Content Officer

Job description

Job responsibilities

The UKHSA Internal Communications and Intranet team is at the heart of UKHSA leadership and decision-making. They influence departmental culture and behaviour through a high impact programme of exciting communication, channel development and content, using guidance, frameworks and best practice from the Government Communications Service (GCS).

The Internal Communications Officer post sits in the Internal Communications team, led by the Head of Internal Communications and Intranet, supported by two Internal Communications Strategic Leads, two Internal Communications Managers and one other Internal Communications Officers. The team provides a high-quality effective communications service to approximately 6000 UKHSA staff. The Internal Communications and Intranet team provides support and advice to the organisation and its directorates through an account management system.

The post-holder will provide internal communications support and advice to stakeholders and deliver clear, timely and targeted communications across a range of channels which engage staff in UKHSAs vision and support them in the delivery of its priorities and programmes. The post-holder will support the delivery of communications strategies and lead on creation and delivery of smaller communication plans where appropriate.

The post-holder will lead on managing the internal communications mailbox and coordinating the weekly newsletter, including ghost-writing leaders introductions, curating entries and checking content from other contributors.

The post-holder will possess excellent writing skills, and the ability to draft versatile, quality content for a range of channels and platforms including news stories and blogs for our intranet.

The post-holder will have excellent planning skills, be able to work well under pressure and have the interpersonal skills and flexible approach to source content from busy colleagues.

We are an insightful, data-driven organisation. The post-holder will join the other officer in evaluating the impact of all our outputs and channels.

We are looking for an organised, creative team player, passionate about internal communications, who is eager to learn and develop.

• You will be the first point of contact for internal stakeholders seeking internal communications support.
• You will have experience of providing advice to colleagues at all levels.
• You will need to be a good team player both within the Communications Directorate and the teams in your portfolio.
• You will have excellent planning skills, as well as the ability to work well under pressure.
• You will be able to support in developing evaluation plans and identifying relevant metrics to measure the impact of internal communications.

Location

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) operates a hybrid working model where business needs allow. This provides us with greater flexibility about how and where we work, to get the best from our workforce.As a hybrid worker, you will be expected to spend a minimum of 60% of your contractual working hours (approximately 3 days a week pro rata, averaged over a month) working at Canary Wharf, London. For certain roles, some additional flexibility may be possible, which will be agreed upon with the hiring manager based onindividual requirements and business needs.

*Please be aware that this role can only be worked from within the UK and not overseas. Relocation expenses are not available.*

Selection process details

STAGE 1 - APPLICATION & SIFT:

You will be required to complete an application form. This will be assessed in line with the full list of essential criteria as detailed in the attached job description please do provide evidence of how you meet this. Your Statement of Suitability should outline your skills, experience, and achievements, providing evidence of your suitability for the role, with reference to the essential criteria (outlined in the person specification section).

You will also be asked to provide information within the Employer/ Activity history section of the application form. This is equivalent to the information you would provide on a CV, setting out your career history.

If you are successful at this stage, you will progress to an interview.

STAGE 2 INTERVIEW

This stage will involve an interview by video.

Applicants who are successful at sift stage will be invited to an Interview which will be a blended approach of Behaviour and Technical skills questions (Ideas, Implementation, Impact). You will be asked to do a writing test 45 mins before the interview.

Technical skills assessed at interview will be based on the GCS Competency Framework - technical specifications:

https://gcs.civilservice.gov.uk/publications/competency-framework/

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

• Communications - Ideas
• Communications - Implementation
• Communications - Impact

The Success Profiles framework will be used to assess and recruit the most suitable candidate. The following behaviours will be used at the interview:

• Changing and Improving
• Communicating and Influencing
• Working Together
• Delivering at Pace

For further information on the selection process, please refer to the attached Candidate Pack.

Expected Timeline:

Advert close: 23:55hrs on 7th March 2024 unfortunately, late applications will not be considered. Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.

Interviews: w/c 25th March 2024

Please note these dates could be subject to change.

Eligibility Criteria

Open to all external applicants (anyone) from outside the Civil Service (including by definition internal applicants)

Nationality requirements

Appointments to roles within UKHSA will be made in accordance with the Civil Service nationality rules. These can be found athttps://www.gov.uk/government/publications/nationality-rulesThis job is broadly open to the following groups:

• UK nationals
• Nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
• Nationals of the Republic of Ireland
• Nationals from the EU, EEA or Switzerland with settled or pre-settled status or who apply for either status by the deadline of theEuropean Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• Relevant EU, EEA, Swiss or Turkish nationals working in the Civil Service
• Relevant EU, EEA, Swiss or Turkish nationals who have built up the right to work in the Civil Service
• Certain family members of the relevant EU, EEA, Swiss or Turkish nationals

We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's Recruitment Principles.

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 welcomes applications from people who have recently left prison or have an unspent conviction. Read more about prison leaver recruitment.

Security clearance level requirement

Successful candidates must pass a disclosure and barring security check. Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is Basic Personnel Security Standard. People working with government assets must complete Basic Personnel Security Standard checks.

For posts on UKHSA Civil Service terms and conditions, new entrants to the Civil Service are expected to start on the minimum of the pay band. For existing Civil Servants and roles advertised across government, the rules of transfer apply, i.e., level transfers move on current salary or the pay range minimum, transfers on promotion move to new pay range minimum or receive a 10% increase. Either case is determined by whichever is the highest.

Please Note

This role is to be appointed under Civil Service Terms & Conditions. Full details on the T&Cs are found https://www.ukhsa.reed.com/

Are you already a civil servant, or employed by a Civil Service Commission accredited public body? Please state home department on your application form.

Do you meet the nationality requirements for this post? https://www.ukhsa.reed.com/

Complaint process:

The law requires that selection for appointment to the Civil Service is on merit on the basis of fair and open competition as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's Recruitment Principles. If you feel your application has not been treated in accordance with the Recruitment Principles, and you wish to make a complaint, in the first instance, you should contact UKHSA Public Accountability Unit via email:Complaints1@ukhsa.gov.uk. If you are not satisfied with the response you receive from the Department, you can contact the Civil Service Commission: Visit the Civil Service Commission website.

Person Specification

Education and qualifications

Essential

• Degree level qualification or equivalent experience
• Knowledgeable about internal communication and Government Communications Service best practice
• Excellent writing and editing skills and an ability to produce engaging and inclusive content for a diverse range of audiences and groups
• Experience and understanding of insight and evaluation techniques to inform communications plans and strategies
• Proven experience of proactive sourcing of content and advising a range of stakeholders in different parts of an organisation
• Highly developed skills in writing, editorial and content creation, alongside the ability to turn complex scientific concepts into easy to understand, accessible English
• Proactive team player with positive corporate attitude and creative mindset
• Highly organised, with an ability to prioritise conflicting work and tasks, escalating where appropriate
• Highly IT literate, with ability to understand and advise on use of existing and emerging digital channels and tools
• Excellent written communication skills (grammar, punctuation, accuracy, and attention to detail)
• Confident collaborative working and excellent communicator: ability to engage effectively with a wide range of stakeholders at all levels
• Flexibility and resilience - able to work quickly and effectively under tight deadline
• An understanding of and commitment to equality of opportunity and good working relationships

Desirable

• Experience of organising events: in person, online and hybrid
• Video editing experience
• Photography, photo editing and graphic design experience
• 2 years GCS membership, membership of other communications and PR professional bodies

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Certificate of Sponsorship

Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).

From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).

Employer details

Employer name

UK Health Security Agency

Address

10 South Colonnade

London

E14 5EA

Employer's website

https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/uk-health-security-agency (Opens in a new tab)