Details
Reference number
424595
Salary
£37,300 - £44,191
National pay locations: Manchester, Sheffield £37,300-£39,911; London pay location: Westminster £41,300-£44,191. Plus annual allowance of £2,300.
GBP
Job grade
Higher Executive Officer
Contract type
Permanent
Business area
HO - Communications Directorate
Type of role
Communications / Marketing
Working pattern
Full-time, Shift working
Number of jobs available
3
Contents
* Location
* About the job
* Benefits
* Things you need to know
* Apply and further information
Location
Manchester, Sheffield, Westminster
About the job
Job summary
The Home Office works to build a safe, fair and prosperous UK. We achieve this through our work on counter-terrorism, policing, crime, drugs policy, immigration and passports.
The Communications Directorate is a multi-disciplinary team delivering the Home Office's communications strategy. We are insight-led and results-driven, and our marketing campaigns support strategic objectives using a wide range of channels. We seek to provide high quality media, rebuttal and social media services. Our Internal Communications team supports employee engagement and business transformation.
Our work as Home Office communicators is never far from the front pages, making this a fast-paced and hugely exciting and creative team to join.
Whether it's helping to reduce dangerous boat crossings or making the UK's streets safer, the Communications Directorate supports the government to deliver on its priorities. Led by audience insight, we help build awareness and drive behaviour change across our internal and external communication teams, including media, digital and marketing. At the centre of all this is the News desk.
Job description
The News desk is the lead reactive communications team in the Home Office, responsible for monitoring the media for emerging issues and ensuring the work of the department is accurately reflected in media reporting. You will be part of the department's frontline, responding to calls from journalists, shaping news as it develops and protecting the department's reputation. You will provide Ministers and their advisers with updates on news as it breaks - identifying and rebutting inaccurate reporting or criticism and ensuring the department's position is clearly reflected.
Working on the News desk you will have a bird's eye view of all the missions the Home Office leads on – from Safer Streets, to Secure Borders, to Homeland Security – and the opportunity to become subject matter experts on them.
You will support proactive media teams with selling in stories, briefing Ministers and drafting products, such as press releases.
You will work closely with colleagues including policy officials, operational teams, external stakeholders, Ministers and 10 Downing Street, advising on the role communications can play in delivering on government priorities.
We are a multi-disciplinary team with colleagues based across the UK. We are also active members of the professional body for government communicators, the Government Communication Service.
Key Responsibilities
* Work closely with colleagues, including policy officials and operational teams, to produce reactive communications strategies.
* Respond to media enquiries and ensure the department's position is accurately reported.
* Defend the department's reputation through briefing and rebuttal.
* Monitor the media and social media for emerging stories and ensure colleagues are aware.
* Develop professional and trusted relationships with journalists.
* Deliver key press office functions on weekends.
* Provide support to colleagues leading on proactive communications by drafting media products and briefings.
* Deliver impactful communications led by insight and evaluation.
Training
In-depth learning and development tailored to your role will be provided.
Working Pattern
Due to the business requirements of these roles, they are only available on a full-time basis.
The role will involve weekend working. Successful candidates will be placed on a rota with colleagues which spans seven days a week – with five working days and two non-working days spread across the seven, and shift disturbance allowance will apply.
Successful candidates will have the option of joining the out-of-hours press office duty rota for which overtime pay is provided.
Travel
Occasional national UK travel may be required for example for a Ministerial visit, when an overnight stay may be required.
Person specification
Essential Criteria
* Experience working in a fast-paced communication role or similar, juggling competing priorities, exercising good judgement, and keeping calm under pressure.
* Strong news sense and understanding of current affairs and the political landscape, including how to identify and mitigate reputational risks.
* An ability to communicate effectively (excellent written and speaking skills), and develop trusted and productive relationships with colleagues, external partners and stakeholders.
* Creative communications skills, including some awareness of and application of digital channels.
* Proven ability to distil large amounts of complex information into clear key messages suitable for specific audiences.
* Understanding of how audience insight and evaluation can be used to inform communication strategies and activity.
Desirable Criteria
* Experience of external facing communications, including reactive media and briefing journalists.
* Experience of using media monitoring platforms.
Behaviours
We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:
* Delivering at Pace
* Working Together
We only ask for evidence of these behaviours on your application form:
* Delivering at Pace
Technical skills
We'll assess you against these technical skills during the selection process:
* Communications - Ideas
* Communications - Impact
* Communications - Insight
Benefits
In addition to your salary, a career with the Home Office offers a range of benefits, including:
* Recruitment and Retention Allowance (RRA) of £2,300 per annum.
* Shift disturbance allowance of 12.5% uplift.
* A Civil Service pension with an employer contribution of 28.97%.
* In-year reward scheme for one-off or sustained exceptional personal or team achievements.
* 25 days annual leave on appointment, rising with service to 30 days.
* Eight days of public holidays, plus one additional privilege day.
* Where business needs allow, some roles may be suitable for a combination of office and home-based working. This is a non-contractual arrangement where all employees will be expected to spend a minimum of 60% of their working time in an office.
* See more of our benefits on our careers website.
Things you need to know
Selection process details
This vacancy is using Success Profiles, and will assess your Behaviours, Experience and Technical skills.
This gives us the best possible chance of finding the right person for the job, drives up performance and improves diversity and inclusivity.
We will endeavour to conduct the selection process in line with the dates indicated below, but cannot guarantee that these will not, where necessary, be revised.
As part of the application process, you will first be asked to confirm your eligibility by providing some basic personal information.
After submission of this first stage, you will be invited to complete the following Civil Service Work Strengths test.
1. Online Test – by 25th September 2025
If you successfully pass the Work Strengths test, you will be invited to complete the full application form. Please complete the online test as soon as possible (within 24-48 hours is recommended). If you fail to complete the online test or full application before the deadline, your application will be withdrawn.
Guidance for the Civil Service test(s) will be available when you are invited to take the test. The online tests are accessed via the Civil Service Jobs website.
You cannot complete the tests on a mobile phone or tablet.
Following successful completion of your test, you will then be asked to complete the full application form.
1. Application - by 25th September 2025
As part of the application process, you will be asked to complete:
* CV.
* Personal Statement (maximum 750 words).
* Evidence of the Behaviour 'Delivering at Pace' (maximum 250 words)
Your CV should consist of your career history and skills/experience, including any key achievements in each role. Your CV will be scored against the experience required for the role as noted within the essential criteria.
The Personal Statement should be aligned to and demonstrate how you meet the skills and experience set out in the essential criteria, detailed in the job description.
For guidance and information on how to construct your application (CV, Personal Statement and Behaviours), you are encouraged to visit Civil Service Careers website.
1. Sift – from week commencing 29th September 2025.
The sift will be held on the CV, Personal Statement and Behaviour 'Delivering at Pace'.
The lead Behaviour 'Delivering at Pace' will be scored for all candidates. Those candidates who achieve the minimum pass score for this Behaviour will progress to a further sift where the Personal Statement and CV will be scored. These candidates will receive sift scores for all elements. Candidates who fail to meet the minimum pass score for the lead Behaviour will not have their Personal Statement or CV scored and will only receive a sift score for the lead Behaviour.
1. Interviews – week commencing 20th October 2025.
If you are successful at sift stage, you will be invited to an interview that will be Behaviour and Technical Skills (as listed in the job advert) based questions.
For guidance on the Technical skills, please refer to the Government Communications Professional Competency Framework
In addition, candidates will be asked to undertake a written assessment at interview stage. The exercise will be assessed against 'Experience' on the 'Success Profiles' and will be assessed against the 'Essential Criteria' as listed in the job advertisement. The details will be disclosed closer to the interviews.
The interview will take place in person in either our London or Sheffield office. Travel expenses will not be reimbursed.
For guidance and information on what to expect and how to prepare for an interview, you are encouraged to visit Civil Service Careers.
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 for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.
Problems during the application process
If you experience problems accessing this advert, or you think you've made a mistake on an initial application, please contact, including the vacancy reference, at least two working days before the vacancy closes. Further information can be found on our website.
Do not create or attempt to submit another application, online test or use a different Civil Service Jobs account to proceed as this would be in violation of the candidate declaration.
Location Preferences
You can select up to threelocations in order of preference. Please ensure that these are locations you are prepared to travel to. If you are offered a role at one of your preferred location(s) and you decline, your application will be withdrawn.
Reserve List
A reserve list may be held for a period of up to 12 months from which further appointments may be made. There is no guarantee that being held on a reserve list will lead to a job offer. Further information can be found on our website.
Reserve lists will be held for each location. Candidates will be appointed in merit order by location.
Standards
All Civil Servants are expected to comply with the Civil Service Code, and its core values of integrity, honesty, objectivity and impartiality.
Additional Security Checks
As well as successfully obtaining UK Security Vetting clearance, candidates will be subject to a range of additional checks. The range of checks carried out will depend on whether you are a current Home Office employee, existing civil servant or an external new entrant as well as the role requirements. The level of Criminal Record Check required for this role is Basic. Further details are included in the Notes to Candidates.
Reasonable Adjustments
If a person with disabilities is at a substantial disadvantage compared to a non-disabled person, we have a duty to make reasonable adjustments to our processes.
If you need an adjustment to be made during the recruitment process you should:
* Contact Government Recruitment Service via 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. Learn more about the types of adjustments we have provided previously.
If you are experiencing accessibility problems with any attachments on this advert, please contact the email address in the 'Contact point for applicants' section.
Further Information
In order to process applications without delay, we will be sending a Criminal Record Check to Disclosure and Barring Serviceon 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- stating the job reference number in the subject heading.
Feedback
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 counter-terrorist check .
See our vetting charter .
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)
* 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
Working for the Civil Service
The Civil Service Code 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 .
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 the Civil Service People Plan and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy .
Apply and further information
This vacancy is part of the Great Place to Work for Veterans initiative.
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 : Home Office Resourcing Centre
* Email :
Recruitment team
* Email :
Further information
If you feel that your application has not been treated in accordance with the Civil Service recruitment principles and you wish to make a complaint, then contact the Government Recruitment Service via If you are not satisfied with the response that you receive, then you can contact the Civil Service Commission.