Communications Lead in Northampton

Inside IR35 - Must have an active SC Clearance - Hybrid working

Role Purpose: Provide visible, expert leadership to realise the communications strategy and uplift communications capability across the organisation. You will set standards for high-quality, user-centred communications, build skills and confidence across teams, and ensure communications activity is evidence-based, integrated with programme delivery, and achieves measurable outcomes. You will partner with senior leaders, programme teams and suppliers to drive consistency, compliance with good practice, and delivery at pace.

Key Responsibilities:

• Strategy, Planning & Governance: Translate departmental/organisational communications strategy into a deliverable roadmap with clear objectives, audiences, channels, messages and measures. Establish and run governance for communications (planning cycles, editorial boards, approvals, campaign assurance, brand and accessibility compliance). Integrate communications plans with programme delivery schedules, milestones and benefits; ensure readiness for major releases/go-lives.
• Capability Uplift & Good Practice: Lead a structured capability uplift programme (skills assessment, curriculum, toolkits, playbooks, coaching, communities of practice). Define and embed standards and templates (audience insight, message frameworks, channel selection, evaluation, plain English, accessibility). Provide coaching and feedback to senior leaders and SMEs on effective narrative, presentation, and stakeholder communications.
• Stakeholder & Senior Leadership Engagement: Build trusted relationships with SROs, programme leadership, policy/operations and HR, aligning comms to business outcomes. Challenge and influence senior leaders constructively to uphold standards and make evidence-based decisions. Coordinate communications with suppliers and delivery partners, ensuring message alignment and contractual deliverables on communications where relevant.
• Risk, Assurance & Measurement: Maintain a communications RAID approach (reputational, operational, and stakeholder risks); define mitigations and escalation routes. Establish KPIs and evaluation frameworks (reach, engagement, sentiment, comprehension, behaviour change), producing clear insights and recommendations. Prepare for and respond to internal/external reviews and audits; track actions to closure.
• Team Leadership & Operations (particularly for G6): Line-manage and mentor communications professionals; role-model inclusive leadership and civil service values. Own the comms operating model, including resourcing, supplier management, budget oversight, and continuous improvement.

Essential Skills & Experience:

• Substantial UK government experience in a similar role within a complex programme/project environment of significant scale with multiple stakeholders and suppliers.
• Dynamic, visible leadership with proven ability to influence in a multi-disciplinary environment; line management experience (expected at G6).
• Proven track record of delivering at pace, meeting quality standards and deadlines across concurrent initiatives.
• Confidence to challenge and influence senior leaders, using evidence and insight to drive decisions.
• Problem ownership: identifies risks and gaps early, designs pragmatic solutions, and delivers positive outcomes.
• Role-models communications best practice and coaches others to enhance capability.
• Excellent written and verbal communication, with strong attention to detail and the ability to craft clear, concise, audience-appropriate content.
• Hands-on experience of communications planning, audience insight, editorial processes, measurement/evaluation, and flexing methods (eg, Agile/hybrid environments) to delivery priorities.