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Short summary

This is an exciting opportunity for an ambitious and motivated communications professional to join the Visits team at the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities.

Our remit covers many of the government’s priorities and issues that really matter to our citizens. Whether that’s levelling up the country, helping more people get onto the housing ladder, housing families displaced by the conflict in Ukraine or ending rough sleeping for good - we’re on the lookout for talented and confident communications professionals to help us improve people’s lives.

You might find yourself organising the signing of a landmark devolution deal; creating the opportunity for ministers to hear first-hand from people who are homeless; or touring a town centre to hear from local businesses about regeneration in their area.

This is a rich and rewarding role which provides the opportunity to work with a diverse range of stakeholders across the UK, and Ministers and senior officials across Whitehall and overseas.

Job description

We are looking for an experienced creative communicator with a passion for visits and events. The ideal candidate will be politically aware and have experience working closely with senior leaders and planning and organising high profile and newsworthy events and/or visits with a strong focus on communications activity.

Responsibilities

The role will involve:

• Coordinating and delivering a comprehensive programme of Ministerial visits which reflects the department’s strategic priorities and maximises opportunities to promote our work domestically and internationally

• Drafting ministerial submissions, itineraries and other materials to support visits and events; compile and co-ordinate relevant briefing to support the visit or event

• Providing proactive guidance and direction to ministers’ offices and policy officials on visits and events, as well as providing high-level advice in written submissions

• Developing and maintaining strong working relationships with Ministers, Private Offices, Special Advisors, Senior Officials and external stakeholders to ensure successful delivery of visits

• Working effectively with the wider Press Office team and External Affairs colleagues, so that communication handling plans are joined up with wider communications strategies

• Evaluating and championing the work of the visits team, sharing and embedding best practice across the department to improve the quality of stakeholder engagement

Note: The post-holder may be required to carry out other communication tasks within the scope of the grade and within the limits of their skill, competence and training.

Person Specification and Essential Criteria

You will be able to demonstrate:

• Excellent communications skills including evidence of providing advice and guidance to senior stakeholders

• Proven ability to build partnerships with a diverse and senior range of stakeholders quickly forming and maintaining strong working relationships with colleagues internally, virtually and across organisations to secure necessary advice, buy-in and quick decision-making

• Excellent organisational skills with the ability to work to pressing deadlines reacting quickly and calmly to changing circumstances and demanding stakeholders, during busy periods

• A sound understanding of media and external affairs and how both elements relates to ministerial visits and events

• An ability to work on own initiative and quickly grasp complex issues

• It is desirable for the post-holder to have a sound understanding of the current political landscape and experience of working in external affairs or in a communications role

Preferred Experience

• Event Management - Experience of planning and delivering successful events and major projects.

• Communications and Marketing – Experience of using events as a communications tool to ensure key campaign messages are delivered to the right people at the right time in the best format

• Performance & Project Management Skills - Evidence of providing sound management advice and team leadership.

Offered benefits

Learning and development tailored to your role

An environment with flexible working options

A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity

A Civil Service pension with an average employer contribution of 27%

Selection process details

We are for everyone

At DLUHC we value diversity and inclusion and actively encourage and welcome applications from everyone, including those that are underrepresented in our workforce. We promote equality of opportunity in all aspects of employment and a working environment free from discrimination, harassment, bullying and victimisation.

We would strongly recommend that applicants get in touch with the vacancy manager to find out more information about this role.

We are for everyone

DLUHC want to bring in a diverse workforce at all levels.

Our application system is designed to remove as much bias as possible from the recruitment system – this means that a hiring manager does not know your name, your details, see your whole application in one go (or have your CV at review stage unless stated otherwise).

Your answers are randomised and chunked up. This means that each assessor views sets of responses to questions for example all candidates’ responses to ‘Seeing the Big Picture’ rather than seeing a candidate’s full application. The science behind this is that recruitment can be subject to ordering and fatigue effects and we want to reduce this as much as possible.

Most of our campaigns utilise multiple assessors and so it is possible that each of your answers would be viewed by different assessors.

When writing your application, remember:

The assessor won’t be reading your answers sequentially.

Do not assume that the same assessors will have read all of your answers.

If talking about something in your first answer, make sure that you write the second answer as if you had not written the first (and so on!)

At sift, we will be assessing

Behaviour (Lead Behaviour): Seeing the Big Picture

Behaviour: Making Effective Decisions

Behaviour: Communicating and Influencing

Behaviour: Managing a Quality Service

There is a 250 word limit per question.

In the event that we receive a large number of applications, we may conduct an initial sift using the lead behaviour listed in the advert. Candidates who pass the initial sift may be progressed to a full sift, or progressed straight to assessment/interview

The interview will be of a blended nature consisting of behaviour, experience and strength based questions as listed in the advert. The strength based questions will require natural responses from the candidates.

In full the campaign will test the below Success Profile Elements:

Behaviours: Seeing the Big Picture, Making Effective Decisions, Communicating and Influencing, Managing a Quality Service

Experience: Yes

Strengths: Yes

We do not consider direct CV applications to our Recruitment mailbox – you must apply for this role via the application link on Civil Service Jobs

Please note that near miss offers may be made at the lower grade to candidates who do not meet the grade criteria for this campaign

HEO salary

The salary for this role is £33,210 (London) or £30,188 (National).

For existing civil servants, the usual policy on level transfer and promotion will apply and is non-negotiable.

Our pay award for this year is being negotiated and will be revised upwards - if you have any questions, please email the recruitment team.

BENEFITS:

Transfers across the Civil Service on or after 4 October 2018:

Any move to DLUHC 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

For further information about the benefits available to DLUHC employees, please see the attached Candidate Pack.

GEOGRAPHICAL LOCATION:

London

Wolverhampton

Darlington*

There may be opportunities for candidates to work flexibly depending on the business needs. This will be discussed with the vacancy manager on a case-by-case basis if you are successful for the role.

*Please note: The Darlington Economic Campus (DEC) is a pioneering new cross-government hub which will bring together people across departments and public organisations to play an active role in the most important economic issues of the day. The work of the Campus will make a real difference to people both across the UK and internationally. There will be substantial career opportunities and exciting prospects - a career at the Campus means you will be working at the heart of Government, with access to the benefits and fantastic opportunities offered by the civil service. This role is based at DLUHC and we will be joined on the campus by:

HM Treasury

Department for International Trade

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

Office for National Statistics

Department for Education

For further information on the DEC, please take a look at the attached DEC candidate pack.

SIFT AND INTERVIEW DATES:

Sifting is envisaged to take place W/C XXXX with interview dates to be confirmed. All interviews are currently being held remotely via videocall.

RESERVE LIST:

In the event that we identify more appointable candidates than we currently have posts available, we will hold applicant details on a reserve list for a period of 6 months from which further appointments can be made. This may include roles at a lower grade. Candidates placed on a reserve list will be informed of this. Due to the length of time CTC checks can take, our HR Shared Services team will contact reserve list candidates for London based roles to commence CTC checks. Those candidates who do not wish to remain on the reserve list should contact recruitment@levellingup.gov.uk to be removed from the reserve list.

CTC (Counter-terrorism Clearance):

Important note

Successful candidates for roles based in our 2 Marsham Street building must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is counter-terrorist check and the process can take up to 8 weeks to complete.

Please note that successful candidates will need to pass the CTC security checks – this requires you to have been resident in the UK for the past 3 years. Please refer to the DLUHC Notes on Security Clearance section of our Candidate Pack for further information on Counter Terrorism Clearance (CTC). Thank you.

Candidates should also note that with effect from 1st August 2018 the department will also check all applicants who are successful at interview, against the Internal Fraud Database (IFD) held by the Cabinet Office. In accordance with the Civil Service Internal Fraud Policy, any applicant who is included on the IFD will be refused employment by DLUHC. Please see the Candidate Pack for further information on the Internal Fraud Database.

Candidate Pack Information

Please see attached Candidate pack for further information.

Internal Fraud Database

The Internal Fraud function of the Fraud, Error, Debt and Grants Function at the Cabinet Office processes details of civil servants who have been dismissed for committing internal fraud, or who would have been dismissed had they not resigned. The Cabinet Office receives the details from participating government organisations of civil servants who have been dismissed, or who would have been dismissed had they not resigned, for internal fraud. In instances such as this, civil servants are then banned for 5 years from further employment in the civil service. The Cabinet Office then processes this data and discloses a limited dataset back to DLUHC as a participating government organisations. DLUHC then carry out the pre employment checks so as to detect instances where known fraudsters are attempting to reapply for roles in the civil service. In this way, the policy is ensured and the repetition of internal fraud is prevented.

For more information please see- Internal Fraud Register