Deputy Director Strategic Communications in Leeds

The Government Property Agency is the largest property holder in government, with more than £2.1 billion in property assets and over 55% of the government’s office estate. We are transforming the way the Civil Service works by creating great places to work, leading the largest commercial office programme in the UK, working towards halving carbon emissions from government offices, and achieving greater value for taxpayers. We are looking for innovative, solutions-focused people to join our team.

Representing the best covenant in the UK – His Majesty’s Government – we are leading significant transformational programmes such as the Government Hubs Programme, Whitehall Campus Programme and Net Zero Programme. We are also delivering cost-effective property services such as asset management, lifecycle replacement and workplace services. Innovation and progress underpin our behaviours. We foster a culture of lifelong learning, where curiosity and self-improvement are encouraged. Our four core values are at the heart of everything we do:

• Striving for excellence - We always aim to deliver great results
• Empowering through respect - We insist on fair treatment for all, always
• Acting with integrity - We consistently do the right thing
• Succeeding together - We rely on each other to achieve success

We are committed to representing the communities we serve by making Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) part of everything we do. Our strong emphasis on EDI is not just about driving inclusion across our organisation, it is also about ensuring our services meet the needs of government departments and the civil servants who use our spaces. To ensure that we are always recruiting and retaining a diverse mix of talent, we are particularly inviting applications from candidates who are disabled, ethnically or gender diverse, and people who identify as being part of the LGBTQ+ community.

Join our dynamic and diverse team that leads with purpose, improving sustainability, nurturing social value, driving inclusivity and flexibility, and kickstarting economic growth. We are driven by purpose, and you can be part of it too: where you make a meaningful impact; where you influence; where your voice really matters; where you help to shape our future direction.

Reporting to the Chief Operating Officer and a member of the COO leadership team and Senior Leadership Group, you will lead your team to develop insight-led communications, engagement & marketing strategies that support the Agencies priorities, driving behaviour change and influencing attitudes to help deliver outcomes. The role also champions a more explicit and structured approach to external affairs, reflecting evolving best practice across the Government Communication Service.

You will use your strong leadership skills to drive delivery of the strategies, collaborating across Government Property Agency, measuring progress and adapting the strategies as necessary based on ongoing evaluation. You will build relationships with a range of stakeholders, including our strategic business partners, GPA internal teams, GPA Board, departmental partners etc., ensuring communications and marketing are integrated across the GPA providing trusted advice, strategies and communications and marketing expertise.

This is a fast‑paced role, and you will need to work confidently across a broad range of areas; the role is responsible for communications for GPA’s major capital programmes, critical priorities such as our “Plan for London” and our critical Workplace Services communications. Alongside this, the role will also lead internal comms for our ongoing change programmes. The role will heavily influence senior stakeholders to support best practice strategic communications. You will need strong project management and planning skills, and a deep understanding of behaviour change and its application in communication and marketing campaigns. The successful candidate will lead a diverse team, delivering across a range of areas.

Key Responsibilities

• Strategic Communications Leadership: Provide strategic oversight of GPA’s Communications and Marketing function to support business priorities. Use data and audience insight to develop and deliver the Communications and Marketing Strategy, Internal Communications Strategy, and Marketing Plan, aligned with the GPA Business Plan and focused on behavioural change and reputational impact. Take overall accountability for the design and delivery of all strategic communications, marketing and engagement activity, including business continuity communications, policy development, brand identity, public and media relations, online presence, internal and external campaigns, and reputation management.
• Executive and Board Engagement: Act as a trusted advisor to the Executive Committee and Board, building strong senior relationships and ensuring long‑term communications planning. Keep senior leaders informed of key activity, providing credible, expert advice that influences decision‑making at the highest level.
• Integrated Communications and Function Management: Lead the delivery of a flexible, matrix‑based, insight‑led communications, marketing, and engagement function. Oversee the planning, design, and execution of high‑quality services to ensure consistency and alignment with the GPA strategy. Contribute to organisational transformation by embedding modern, digital‑first approaches to internal and external communications. Drive continuous improvement in tools, channels, and ways of working.
• Brand, Messaging and Reputation Consistency: Promote and enforce consistent brand usage and tone of voice across all channels, ensuring clarity, professionalism and alignment with GPA’s identity and wider civil service communications standards and approaches. Lead on all reputational and communications risks, including responses to major events and operational incidents. Ensure timely, coordinated, and strategic messaging that protects the organisation’s public standing.
• Internal Engagement and Culture: Ensure employees, clients and stakeholders are fully informed about GPA’s work, values and direction. Provide tools, templates, and guidance to support consistent, high‑quality communication, recognising communication as a shared organisational responsibility. On behalf of ExCo, lead initiatives that support employee engagement, leadership visibility and organisational culture, aligned with GPA’s values and strategic plan.
• External Affairs and Stakeholder Engagement: Use horizon scanning and stakeholder insight to lead communication planning and stakeholder mapping. Develop and embed a public affairs and influencing strategy that strengthens GPA’s reputation and relationships across government and the wider public sector. Coordinate insight from client feedback, reputation monitoring, and perception tracking to support strategic engagement.
• Culture of Innovation and Improvement: Champion a culture of creativity, innovation, and continuous improvement across the communications function, enabling the team to adapt and thrive in a dynamic operating environment.
• Major Programme and Campaign Delivery: Lead the planning and delivery of major communications programmes, campaigns, events, and corporate messaging, ensuring alignment with strategic objectives and stakeholder needs.