeholder activity with communications specialists around shared objectives.
- Coordinate activity across OPG, the Ministry of Justice, other government organisations and external partners, using paid, owned, earned, shared and partnership channels.
- Ensure strategies, messages, content and channel choices reflect customer needs, research, data, behavioural insight and accessibility considerations.
- Monitor changes in the external environment and public attitudes, identify communications opportunities and reputational risks, and recommend action.
- Ensure OPG communicates inclusively with diverse audiences, particularly people facing practical, informational or confidence barriers to accessing services.
- Lead the external communications team, setting priorities, managing performance, developing capability and supporting high-quality work.
- Oversee budgets, agencies, suppliers and other resources, ensuring work is commissioned, governed and assured appropriately, delivered on time and within budget, and meets government accessibility and professional standards.
- Build meaningful evaluation into communications activity, using evidence and performance data to improve delivery, demonstrate impact and inform future priorities.
- Champion innovation, collaboration and continuous improvement, strengthening planning, evaluation and professional capability while supporting colleagues’ development and wellbeing.
Benefits
- Annual leave of 25 days on appointment, increasing to 30 days after five years’ service.
- Option for qualifying staff to buy or sell up to three days of leave each year.
- Paid time off for public holidays and one privilege day.
- Choice of Civil Service pension schemes.
- Extensive training and development opportunities.
- Employee-run networks offering advice, support and a channel for minority-group employee views.
- Family-friendly policies, including opportunities to work reduced hours or job share.
- Flexible benefits, including voluntary benefits, retail vouchers and discounts.
- Paid paternity, adoption and maternity leave.
- Free annual sight tests for employees who use computer screens.
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Senior
Education Level
No Education Listed
