Defence Digital Head of Communications - #1764080

MoD Corsham or Main Building, London with hybrid working (2-3 days) in office and occasional travel to other locations.

Job Summary

Defence Digital ensures our Armed Forces remain among the most technologically advanced in the world. We do this by putting innovative and effective technology into the hands of over 200,000 users, from the boardroom to the front line.   

We lead on cutting-edge data science, automation, and cybersecurity at scale. Our mission goes beyond the battlefield by leading humanitarian efforts and driving digital innovation that impacts lives across the globe. 

Defence Digital forms part of Strategic Command which manages the MOD’s joint capabilities for the Army, RAF, and Royal Navy. 

Watch our video to see what we do at Defence Digital! 

Passionate about using your skills to make a critical difference? Your next career move could be here! 

This position is advertised at 37 hours per week.

Job Description

We have an exciting opportunity for an experienced communications professional, to lead the Defence Digital Communications team.

The Defence Digital (DD) Communications Team sits within Defence Digital’s Functional Integration Directorate and are responsible for sharing and building visibility of Defence Digital’s work, primarily across the Ministry of Defence (MOD) and also externally and out into industry. The team plan and deliver campaigns, across multiple communications channels to increase awareness of Defence Digital’s role and impact, to enhance our reputation, and to build our visibility as an innovative, exciting and great place to work. The team are also responsible for Internal Comms for Defence Digital including scheduling and running all-staff townhalls, all-staff Communications etc.

We are looking for someone who can continuously iterate and improve our communications strategy and approach, and lead and develop our communications team to maximise the impact of communications activities.

The successful candidate will be both an engaging individual communicator and experienced communications leader who is able to lead and direct a small team of comms professionals to deliver impactful campaigns and messages in a large, complex, and faced-paced organisation.

The Key Responsibilities Of Role Are To:

• Confidently communicate Defence Digital, and the Communications Team’s, purpose and direction – being on-point to build the visibility & reputation of Defence Digital, the Digital Function, and the value we deliver.
• Visibly lead, develop and inspire, our small team of communications professionals with energy, enthusiasm, pride and passion – engaging them in a shared vision and enabling them to maximise their collective impact.
• Consider how our messaging will impact diverse groups and audiences, and develop and utilise insights to make data-informed decisions, identify target audiences, and inform communications objectives and solutions.
• Develop and implement the communication strategy for Defence Digital, taking a leading role in defining the approach and model for Defence Digital Comms to deliver strategic value for Defence Digital and wider MOD.
• Plan and deliver effective communication campaigns, working with stakeholders and partners to deliver effective, and targeted communications, and efficiently utilising appropriate communications channels.
• Assess the impact and effectiveness of Defence Digital’s communications - reviewing achievement of objectives, identifying lessons learned, and sharing feedback, whilst creating a culture of continuous improvement in the Defence Digital Communications team.
• Build credibility quickly and confidently, and engage with stakeholders and colleagues at all levels to create strong partnerships and relationships with clarity, integrity and enthusiasm, whilst respecting and valuing others (including senior leaders and their Private Offices).
• Ensure alignment and collaboration with key Communications stakeholders across the Ministry of Defence (e.g. Directorate of Defence Communications, National Armaments Director Group etc).
• Role model continuous professional development and make sure the Defence Digital communications team has the capability and skills it needs to deliver the communications strategy and campaigns.
  
  

We have an exciting opportunity for an experienced communications professional, to lead the Defence Digital Communications team.

The Defence Digital (DD) Communications Team sits within Defence Digital’s Functional Integration Directorate and are responsible for sharing and building visibility of Defence Digital’s work, primarily across the Ministry of Defence (MOD) and also externally and out into industry. The team plan and deliver campaigns, across multiple communications channels to increase awareness of Defence Digital’s role and impact, to enhance our reputation, and to build our visibility as an innovative, exciting and great place to work. The team are also responsible for Internal Comms for Defence Digital including scheduling and running all-staff townhalls, all-staff Communications etc.

We are looking for someone who can continuously iterate and improve our communications strategy and approach, and lead and develop our communications team to maximise the impact of communications activities.

The successful candidate will be both an engaging individual communicator and experienced communications leader who is able to lead and direct a small team of comms professionals to deliver impactful campaigns and messages in a large, complex, and faced-paced organisation.

The Key Responsibilities Of Role Are To:

• Confidently communicate Defence Digital, and the Communications Team’s, purpose and direction – being on-point to build the visibility & reputation of Defence Digital, the Digital Function, and the value we deliver.
• Visibly lead, develop and inspire, our small team of communications professionals with energy, enthusiasm, pride and passion – engaging them in a shared vision and enabling them to maximise their collective impact.
• Consider how our messaging will impact diverse groups and audiences, and develop and utilise insights to make data-informed decisions, identify target audiences, and inform communications objectives and solutions.
• Develop and implement the communication strategy for Defence Digital, taking a leading role in defining the approach and model for Defence Digital Comms to deliver strategic value for Defence Digital and wider MOD.
• Plan and deliver effective communication campaigns, working with stakeholders and partners to deliver effective, and targeted communications, and efficiently utilising appropriate communications channels.
• Assess the impact and effectiveness of Defence Digital’s communications - reviewing achievement of objectives, identifying lessons learned, and sharing feedback, whilst creating a culture of continuous improvement in the Defence Digital Communications team.
• Build credibility quickly and confidently, and engage with stakeholders and colleagues at all levels to create strong partnerships and relationships with clarity, integrity and enthusiasm, whilst respecting and valuing others (including senior leaders and their Private Offices).
• Ensure alignment and collaboration with key Communications stakeholders across the Ministry of Defence (e.g. Directorate of Defence Communications, National Armaments Director Group etc).
• Role model continuous professional development and make sure the Defence Digital communications team has the capability and skills it needs to deliver the communications strategy and campaigns.
  
  

Person specification

This Role Would Suit An Individual With:

• Experience of setting direction and leading, inspiring and empowering teams to deliver high-quality and impactful outcomes in large and complex organisations, whilst managing and prioritising multiple competing priorities.
• Experience of leading and delivering communications and campaigns that use a range of channels to drive impact, including generating insight to optimise and assess communication performance.
• Experience of establishing effective relationships and influence with a broad range of senior stakeholders, to generate consensus & decisions so that work can move forward, including managing stakeholder challenge and delivering through others.
• Experience of creating a culture of continuous improvement, and leading teams to develop more efficient and effective ways of working.
• Experience of developing skills and capability in individuals and teams to raise professional standards.
• Exceptional written and verbal communications skills, and organisation and time management.
  
  

Desirable Criteria:

• Experience of working in a government or public sector communications environment
• An understanding of the defence landscape, industry and geopolitical situation
• An understanding of the digital landscape and emerging trends.
  
  

When Submitting Your CV, Highlight Your Relevant Career Experience. In Addition, Refer To The “Things You Need To Know” Section And Provide a Personal Statement (max. 1250 Words) Demonstrating The Following Essential Criteria:

• Experience of setting direction and leading, inspiring and empowering teams to deliver high-quality and impactful outcomes in large and complex organisations, whilst managing and prioritising multiple competing priorities.
• Experience of establishing effective relationships and influence with a broad range of senior stakeholders, to generate consensus & decisions so that work can move forward, including managing stakeholder challenge and delivering through others.
• Experience of creating a culture of continuous improvement, and leading teams to develop more efficient and effective ways of working.
  
  

Behaviours

We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:

• Leadership
• Communicating and Influencing
• Changing and Improving
  
  

Technical skills

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

• GCS Competency – Impact.
  
  

Alongside your salary of £70,540, Ministry of Defence contributes £20,435 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

• Flexible working options- we understand the importance of adapting work to your life.
• Inclusion and diversity- our culture celebrates uniqueness and encourages collaboration of diverse thought.
• A pension scheme which secures your future.
• Generous annual leave- starting with 25 days and growing to 30 after just 5 years.
• Minimum of 15 Days Special Leave in a rolling 12-month period to volunteer for military or emergency service reserve commitments.
• Special Paid Leave for volunteering up to 6 days a year.
• Enhanced maternity, paternity and adoption leave.
• Most sites have good travel links with free car parking; many also have other facilities such as a Sports & Social Club and Gyms
• You can read more here- Civil Service Employee Benefits , Civil Service Careers (civil-service-careers.gov.uk)
  
  

The post does not offer relocation expenses.

External recruits who join the MOD who are new to the Civil Service will be subject to a six-month probation period.

Please Note: Expenses incurred for travel to interviews will not be reimbursed.

Please be advised that the Department is conducting a review of all pay related allowances which could impact on those allowances that the post currently being advertised attracts.

Any move to MOD from another employer will mean you can no longer access childcare vouchers. This includes moves between government departments. You may however be eligible for other government schemes, including Tax-Free Childcare. Determine your eligibility at https://www.childcarechoices.gov.uk/.

The Ministry of Defence is committed to providing a safe and healthy working environment for its staff which includes educating them on the benefits of not smoking, protecting them from the harmful effects of second-hand smoke and supporting those who want to give up smoking. Under the Smoke-Free Working Environment policy, Smoking and the use of all tobacco products (including combustible and chewing tobacco products) will not be permitted anywhere in the Defence working environment however some exemptions are in place, please refer to local guidance. The policy is Whole Force and includes all Defence personnel, contractors, visitors and other non-MOD personnel. All applicants seeking, considering, or accepting employment with the Ministry of Defence should be aware of this policy and that it is already in place at a number of Defence Establishments.

MOD Recruitment Satisfaction Survey – We may contact you regarding your experience to help us improve our customer satisfaction. The survey is voluntary and anonymous. You may however be given the opportunity to provide additional information to help us improve our service which includes the collection of some personal data as defined by the United Kingdom General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR). The MOD Privacy Policy Notice sets out how we will use your personal data and your rights.

Selection process details

This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours, Experience and Technical skills.

At sift, you will be assessed against your CV and Statement of suitability

Experience:

• Candidates will be required to provide a statement of suitability. (1250 Word count)
• Candidates will be required to provide CV details to include job history; qualification details and previous skills and experience.
  
  

When choosing your Behaviour examples, please make sure you use real life scenarios that relate to your own experiences. Whilst technology may help to enhance your written submission, presenting the ideas of others or those generated by technology, could result in your application being rejected.

Behaviour:

At interview, you will be assessed against the following:

• Leadership
• Communicating and Influencing
• Changing and Improving
  
  

Technical Skill

• GCS Competency – Impact.
  
  

Please Find Below, a Link To Our Video Which Gives You Helpful Tips And Guidance On The CS Jobs Application Process:

Watch: How to apply on CS Jobs: Guide and Tips

Professional Framework Statement  

This role is aligned to the Government Communication Professional Competency Framework - Competency Framework - technical specifications - GCS

Defence Digital operates an organisation model in which every individual belongs to a Government Profession. The successful applicant will be posted into one of the defined Government Professions on Standard Terms of Reference for the grade. Defence Digital reserves the right to move individuals between roles, within their allocated profession, to meet the needs of the business and in support of agile resourcing.  Within Defence Digital each profession is led by a Professional Head of Community who will lead professional development and support the Continuous Professional Development path for their group.  

Learning & Development

In Defence Digital we have a strong learning and development ethos, supporting you to fulfil your potential by providing –

• Learning and development tailored to your role
• Professional and Personal Development of skills
• Access to thousands of training courses through Civil Service Learning, some free or paid by MOD
• Ability to obtain industry recognised qualifications supported by MOD
  
  

Hybrid Working

Where business needs allow, some roles may be suitable for a combination of office and home-based working. This is a non-contractual arrangement where all employees will be expected to spend a minimum of 60% of their working time in office, subject to capacity. Requirements to attend other locations for official business, or work in another MOD office will also count towards this level of attendance. Applicants can request further information regarding how this may work in their team from the vacancy holder (see advert for contact details). This position is advertised at 37 hours per week. The successful candidate is required to carry out all their duties from a UK location and cannot do so from an overseas location at any time.

Strategic Command is going through a significant transformation programme which aims to improve the way the Command conducts its business and delivers for Defence and the nation. As a consequence of this, all posts within Strategic Command Headquarters and in time the wider organisation, are/will be subject to review and potential changes as we continuously improve across the period of the transformation programme. These changes may be minor or could be more substantive and will generate new opportunities. Throughout, the Command’s transformation programme is committed to following the MOD’s framework on managing and supporting people through the change process and places an emphasis on early and open consultation and engagement with the Command’s personnel and Trade Unions.

Artificial Intelligence

We encourage the use of technology to streamline the job application process. Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools can be helpful in generating ideas, improving writing style, and increasing efficiency. However, it is essential that any content submitted as part of a job application is truthful, accurate, and a genuine reflection of the applicant’s qualifications and experiences. Any use of AI should be supplementary to your own knowledge and abilities. Ultimately, the application should demonstrate your unique skills and suitability for the role.

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).

Apply and further information

This vacancy is part of the Great Place to Work for Veterans (opens in a new window) initiative.

Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours, Experience and Technical skills.

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.

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.

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).

This vacancy is part of the Great Place to Work for Veterans (opens in a new window) initiative.

Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.

Contact point for applicants

Job Contact :

• Name : Defence Digital Talent Acquisition Team
• Email : [email protected]
  
  

Recruitment team

• Email : [email protected]
  
  

Further information

Please ensure you read the attached candidate information document prior to completing your application. If you are dissatisfied with the service you have received from DBS, or believe that DBS has failed to follow the recruitment process in line with the Civil Service Commission principles of selection for appointment on merit on the basis of Fair and Open competition, you can raise a formal complaint by writing to DBS at the following address: Defence Business Services, Scanning Hub, Room 6124, Tomlinson House, Norcross Lane, Blackpool, FY5 3WP. If after raising your complaint with DBS you remain dissatisfied you can complain directly to the Civil Service Commission at the following address: Civil Service commission, Room G/8, 1 Horse Guards Road, London, SW1A 2HQ Or by email: [email protected].