Overview
Communications Lead – Belfast – Erskine House
About the job
Job summary
Discover a career in your hands at HMRC. Whether you’re seeking purpose, growth, or a workplace that gives you a true sense of belonging, hear from some of our employees as they share their story about what it’s really like to work at HMRC.
Visit our YouTube channel to watch the full series and come and discover your potential.
The Communications Directorate delivers professional communications on behalf of HMRC and is recognised as running one of the largest and busiest communications teams in government.
We deliver through a host of functions including;
Internal and Change
Press and Digital
Brand and Campaigns
Strategic
External Affairs
New/changing tax policies
Customer Support and Compliance
Borders and Trade
Transformation
With a focus on building professional competence colleagues are expected to work across several skillsets including using data insights, digital channels, stakeholder and business partner relationships.
We are creative, fast-working and encourage collaboration. With a big job to do you’ll be joining a strong, motivated communications team. Striving for innovation and excellence no other department touches the lives of so many people
Job description
We are recruiting for three Internal Communication Lead roles:
Learning and Tax Professionalism Communications Lead
People Communications Lead
Strategic Change Communications Lead
Internal Communications Leads set direction and strategy for internal communications, working closely with senior stakeholders to create meaningful objectives and communications approaches that engage and inspire colleagues.
They lead their teams to develop and deliver creative and impactful organisation-wide communications that support business priorities and align with wider departmental narratives.
This role requires building strong relationships with senior stakeholders to provide strategic advice and insight, whilst influencing direction and championing a culture of continuous improvement.
Job holders in this grade carry out a range of activities across communications professional disciplines to support efficient running of the directorate and may be deployed across any of the communications teams and functional areas to support emerging priority work.
Person specification
Your key responsibilities:
- Set direction and strategy for internal communications, working collaboratively with senior stakeholders to create meaningful objectives and communications approaches that reflect organisational ambitions and priorities.
- Lead your team to plan, deliver and evaluate individual areas of communications activity, creatively engaging colleagues with day-to-day messaging, announcements and campaigns that support organisational priorities and are aligned to central narratives.
- Provide expert advice, challenge and support to stakeholders at all levels, understanding business objectives and developing communications approaches that fit with wider strategies and plans.
- Oversee the drafting and commissioning of high-quality communication products, aligned to central organisational narratives, delivering these through appropriate channels and working with specialist delivery teams as required.
- Play an active leadership role in the Communications Directorate and across the Government Communication Service community, championing best practice and continuous improvement.
- Champion a culture of continuous improvement by ensuring all activity is rigorously evaluated in line with GCS principles, reported as appropriate, and actionable insight is used and shared across Communications.
- Line manage direct reports, building and diversifying skills which enable them to achieve their goals, giving them development opportunities and managing talent effectively.
- Develop and lead virtual teams to deliver priorities, working in a matrix style and influencing those beyond your direct line management chain to achieve objectives.
Your key deliverables:
- Strategic communications advice and recommendations for senior stakeholders across the organisation.
- Strategic direction to enable your team to deliver effective and impactful communications activities.
- Regularly updated organisational narratives about key business activities and priorities.
- Cross-directorate collaboration on internal communications priorities.
- Team development plans and talent management strategies for direct reports and wider virtual teams.
- Professional development and continuous improvement initiatives in line with GCS standards and best practice.
Essential Criteria:
• Excellent knowledge of internal communication best practice including experience of transformational change communications, with the ability to draw on this expertise to develop strategies and recommendations for stakeholders at all levels.
• Effective strategic thinking, with a strong track record of leading the development and implementation of innovative communication strategies that meet business objectives, ensuring integration across communication channels and identifying any gaps.
• Ability to engage confidently with stakeholders and colleagues at all levels to generate commitment to goals, with strong influencing skills to bring together key individuals to resolve problems or issues.
• Good analytical skills to understand and respond to qualitative and quantitative insight, evaluate the impact of communications and make informed decisions based on evidence.
• Ability to manage a large number of priorities simultaneously, ensuring conflicting pressures from various stakeholders are well managed whilst maintaining quality and effectiveness.
• Leadership experience with demonstrable ability to lead others to deliver results, establishing clarity of goals, managing talent effectively and considering value for money in all activities.
Additional Information – Transitional Sites
For more information on where you might be working, review this information on our locations.
If your location preference is for one of the following sites, it’s important to note that these are not long-term sites for HMRC and we will require you to move to a new building in the future, subject to our location strategy and the applicable employee policies at that time.
These sites include:
• Benton Park View, Newcastle – moving to Pilgrims Quarter, Newcastle
• Lynx House, Portsmouth – moving to No.1 The Goodsyard, Portsmouth
You will be given more information about what this means at the job offer stage.
Behaviours
We’ll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:
- Seeing the Big Picture
- Changing and Improving
- Communicating and Influencing
- Delivering at Pace
- Leadership
Benefits
Alongside your salary of £56,344, HM Revenue and Customs contributes £16,322 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.
HMRC operates both Flexible and Hybrid Working policies, allowing you to balance your work and personal commitments. We welcome applications from those who need to work a more flexible arrangement and will agree to requests where possible, considering our operational and customer service needs.
We offer a generous leave allowance, starting at 25 days and increasing by a day for every year of qualifying service up to a maximum of 30 days.
• Pension – We make contributions to our colleagues’ Alpha pension equal to at least 28.97% of their salary.
• Family friendly policies.
• Personal support.
• Coaching and development.
To find out more about HMRC benefits and find out what it’s really like to work for HMRC hear from our insiders or visit Thinking of joining the Civil Service
Things you need to know
Selection process details
This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours and Experience.
How to Apply
As part of the application process, you will be asked to provide the following:
• A name-blind CV including your job history and previous experiences.
• A 1,000-word Personal Statement. Your Personal Statement (max 1,000 words) should detail how you meet the requirements and essential criteria in the person specification part of the advert, providing evidence of your suitability and what experience you bring to the role.
Further details around what this will entail are listed on the application form.
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.
Sift
In the event of a large number of applications being received, an initial sift may be held on CV.
At full sift, your CV and your Personal Statement will be assessed, with the successful candidates being invited to interview.
We may also raise the score required at any stage of the process if we receive a high number of applications.
Interview
During the panel interview, your experience will be assessed and you will also be asked behaviour-based questions to explore what you are capable.
Interviews will take place virtually, via video link.
Sift and interview dates to be confirmed.
Eligibility
Please take extra care to tick the correct boxes in the eligibility sections of your application form. We understand mistakes sometimes happen but if you contact us later than two working days (Monday-Friday) before the vacancy closes, we will not be able to reopen your application for you. If you do make a mistake with your eligibility form, please contact us via:
unitybusinessservicesrecruitmentresults@hmrc.gov.uk – Use the subject line to insert appropriate wording for example – ‘Please re-open my application – [insert vacancy ref] & vacancy closing date [insert date].
To check that you are eligible to apply for this role, please review the eligibility information before submitting your application.
Reserve List
A reserve list may be held for up to 12 months from which further appointments may be made for the same or similar roles – if this applies to you, we’ll let you know via your Civil Service Jobs account.
Merit List
After interview, a single merit list will be created, and appointments will be made in strict merit order until the set demand is filled. If successful, you will be informed when we reach your position on the merit list.
Criminal Record Check
Applications received from candidates with a criminal record are considered fairly in accordance with the DBS Code of Practice and the Recruitment of ex-offenders Policy.
Reasonable Adjustments
We want to make sure no one is put at a disadvantage during our recruitment process. To assist you with this, we will reduce or remove any barriers where possible and provide additional support where appropriate.
If you need a change to be made so that you can make your application, you should:
- Contact the UBS Recruitment team via unitybusinessservicesrecruitmentresults@hmrc.gov.uk 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. For instance, you may need wheelchair access at interview, or if you’re deaf, a Language Service Professional.
Important information for existing HMRC contractual homeworkers
This role may be suitable for existing HMRC employees who are contractual homeworkers. Occasional attendance to the office will be required where there is a business need. Please consider the advertised office locations for this role when applying and only select locations from the ‘location preferences’ section that you can travel to.
Terms and Conditions
Customer facing roles in HMRC require the ability to converse at ease with members of the public and provide advice in accurate spoken English and/or Welsh where required. Where this is an essential requirement, this will be tested as part of the selection process.
HMRC has a presence in every region of the UK. For more information on where you might be working, review this information on our locations.
The Civil Service values honesty and integrity and expects all candidates to abide by these principles. The evidence you provide in your application must relate to your own experiences.
Any instances of plagiarism or other forms of cheating will be investigated and, if proven, the relevant application(s) will be withdrawn from the process.
Recording of interviews is prohibited unless explicit agreement is sought in line with the UK General Data Protection Regulations.
Questions relating to an individual application must be emailed as detailed later in this advert.
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 applicant’s 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.
New entrants will join on the minimum of the pay band.
Please note that, if you are applying for roles on a part-time basis, the salary agreed will be pro-rata, reflective of the working hours agreed within your contract.
If you experience accessibility problems with any attachments on this advert, please contact the email address in the ‘Contact point for applicants’ section.
Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.
Security
Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check.
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).
IMPORTANT: Before applying for this role, please make sure you have the right to work in the country where the role is based. Unless it clearly stipulates within in the job advert above that the hiring company is looking to or able to sponsor applicants it is deemed that the hiring employer will only consider applications from those able to comply with and work in the country where the role is based.
