At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead external communications to ensure clear messaging for key projects and stakeholders.
- Company: Join a dynamic team at HMRC, focused on impactful communication strategies.
- Benefits: Enjoy hybrid working, competitive salary, and opportunities for professional growth.
- Other info: Fast-paced environment with opportunities to build relationships across various sectors.
- Why this job: Make a real difference by translating complex changes into accessible messages for the public.
- Qualifications: Strong experience in external communications and ability to manage multiple priorities.
The predicted salary is between 40000 - 50000 £ per year.
You will work closely with project teams and senior stakeholders, including senior leaders and ministers, to ensure communications align with delivery plans, risks and dependencies. By ensuring the right messaging reaches the right audiences at the right time, you will help maintain momentum, manage expectations, and mitigate reputational risk throughout the lifecycle of the project.
You will lead the delivery of external communications products and channels, including GOV.UK content, stakeholder briefings, agent communications, guidance updates, and targeted engagement with businesses and representative bodies. You will ensure communications are consistent, coordinated, and grounded in delivery reality. Operating in a fast-paced and evolving environment, you will adapt communications activity in response to changing priorities, feedback and emerging issues, ensuring external audiences remain informed, prepared and confident in engaging with new services.
Person Specification
You will bring strong external communications experience and a clear focus on delivering outcomes that support complex change. In this role, you will:
- Enable successful delivery of SDEC and other CCG digital projects by ensuring external communications support key releases, transitions and implementation activity.
- Drive understanding and adoption by translating complex change into clear, practical and actionable messages for businesses, agents and customers.
- Strengthen trust in HMRC services by ensuring communications are timely, transparent, accurate and accessible.
- Deliver high-quality communications products across key channels including GOV.UK, agent updates, external guidance, stakeholder packs and briefing material.
- Support senior leaders and ministers with clear, concise communications that reflect delivery progress and key messages.
- Identify and manage communications risks, ensuring issues are anticipated early and handled proactively.
- Align communications activity across delivery teams to ensure consistency, clarity and a single version of the truth.
- Maintain pace by responding quickly to changes in delivery timelines, risks and stakeholder needs.
- Build strong working relationships with internal teams and external stakeholders, including businesses, agents and representative bodies.
You will be able to demonstrate:
- The ability to design and deliver external communication strategies aligned to project delivery and behavioural change.
- Experience producing and managing tactical communications across multiple external channels such as GOV.UK content, stakeholder briefings, and guidance products.
- Experience translating complex operational or technical change into clear, accessible messaging for businesses and external stakeholders.
- Experience engaging with external stakeholders including agents, businesses and representative bodies.
- The ability to anticipate and manage communications risks in a fast-paced and high-profile delivery environment.
- Strong judgement and the ability to provide clear, confident advice to senior leaders and ministers.
- Experience using insight and feedback to shape communications and improve effectiveness.
- The ability to manage competing priorities while maintaining quality, accuracy and attention to detail.
- A proven ability to build effective working relationships to support coordinated and aligned delivery.
External Communications Manager in Belfast employer: HM Revenue & Customs
HM Revenue & Customs is an exceptional employer, offering a dynamic work environment where innovation and collaboration thrive. As an Agile Delivery Manager, you will benefit from a strong focus on professional development, with ample opportunities for growth and advancement within the public sector. Located in a supportive atmosphere that values transparency and teamwork, you will play a vital role in shaping digital services that make a real difference to users across the UK.
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land External Communications Manager in Belfast
✨Get Involved in PR Events
Dive into local PR meetups and workshops. Events like these are perfect for getting your face out there, chatting with industry pros, and spotting potential job openings at companies like HM Revenue & Customs. Plus, it’s a fantastic way to learn about trends and make lasting connections.
✨Showcase Your PR Skills
Start building your personal brand as a PR ace. Use platforms like Twitter and LinkedIn to share your thoughts on current events or PR campaigns you admire. Tagging companies you want to work for, like HM Revenue & Customs, can catch their eye—especially if your insights resonate!
✨Leverage Your Network
Reach out to friends, family, or connections in the PR field. Even a casual chat can lead to opportunities. If you've got mutual contacts, ask for introductions when applying. Personal recommendations can give your application a nice little boost!
✨Tailor Your Approach
When applying for a full-time PR role, make sure to research HM Revenue & Customs inside and out. Understanding their campaigns, values, and style allows us to directly align our application and impress during interviews. Don't hesitate to apply through our website—going direct can make a real difference!
We think you need these skills to ace External Communications Manager in Belfast
Some tips for your application 🫡
Get Your Story Straight:In public relations, storytelling is everything! Make sure your CV highlights your experience in crafting compelling narratives and managing media relations. Share specific examples of campaigns you've worked on, and don’t forget to include any press coverage you've generated—it's impressive proof of your skills!
Show Off Your Communication Skills:Since PR is all about communication, we want to see your best writing samples. Include pieces like press releases, blog posts, or social media content that you've created. This gives us a taste of your voice and your ability to convey messages clearly and effectively, which is crucial for a role in this field.
Tailor Your Cover Letter:Your cover letter should be more than just a recap of your CV; it’s your chance to shine! Emphasise why PR excites you and how your background fits with the mission of HM Revenue & Customs. Show us that you’ve done your homework and speak to why you’re passionate about the work we do.
Connect the Dots:When you’re writing your application, think about how your past experiences link to the responsibilities of the role. Mention any internships, volunteer work, or projects that involved public speaking, event planning, or strategic communication. This will help us see how you can seamlessly bring your skills into a full-time position at HM Revenue & Customs.
How to prepare for a job interview at HM Revenue & Customs
✨Master the Art of Storytelling
In public relations, storytelling is key. We should prepare compelling narratives about past campaigns or projects we’ve worked on. Think about how we can illustrate our impact and creativity in those stories—be ready to discuss specific examples that showcase our skills in managing media relationships and crafting messages.
✨Know Your PR Tools Inside Out
Familiarity with PR tools like Cision or Meltwater is crucial. We need to be able to discuss how we’ve used these tools in past roles or projects. If we've worked on media lists, press releases, or analytics reports, let’s have those experiences ready to share along with metrics we’ve achieved to back up our claims.
✨Stay Current with Industry Trends
We’ve got to stay sharp on the latest trends and events impacting the public relations field. Having a few insights ready about recent campaigns or shifts in media landscapes can show that we’re engaged and knowledgeable. This will also help us make connections between our experiences and the current state of the industry.
✨Showcase Our Versatility
As full-time PR professionals, we need to demonstrate our adaptability. Be ready to talk about how we've handled challenging situations, managed crises, or adapted strategies on the fly. Employers will appreciate our ability to pivot and find solutions under pressure, so let’s have those scenarios at our fingertips to discuss.
