The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) has an exciting opportunity for two highly skilled Senior Communications Officers in one of the most interesting, varied and fast-paced departments in Whitehall. The DCMS Communications Directorate supports a wide range of industries - including our world-class sport, arts, culture and media industries - and has the power to make a huge difference to peoples lives. Since the general election we have: Delivered a Creative Industries Sector Plan which is set to drive innovation and regional growth across film and TV, music, performing and visual arts, video games and advertising - doubling business investment to 31 billion by 2035. Announced a multi-billion Universal theme park and resort investment in Bedfordshire, set to generate 28,000 jobs and deliver a 50 billion boost to the economy. Hosted a major event at the Royal Shakespeare Company where the Culture Secretary announced a 270 million Arts Everywhere Fund to boost local economies and increase opportunities to gain creative skills Led communications for the 80th anniversary of VE Day - the biggest community event in recent history - and the Covid-19 Day of Reflection. As a DCMS Senior Communications Officer, no two days are the same. The successful candidates will be working on either our media, creative industries and tourism press desk, or our sport, gambling, civil society and youth press desk. For a small department we deliver with impact. Our work regularly leads the news agenda. From supporting the establishment of an independent football regulator, the roll out of a 900 million investment for grassroots sport and major sporting events, the publication of a new National Youth Strategy for outside the school gates, and ensuring our public service broadcasters such as the BBC are financially sustainable, you will be part of a small team devising and delivering creative, compelling and integrated communication strategies. About You You will play an important role in shaping how the public understands and interacts with DCMS policy areas. You will have an excellent news sense, proven experience of working in a busy communications environment and first-rate media handling and digital skills. You will have strong leadership skills, and the ability to foster and maintain good relations with a wide range of contacts, from journalists and industry to ministers, senior policy officials and special advisers. You will know how to get our messages out through the media, engage our audiences through digital content and develop exciting campaigns which feed into the governments Plan for Change, including the aim for our sectors to be positioned at the heart of economic growth and breaking down barriers to opportunity. The right person will benefit from working in a high profile and diverse role, in a team that is multi-talented, committed, fun and that strives for the best. If that sounds like a challenge you relish then we want to hear from you. Reporting to the desks Chief Communications Officer, the successful candidates will: Line manage a Communications Officer to devise and deliver targeted media plans across all channels and provide an authoritative, effective and professional service to the media. Handle breaking news stories and planned announcements, and producing creative, proactive news and visit ideas, PR features and social media opportunities for DCMS policies. Work closely with DCMS arms length bodies and stakeholders, such as trade bodies and businesses, to plan and maximise announcements and exploit opportunities for joint working. Provide first-rate media advice and support to ministers, senior officials and stakeholders. Monitor and evaluate media work, and ensure objectives are being met and messages land in the media. Expect to take part in the out of hours duty rota, for which overtime is paid. Person specification The ideal candidate will have the following key skills and experience: Essential criteria: Have significant experience in communications, PR, journalism or news. Have devised and delivered creative media plans, using the right channels for the target audience. Have an excellent news sense alongside strong writing and media handling skills, with an ability to spot and deliver proactive media opportunities. Demonstrate strong leadership and organisational skills - including influencing and advising senior colleagues and delivering at pace under competing deadlines. Be an enthusiastic team player with a can-do attitude - offering creative solutions to problems and leading the media agenda. We are running an information session where prospective applicants can find out more about the role. This will be hosted by Paul Gough, and will take place on: 13th August 10:00 - 10:30 The session will be an opportunity to hear more about the role, the team and wider directorate and the department. It will also be an opportunity for you to ask any questions. Please register your interest by filling out this Registration form by 17:00 on 11th August and you will be sent an invitation. Please note that the session will not be recorded and will not focus on the DCMS recruitment process - please direct any queries that you have on this topic (timelines, reasonable adjustments, onboarding etc) to recruitment.team@dcms.gov.uk Behaviours We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process: Leadership Delivering at Pace Communicating and Influencing Technical skills We'll assess you against these technical skills during the selection process: Ideas Implementation Insight Impact Benefits Alongside your salary of 42,902, Department for Culture, Media and Sport contributes 12,428 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides. DCMS values its staff and offers a wide range of benefits to everyone who works here. Were committed to developing talent, and supporting colleagues to have great careers in our department. To support with that, some of the benefits we offer include: Flexible working arrangements and hybrid working - DCMS staff work on a flexible basis with time spent in offices, and time spent working from home. 26.5 days annual leave on entry, increasing to 31.5 days after 5 years service. A Civil Service pension with an average employer contribution of 28.97% Access to the Edenred employee benefits system which offers discounts to popular retailers and access to various useful resources such as financial and savings advice 3 days of paid volunteering leave. Up to 9 months maternity leave on full pay generous paternity and adoption leave. Staff reward and recognition bonuses that operate throughout the year. Occupational sick pay. Active and engaged staff networks to join including the LGBT, Ethnic Diversity, Mental Health and Wellbeing and Gender Equality Networks. Exceptional learning and development opportunities that you can explore alongside your day to day work. Season ticket loan, cycle to work scheme and much more! Terms and conditions at SCS grades will vary. Those applying for SCS roles should refer to the candidate information pack for more information on terms and conditions. Things you need to know Selection process details This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours, Experience and Technical skills. To apply for this vacancy, you will need to submit the following documents which will assessed against the experience success profile : A CV setting out your career history, with key responsibilities and achievements. Please ensure you provide employment history that relates to the essential and desirable criteria, and that any gaps in employment history within the last 2 years are explained. The CV should not exceed more than 2 x A4 pages and you should insert your CV into the "Job History" section on Civil Service Jobs on the Civil Service Jobs application form. A Statement of Suitability (max 500 words) explaining how you consider your personal skills, qualities and experience provide evidence of your suitability for the role in reference to the essential requirements highlighted. You may also choose to reference the desirable skills listed however these will not be considered in the assessment of your application except in circumstances where there are a high number and calibre of candidates. For the shortlist, we will select applicants demonstrating the best fit for the role by considering the evidence provided in your application. In the event of a large number of applicants, an initial sift will be conducted on the statement of suitability. Those who are successful in the initial sift will then be scored on all elements of the application. For support in writing your application and interviewing, please refer to the Application and Interview Guidance document attached to the job advert. The interview process will assess behaviours and technical skills, The behaviours to be tested at interview are: Leadership Delivering at Pace Communicating and Influencing The GCS competencies to be tested at interview are: Ideas Implementation Insight Impact You will also be required to undertake a written exercise as part of your interview for which further details will be provided in advance of the interview. Your interview will take place in person at 100 Parliament Street, London, SW1A 2BQ. For indicative sift and interview dates please refer to the attached Candidate Information Pack. Further Information If the vacancy is offered as FTA/Loan, existing Civil Servants must join on a Loan basis only. Prior agreement to be released on loan must be obtained before commencing the application process. In the case of Civil Servants, the terms of the loan will be agreed between the home and host department and the Civil Servant. This includes grade on return. This role is full time only. Applicants who wish to work an alternative pattern are welcome to apply however your preferred working pattern may not be available and you should discuss this with the vacancy holder before applying. For further information on National Security Vetting please visit the following page https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/demystifying-vetting Please be aware the levels of national security clearance are changing which may impact on the level needed for this role by the time of appointment. All efforts will be made to keep candidates informed of any changes and what that will mean in terms of vetting criteria. For more information please See our vetting charter A reserve list may be held for a period of 12 months from which further appointments can be made. Any move to Department for Culture, Media and Sport from another employer will mean you can no longer access childcare vouchers. This includes moves between government departments. You may however be eligible for other government schemes, including Tax Free Childcare. Determine your eligibility at https://www.childcarechoices.gov.uk New entrants are expected to join on the minimum of the pay band. DCMS has a London and a National pay scale. For more information on this, including the circumstances in which each pay scale will apply, please see the Candidate Information Pack attached. If successful and transferring from another Government Department a criminal record check may be carried out. In order to process applications without delay, we will be sending a Criminal Record Check to Disclosure and Barring Service on 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-EmploymentChecks.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk stating the job reference number in the subject heading. Applicants who are successful at interview will be, as part of pre-employment screening, subject to a check on the Internal Fraud Database (IFD). This check will provide information about employees who have been dismissed for fraud or dishonesty offences. This check also applies to employees who resign or otherwise leave before being dismissed for fraud or dishonesty had their employment continued. Any applicants details held on the IFD will be refused employment. A candidate is not eligible to apply for a role within the Civil Service if the application is made within a 5-year period following a dismissal for carrying out internal fraud against government. Reasonable Adjustment We are committed to supporting candidates so they can perform at their best throughout the recruitment process. This includes making reasonable adjustments to our process. In order to request an adjustment, please: Complete the Assistance required section on the Additional requirements page of your application form to tell us what changes or help you might need further on in the recruitment process. For instance, you may need wheelchair access at interview, or a verbal test rather than a written one. Alternatively, contact the Government Recruitment Service via dcmsrecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk as soon as possible before the closing date to discuss your needs. Accessibility If you are experiencing accessibility difficulties with any of the attachments, please contact us. Contact details can be found in the 'contact point for applicants' section of the job advert. 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 (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 The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) 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 (opens in a new window). 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 (opens in a new window) and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (opens in a new window). Apply and further information This vacancy is part of the Great Place to Work for Veterans (opens in a new window) initiative. The Civil Service welcomes applications from people who have recently left prison or have an unspent conviction. Read more about prison leaver recruitment (opens in new window). 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 : Paul Gough Email : paul.gough@dcms.gov.uk Recruitment team Email : dcmsrecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk Further information The law requires that selection for appointment to the Civil Service is on merit on the basis of fair and open competition as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's Recruitment Principles. If you feel your application has not been treated in accordance with the Recruitment Principles, and you wish to make a complaint, you should contact recruitment.team@dcms.gov.uk in the first instance. If you are not satisfied with the response you receive from the Department, you can contact the Civil Service Commission at: https://civilservicecommission.independent.gov.uk/recruitment/civilservicerecruitmentcomplaints/ Attachments Application Guidance Opens in new window (pdf, 182kB) 421011 - Senior Communications Officer (1) Opens in new window (pdf, 7278kB) DCMS Application & Interview Guidance for Candidates Aug 23 Opens in new window (docx, 67kB)