Senior Communications Manager

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) is the UK s largest producer of official statistics, covering a range of key economic, social and demographic topics. These include measuring changes in the value of the UK economy, estimating the size, geographic distribution and characteristics of the population, and providing indicators of price inflation, employment, earnings, crime and migration.

We are committed to reflect the experiences of everyone in our society through our statistics to ensure that everyone counts.

This is an exciting time to join our Health, Population and Methods (HPaM) Communications Team. We are currently supporting colleagues in HPaM to deliver the messaging on the Future of Population and Migration Statistics (FPMS) and many other exciting initiatives across the directorate., You should demonstrate a strong understanding of the full communications mix, with significant experience of delivering internal messaging. You will have experience of collaborating with other Communications professionals (internal comms, external affairs, media relations, campaigns, and outreach and engagement) to ensure we provide the best communications counsel to the senior leadership team.

We are looking for a team player who would like to build on the relationships we have developed across the directorate during the last two years. You will manage a diverse portfolio of communications requirements, focusing on internal communications.

This role is busy and challenging, but hugely rewarding and interesting, and you will have an opportunity to shape the role going forward. You will continually work with teams across HPaM and provide advice to senior management and in return you will gain a sense of accomplishment when your communication counsel has been adopted and delivered.

The post would be ideal for someone with strong internal communication experience.

Responsibilities:

• Communication planning and developing strategies, including building and developing communication plans to support specific projects and programmes.

• Content writing and editing. For example, producing, but not exclusive to newsletters and SharePoint site copy, intranet blogs and articles.

• You will produce briefing documents for our Director General and other members of the senior leadership team.

• Chairing monthly directorate calls and the Director General call.

• Develop methods for making our messaging both internally and externally more engaging.

• Providing communications support and advice to our Director General and Private Office team, and the wider Senior Leadership team.

• Provide support and advice for directorate and divisional level communications, colleague engagement strategies and directorate colleague calls. There will be occasions where you will need to facilitate these meetings too.

• Reporting and monitoring of our communications impact using available analytics and feedback.

• Working closely with the internal comms team to promote the work of the HPaM directorate across the wider ONS on intranet and other central channels.

• Supporting HPaM colleagues with development, promotion and facilitating of internal and external webinars, events, and round-tables.

• This role will line manage one Higher Executive Officer (HEO)., We’ll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:

• Seeing the Big Picture

• Communicating and Influencing

• Delivering at Pace

Technical skills

We’ll assess you against these technical skills during the selection process:

• GCS Framework – Insight – Core – GCS Framework

• GCS Framework – Ideas – Core – GCS Framework

• GCS Framework – Impact Core – GCS Framework, At ONS we are always looking to attract the very best people from the widest possible talent pool, and we are proud to be an inclusive, equal opportunities employer. As a Disability Confident Leader we re committed to ensuring that all candidates are treated fairly throughout the recruitment process.

As part of our application process, you will be prompted to provide details of any reasonable adjustments to our recruitment process that you need. If you would like to discuss any reasonable adjustments before applying, please contact the recruitment team in the first instance.

If you would like an accessible version of any of the attachments or recruitment documents below or linked to in this advert, please contact the recruitment team who will be happy to assist., A lack of UK residency in itself is not always a bar to security clearance but the Department will need to consider eligibility by exception on a case-by-case basis. You will be asked to provide information regarding your UK residency during your application, and failure to provide this will result in your application being rejected.

If you are unsure that you meet the eligibility above, please read the information available on Gov.uk on this link, or contact the recruitment email on the advert before applying to discuss, as failure to meet the residency requirements will result in your security clearance application being rejected and any offer of employment being withdrawn.

At the point of SC application you will need to provide or give access to the following evidence:

• Departmental or company records (personnel files, staff reports, sick leave reports and security records)

• UK criminal records covering both spent and unspent criminal records

• Your credit and financial history with a credit reference agency

• Security Services records

Please note that all campaigns may be subject to withdrawal at any stage if the internal resource position changes.

Artificial Intelligence (AI):

All applicants will have access to (AI) resources, it is therefore important to remember these tools, although helpful in streamlining the writing process, cannot fully understand the organisational context, or requirements for the role you are applying for.

To maintain authenticity and credibility of the application process, should you choose to use generative AI tools, you need to ensure the information you provide in your supporting evidence accurately reflects your skills, knowledge, and experience.

ONS does not advocate relying solely on generative AI to write your application. Doing so may negatively impact your chances of success during the selection process.

If you are invited to interview, please be aware the use of AI tools is prohibited and any suspected use may result in the termination of your interview and subsequent withdrawal from the campaign.

Please note that all campaigns may be subject to withdrawal at any stage if the internal resource position changes.

Application process:

Number of Stages: 2 stage process

Stage 1: Application

Stage 2: Interview

Stage 1 Application

The assessment process at the application stage will be based on your work history, skills, experience, CV, and personal statement. It is important that your application is tailored to highlight the skills, knowledge, and experience relevant to the role.

Your personal statement should be no longer than 1250 words. You should provide evidence for each essential skill criterion listed in the person specification. As these criteria are scored, it is advisable to give clear examples for each one, including the impact of your actions, ideally utilising the STAR technique (Situation, Task, Action, Result).

Please note that Success Profiles Behaviour examples are not required at this stage of the application process.

In instances where a high number of applications are received, the sift pass mark may be adjusted, and candidates will be invited to interview based on merit order, i.e., those with the highest scores.

Stage 2 Interview

If invited to interview, you will be assessed using techniques aligned with the Civil Service Success Profiles framework, covering all behaviours listed in the job advert. You will be assessed against technical questions aligned with the GCS Framework

A presentation may be required at interview. Further information will be provided to shortlisted candidates prior to interview.

Interviews will be held virtually via Microsoft Teams.

A reserve list may be held for a period up to 12 months from which further appointments may be made.

Sift – From 25th February 2025

Interviews From 6th March 2025

Dates are subject to change

For the full terms and conditions of the post, please see attachment below.

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 security 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).

• Outstanding communication, engagement and presentation skills, both oral and written, with high levels of sensitivity and judgement to risk and appropriateness.

• Significant experience of delivering internal communications using a variety of channels, including but not exclusive to the intranet, All-hands events, Listening Groups, video copy and webinars.

• Experience of developing stakeholder engagement and mapping.

• Ability to see the big picture by developing a strong understanding of the wider internal and external environment, with an awareness of the reputation and aims of the organisation.

• Line management experience.

Desirable Criteria

• Experience of communicating projects / programmes to an internal audience.

Alongside your salary of £41,364, Office for National Statistics contributes £11,983 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

• Name : Julian Price

• Email : Julian.Price@ons.gov.uk

Recruitment team

• Email : recruitmentoperations@ons.gov.uk, If you feel your application has not been treated in accordance with the Recruitment Principles and you wish to make a complaint, in the first instance, you should contact recruitment.complaints@ons.gov.uk. If you are not satisfied with the response you receive from the Department, you can contact the Civil Service Commission