23020 - Head of Internal Communications

This vacancy is only available to existing Civil Servant employees and employees of accredited non-departmental public bodies (NDPBs). Please review the "Eligibility" section before you apply.

### Salary
The national salary range is £71,381 - £80,419, London salary range is £75,674 - £85,257. Your salary will be dependent on your base location

Job description

MOJ Head of Internal Communications, G6

Location: Birmingham, London, Nottingham,

Grade: Grade 6

Contract: Permanent

Salary: £71,381-£80,419 (national) and £75,674-£85,257 (London)

Job description

A senior communications leader responsible for turning strategic direction into a clear, deliverable internal communications offer, leading a high-performing team at the Ministry of Justice.

You act as deputy to the Deputy Director, Corporate Communications on cross-cutting organisational issues relating to internal communications, with responsibility for day-to-day leadership, prioritisation and delivery of the function.

1. You are a trusted adviser to the MOJ’s Permanent Secretary, 2PS, ExCo and senior leaders, leading day-to-day delivery of internal communications, supporting the Deputy Director to deliver priorities and support organisational and culture change.

2. You translate strategic direction into delivery, owning a clear, joined-up internal communications plan across all portfolios. You align activity to MOJ priorities, ensure coherence across leadership communications, campaigns and corporate information, and drive delivery through your G7 team.

3. You own prioritisation, sequencing and resource allocation across the team, making decisions on trade-offs to ensure focus on the highest-value activity and effective use of resource.

4. You lead delivery through your G7s, ensuring cross-cutting campaigns and communications are aligned, prioritised and delivered effectively, with strong creative execution that supports behaviour change and organisational outcomes.

5. You own planning, commissioning and coherence of content across all channels and audiences, with close involvement in Permanent Secretary and 2PS communications, and alignment with Cabinet Office and cross-government activity.

6. You embed standards and culture in practice, ensuring consistent application of Government Communication Service Internal Communications Principles and maintaining high-quality, impactful output across the team.

7. You lead and coordinate crisis and reactive internal communications at pace, ensuring effective preparedness and response on cross-cutting MOJ issues, including business continuity, sensitive issues and “Bridges”-type responses.

8. You ensure the team operates as an effective system, with strong governance, workflows and coordination, driving alignment across agency communications teams and wider MOJ partners.

9. You build and maintain strong working relationships with Cabinet Office and GCS, ensuring effective delivery of cross-government campaigns, including HOCS amplification and pan-government communications.

10. You contribute corporately to MOJ Communications, as part of the senior leadership cadre, supporting a collaborative, inclusive and high-performing culture.

Person specification – essential criteria

You will be an experienced communications professional, with proven expertise in leading delivery in a complex, high-profile environment, with strong judgement, the ability to prioritise effectively, and a track record of delivering high-quality communications at pace.

You empower and hold your team leads accountable for delivery, ensuring clarity of ownership and consistently high standards.

In this role, it is important that you demonstrate the following three areas:

Communications judgment

You'll need excellent communications judgment, a strong news sense and proven ability in advising and influencing senior stakeholders, making decisions based on insight and organisational priorities.

This includes:
- Providing confident, high-quality advice to senior leaders on internal communications, including handling sensitive and high-profile issues
- Making sound decisions on prioritisation, sequencing and trade-offs in a complex and fast-moving environment
- Operating with confidence in ambiguity, identifying where communications can best support business delivery
- Building strong, credible relationships with senior stakeholders
- Setting and maintaining high standards for quality and consistency across all outputs

Managing competing demands

You'll need the capability to handle multiple priorities under pressure, balancing strategic intent with operational delivery across a large and complex organisation.

This includes:
- Owning and managing competing priorities, deadlines and resource constraints across the team
- Making clear decisions on focus and sequencing to maximise impact
- Leading delivery across multiple high-profile projects and day-to-day activity simultaneously
- Ensuring effective coordination across teams, portfolios and agency partners
- Maintaining pace and quality in both planned and reactive communications

Creativity

You'll bring strong creative capability, ensuring communications are engaging, effective and support organisational outcomes.

This includes:
- Driving high-quality, creative campaigns and content that deliver behaviour change and engagement
- Ensuring all communications are clear, accessible, timely and impactful
- Continuously improving the team’s offer, identifying opportunities to innovate and enhance delivery
- Supporting and challenging your team to deliver creative excellence
- Applying a strong understanding of channels, audiences and the evolving internal communications landscape

How to apply

To apply, you will be asked to provide a CV and a statement of suitability of no more than 750 words, setting out why you are the right fit for the role and paying particular attention to the responsibilities and person specification.

Additional Information

Working Arrangements & Further Information

The MoJ 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 MoJ 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 everyone’s circumstances. Arrangements will be discussed and agreed with the successful candidate(s) and subject to regular review.

For nationally advertised role: all successful candidates will be appointed to the nearest viable office nearest to their home postcode and on its respective pay scale. This will be at either a HQ building (subject to desk allocation, a Justice Collaboration Centre (JCC) or a Justice Satellite Office (JSO) – See Map . All employees will be expected to spend a minimum of 60% of their working time in an office, subject to local estate capacity).

For current MoJ employees, your base location will need to be changed to the nearest viable office (to your home postcode), either at a HQ building, JCC or JSO within the National Office Network and moved its location’s respective pay scale (any legacy arrangements/locations will need to be amended).

Some of MoJ’s terms and conditions of service are changing as part of Civil Service reform. The changes will apply to staff joining MoJ who are new to the Civil Service. Staff joining MoJ from other civil service employers will transfer onto the new MoJ terms if they are already on 'modernised' terms in their current post or onto 'unmodernised' MoJ terms if they are on 'unmodernised' terms at their current post. Details will be available if an offer is made.

MoJ candidates who are on a specialist grade, will be able to retain their grade on lateral transfer.

All candidates who are currently in receipt of Mark Time / Pay Protection should ensure they are familiar with the new policy on permanent and temporary promotion which can be found on the employee intranet.

Flexible working hours

The Ministry of Justice offers a flexible working system in many offices. Standard full time working hours are 37 hours per week. MoJ 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 MoJ’s Flexible Working policy.

Benefits

The MoJ offers a range of benefits:

Annual Leave

Annual leave is 25 days on appointment and will increase to 30 days after five years’ service.

There is also a scheme to allow qualifying staff to buy or sell up to three days leave each year. Additional paid time off for public holidays and 1 privilege day. Leave for part-time and job share posts will be calculated on a pro-rata basis.

Pension

The Civil Service offers a choice of pension schemes, giving you the flexibility to choose the pension that suits you best.

Training

The Ministry of Justice is committed to staff development and offers an extensive range of training and development opportunities.

Networks

The opportunity to join employee-run networks that have been established to provide advice and support and to enable the views of employees from minority groups to be expressed direct to senior management. There are currently networks for employees of minority ethnic origin, employees with disabilities, employees with caring responsibilities, women employees, and lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender employees.

Support

- A range of ‘Family Friendly’ policies such as opportunities to work reduced hours or job share.
- Access to flexible benefits such as voluntary benefits, retail vouchers and discounts on a range of goods and services.
- For moves to or from another employer or moves across the Civil Service this can have implications on your eligibility to carry on claiming childcare vouchers. You may however be eligible for alternative government childcare support schemes, including Tax Free Childcare. More information can be found on www.GOV.UK (https://www.gov.uk/help-with-childcare-costs/tax-free-childcare) or Childcare Choices (https://www.childcarechoices.gov.uk/) . You can determine your eligibility at https://www.childcarechoices.gov.uk/ .
- Paid paternity, adoption and maternity leave.
- Free annual sight tests for employees who use computer screens.

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 . Should you feel that the recruitment process has breached the recruitment principles you are able to raise a formal complaint in the following order

- To Transformative Business Services (0345 241 5359 (Monday to Friday 8am - 6pm) or e mail [email protected] (mailto:[email protected]) );
- To Ministry of Justice Resourcing team ( [email protected] (mailto:[email protected]) );
- To the Civil Service Commission (details available here (https://civilservicecommission.independent.gov.uk/recruitment/recruitment-complaints/) )

As a Disability Confident employer, MoJ are committed to providing everyone with the opportunity to demonstrate their skills, talent and abilities, by making adjustments throughout all elements of the recruitment process and in the workplace. MoJ are able to offer an interview to disabled candidates who meet the minimum selection criteria, except in a limited number of campaigns.

For more information on applying for a role as a candidate with a disability or long-term condition, please watch our animated videos .

You will be able to request reasonable adjustments to the recruitment process within the application form. If you need additional help completing the application form, please contact the TBS Recruitment Enquiries Team.

Diversity & 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 .

A Great Place to Work for Veterans

The "Making the Civil Service a Great Place to work for veterans" initiative includes a guaranteed interview scheme to those who meet the minimum criteria to provide eligible former members of the Armed Forces with opportunities to secure rewarding jobs. Allowing veterans to continue to serve their country, and to bring highly skilled individuals with a broad range of experience into the Civil Service in an environment, which recognises and values your previous service in the Armed Forces.
For further details about the initiative and eligibility requirements visit: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/making-the-civil-service-a-great-place-to-work-for-veterans

Redeployment Interview Scheme

Civil Service departments are expected to explore redeployment opportunities before making an individual redundant. The MoJ is committed, as part of the Redeployment Interview Scheme, to providing opportunities to those who are 'at risk of redundancy'.

MoJ is able to offer an interview to eligible candidates who meet the minimum selection criteria, except in a limited number of campaigns. Candidates will not be eligible for the Redeployment Interview Scheme if they are applying on promotion.

Civil Service Nationality Rules

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) https://www.gov.uk/settled-status-eu-citizens-families (https://eur01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.gov.uk%2Fsettled-status-eu-citizens-families&data=05%7C01%7Cchristopher.jeffery%40soprasteria.com%7C8a2293860362402c15da08dbf4cff146%7C8b87af7d86474dc78df45f69a2011bb5%7C0%7C0%7C638372946312587803%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=s%2BxUsev%2BGeeK%2FLgTUjpjfTJu%2FjpKQZ%2BQPJXNduvik3Q%3D&reserved=0)
- 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) https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/nationality-rules

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.

Contact Information

MoJ:

If you require any assistance please call 0345 241 5359 (Monday to Friday 8am - 6pm) or e mail [email protected]

Please quote the job reference 23020

HMPPS

If you require any assistance please call 0345 241 5358 (Monday to Friday 8am - 6pm) or e mail [email protected]

Please quote the job reference 23020

Strengths will be assessed but these are not shared in advance. To learn more about Strengths and how they are assessed please click here (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/success-profiles/success-profiles-strengths).

Use of Artificial Intelligence (Al)

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.