Director of Communications in London

A Civil Service Pension with an employer contribution of 28.97%

Business area: HO - Communications Directorate

Online Application no later than 17:00h on Wednesday 25th February 2026

The Home Office is one of the original great Departments of State and its role is fundamentally important: to keep Britain’s streets safe and its borders secure. With a budget of £14.7bn, the department leads on immigration and passports, drugs and crime policy, counter-extremism and counter-terrorism, and works to ensure visible, responsive and accountable policing across the UK. Its work touches millions of lives every day and sits at the centre of public trust, national security and the effective functioning of the state.

The Home Office is now seeking an outstanding Director of Communications to lead one of the most high-profile and influential communications functions in Government. This is a rare opportunity to shape how a major department engages, informs and builds trust with citizens at a time when both technology and public expectations are evolving rapidly.

As the most senior communications adviser in the organisation, you will provide clear, confident counsel to Ministers and the Permanent Secretary, ensuring communications sits at the heart of policy delivery, reputation management and public confidence. You will lead a multi-disciplinary directorate of around 120 professionals, championing a modern, audience-first approach and driving the shift from reactive, press-first activity to integrated, insight-driven communications that meet people where they are.

This role sits at the centre of the Future Home Office transformation programme, an ambitious effort to modernise how the department operates and performs. You will play a pivotal role in shaping how that story is told across the organisation and to the public, reinforcing the purpose, priorities and benefits of change.

As part of the senior communications leadership community across Government, you will also build strong partnerships with No.10, the Cabinet Office and colleagues across Whitehall, supporting a more joined-up, modern communications system that reflects today’s media landscape and audience behaviour.

We are seeking a strategic, creative and forward-looking communications leader. You will bring a marketing and storytelling mindset, with the ability to craft compelling narratives and deliver high-impact campaigns grounded in data, segmentation and audience insight. You will be confident advising senior figures with political acuity and emotional intelligence, able to navigate complexity and lead the department through moments of crisis with calm judgement and pace.

You will have experience leading large, complex communications or similarly multifaceted environments, with a strong track record in digital transformation and the use of modern platforms, formats and tools, including the responsible application of AI. Above all, you will be an inclusive and inspiring leader who builds capability, supports creativity and fosters high performance across a diverse team, while contributing to the continued development of the 6,000-strong Government Communication Service.

This is a unique opportunity to influence some of the most important issues facing the country, helping shape the voice, reputation and impact of a department whose work is fundamental to national life. If you bring strategic ambition, a modern communications mindset and a commitment to public service, this role offers the chance to make a significant and lasting difference.

You will be able to demonstrate your capability and potential against the following essential criteria:

• Marketing and storytelling mindset with demonstrable experience of audience-led, insight-driven campaigns. You understand segmentation, targeting and positioning. You have proven success developing multi-channel campaigns and creative content strategies with clear evaluation metrics and measurable impact—including large-scale behaviour-change or trust-building campaigns.
• Senior advisory and influencing skills - excellent interpersonal and influencing skills as a trusted adviser with diverse stakeholders internally and externally, including at Board, C-suite and ministerial (or equivalent) level. You have experience advising and influencing at the most senior levels with political acumen and emotional intelligence.
• Demonstrable experience leading digital transformation in communications - with deep understanding of how to harness the most effective digital platforms and traditional media.
• Proven crisis management and transformation leadership - experience leading communications transformation with excellent judgement to manage crises, reputational risk and politically sensitive issues. An awareness of public sentiment and proven experience using this information to inform decision-making.
• Exceptional leadership of multi-disciplinary teams - a resilient leader with experience leading transformation, building capability and fostering a creative and impact-focused team.