BACKGROUND On 2 February 2023, the then Secretary of State for Northern Ireland announced that he would establish an independent statutory inquiry into the Real IRA bombing of Omagh on 15 August 1998, in which 31 lives were lost. The Inquiry was formally established on publication of its Terms of Reference in February 2024. Since then, it has conducted a number of procedural hearings and commemorative public hearings in Omagh and Belfast. The Chairman of the Inquiry is supported by a small secretariat, led by the Secretary to the Inquiry. The secretariat provides administrative and policy support to the Chairman and other office holders. The post holder will join a small innovative team and will contribute to the Inquirys work as it progresses towards holding evidential hearings. Its an exciting time to be part of an energetic growing team with lots of potential for development and growth. ABOUT THE ROLE: Working to the Head of Operations, the Hearings and Communications Manager is a key role and will to support the Inquirys legal team to deliver the Inquirys hearings. The post holder will work flexibly across the operations and communications team to lead and provide support across various work strands. The primary responsibility of the role is to lead on all aspects of the Inquirys hearing programme including working with suppliers and managing the witness process. The post holder will also support the communications team including managing the Inquirys press office, working with journalists and working on digital communications. We expect the role holder to spend around 50% of their time working on the hearings and around 40% working as part of the communications team. The remaining time will be spent supporting the operations team. DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES The main responsibilities of the role include but are not limited to: Hearings Witness process working with the Inquiry legal team to develop timetables, management of the witness correspondence process including written and oral communication and coordinating travel and accommodation requirements. Hearing project management and preparation working with the Head of Operations to ensure the hearings run smoothly and all those involved have the correct materials. This includes developing and circulating information packs and staff rotas in addition to working closely with the Inquirys various suppliers. Comms Press Office working with the Inquirys Senior Advisor to develop and manage press releases, respond to media queries and coordinate journalist attendance at hearings. Digital communications lead on uploading content to the Inquirys website and managing X and YouTube Channels Media monitoring and reporting, Supporting drafting communication strategies, approaches, lines to take and other communication documents. Organising other engagement activities for the Inquiry including public information days. Operations The post holder will also provide advice and support to workstreams managed by the Inquirys Business Support Officers, this includes Finance, Governance and Estates. ESSENTIAL CRITERIA: The post holder will need to demonstrate the following in their application and at interview: Strong organisational skills Strong prioritisation, communication and influencing skills. Experience of working with a range of stakeholders including managing correspondence Experience of working to tight deadlines and ability to quickly resolve problems Strong attention to detail particularly in written communication. Strong interpersonal skills and confidence. The role can be based in Belfast or London but the post holder must be willing to regularly travel to Belfast to support the Inquirys hearings. The role will require out of hours working particularly during Inquiry hearings. Desirable: Previous experience working on independent inquiries (or similar work) Previous experience working in a press office/communications team Existing CTC clearance (or higher) We will assess you against the following Success Profiles behaviours at SEO level during the application sift and interview process : BEHAVIOURS: Communicating and Influencing (application and interview) (lead behaviour) Delivering at Pace (application and interview) Working Together (interview) Managing a Quality Service (interview) EXPERIENCE: Please provide a work history and statement of suitability no longer than 750 words outlining how you meet the essential and desirable criteria. Both will be used in order to assess any demonstrable experience, career history and achievements that are relevant to the role. Your statement of suitability needs to set out evidence of how your experience meets the requirements set out above. Your layout is entirely your preference; you may choose narrative, bullets, etc. One narrative example may cover the requirements needed. You dont have to explain the whole process, just what you have done and the skills and experience you have used. Share with us what makes you suited to this role and why. What you can do, the skills you have that are transferable and the life experience or passion you have that are linked to this role. If you dont have work-based examples then give examples from school/college, clubs, volunteering or other activities you have been involved in. You will also be asked to complete a CV with details of your education, professional qualifications, previous skills and full employment history. Your CV will not be formally assessed so please put the main evidence of your skills into your personal statement. Your CV will be used to add context to your personal statement. More information on behaviours and success profiles can be found here. Please note that in the event of a large number of applications being received we may run the initial sift on the lead behaviour communicating and influencing. INTERVIEW: You will be assessed against the same behaviours at the interview stage and will be asked to provide examples of how you have demonstrated the behaviours. It may help to use one or more examples of a piece of work you have completed or a situation you have been in and use the WHO or STAR model to explain: WHO- What it was? How you approached the work/situation? What the Outcomes were, what did you achieve? or STAR- What was the Situation? What were the Tasks? What Action did you take? What were the Results of your actions? Strengths You will be asked a strength question at interview on the strength organiser. It is difficult to prepare for strength type questions. However, you can think through your answers, focus on your achievements and aspects you enjoy and decide how these can be applied in the organisation and role. While strengths questions are shorter and we do not expect a full STAR response, the panel is interested in your first reaction to the question and information or reasoning to support this. If you do not have wor/k-based examples then please give examples from school/college, clubs, volunteering or other activities you have been involved in. All applications for employment are considered strictly on the basis of merit. OFFER Once all interviews have been completed, you will be notified of the outcome by email. Offers will be made in strict merit order to the highest scoring candidate first. The successful candidate will be notified of a start date following successful security checks. Additional information received after the closing date will not be considered. Failure to provide sufficient information in support of an application prior to the closing date will not be considered as grounds for an appeal if an applicant is not shortlisted for interview. SECURITY CLEARANCE: This role requires National Security Vetting given the access to sensitive information afforded by the job role. You can find more information by reviewing the information held in the following links: United Kingdom Security Vetting: Applicant - GOV.UK ( The vetting charter - GOV.UK ( In addition, there is a minimum UK residency requirement set by the Cabinet Office which is dependent on the security level required for the role. This role requires CTC and to be eligible to apply for this role you should have been present in the UK continuously for the past 3 years. Neither Detached Duty terms nor relocation costs will apply to this post. 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. Further Information: Further information about the post may be obtained from Bethany Marriott via email to. All applications for employment are considered strictly on the basis of merit. This job description should not be taken as constituting conditions of employment. Please note that due to the high interest in NIO opportunities, feedback cannot be given if you are unsuccessful at the sift stage. Feedback is available on request if unsuccessful following the interview. COMPLAINTS: The Civil Service Code sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants. Appointment to the Civil Service is governed by the Civil Service Commissions Recruitment Principles. You have the right to complain if you feel a department has breached the requirement of the Recruitment Principles. Please contact SSCL () in the first instance. If you are not satisfied with the response, you may bring your complaint to the Commission. For further information on bringing a complaint to the Civil Service Commission please visit their web pages: RESERVE LISTS: In the event that the advertised post following interview, identifies more appointable applicants than available posts, we may hold applicant details on a merit/reserve list for a period of 12 months from which further future appointments can be made. Candidates placed on a reserve list will be informed of this. Those candidates who do not wish to remain on the reserve list should contact to be removed from the reserve list. Additional Information Working Arrangements & Further Information The NIO offers Hybrid Working arrangements where business need allows. This is an informal, non-contractual form of flexible working that blends working from your base location, different NIO sites and / or from home (please be aware that this role can only be worked in the UK and not overseas). All employees will be expected to spend a minimum of 60% of their working time in an office, subject to local estate capacity. Some roles will not be suitable for Hybrid Working. Similarly, Hybrid Working will not suit everyones circumstances. Arrangements will be discussed and agreed with the successful candidate(s) and subject to regular review. Flexible working hours The NIO offers a flexible working system in many offices. Standard full time working hours are 37 hours per week. NIO welcomes part-time, flexible and job-sharing working patterns, where they meet the demands of the role and business needs. All applications for part-time, flexible and job-sharing working patterns will be considered in accordance with the NIOs Flexible Working policy. Benefits: Access to learning and development A working environment that supports a range of flexible working options to enhance your work life balance A working culture which encourages inclusion and diversity A Civil Service pension 25 days annual leave, increasing to 30 days after five years service. Public Holidays Season Ticket Advance