JOB SUMMARY

The Department for Culture, Media & Sport (DCMS) has an exciting opportunity for a highly skilled Chief Communications Officer in one of the most interesting, varied and fast-paced Whitehall departments.
We’re looking for an experienced, driven and creative Chief Communications Officer to join our small, friendly integrated team where you’ll get the chance to build your skills across all areas of DCMS work.
We work closely with Ministers, private offices, policy teams and special advisors to identify proactive media opportunities for Ministers and to promote the department’s work, plan media events and manage reactive media enquiries. We also work with our sectors to ensure we provide stakeholder and third-party support for specific announcements.
This is a hugely rewarding role which will provide a fascinating challenge for the right candidate.

JOB DESCRIPTION

The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) has a very exciting opportunity for a highly skilled Chief Communications Officer to join our team in one of the most varied and fast paced departments in Whitehall.
The DCMS Communications Directorate supports our world-class sport, arts, culture and media industries.

Since the general election we have:

• Delivered a Creative Industries Sector Plan which is set to drive innovation and regional growth across film and TV, music, performing and visual arts, video games and advertising - doubling business investment to £31 billion by 2035.
• Announced a multi-billion Universal theme park and resort investment in Bedfordshire, set to generate 28,000 jobs and deliver a £50 billion boost to the economy.
• Hosted a major event at the Royal Shakespeare Company where the Culture Secretary announced a £270 million Arts Everywhere Fund to boost local economies and increase opportunities to gain creative skills
• Led communications for the 80th anniversary of VE Day - the biggest community event in recent history - and the Covid-19 Day of Reflection.

As a DCMS Chief Communications Officer, no two days are the same. You will be leading on all aspects of media handling for our sport, gambling, civil society and youth sectors.
For a small department we deliver with impact. Our work regularly leads the news agenda. From supporting the establishment of an independent football regulator, the roll out of a £900 million investment for grassroots sport and major sporting events, the publication of a new National Youth Strategy for outside the school gates, and ensuring the UK is a safe place to gamble, you will lead a small team to devise and deliver creative, compelling and integrated communication strategies.

TECHNICAL SKILLS

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

• Ideas
• Implementation
• Insight
• Impact

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)
• 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

To apply for this vacancy, you will need to submit the following documents which will assessed against the experience success profile

• A CV setting out your career history, with key responsibilities and achievements. Please ensure you provide employment history that relates to the essential and desirable criteria, and that any gaps in employment history within the last 2 years are explained. The CV should not exceed more than 2 x A4 pages and you should insert your CV into the “Job History” section on Civil Service Jobs on the Civil Service Jobs application form.
• A Statement of Suitability (max 750 words) explaining how you consider your personal skills, qualities and experience provide evidence of your suitability for the role in reference to the essential requirements highlighted. You may also choose to reference the desirable skills listed however these will not be considered in the assessment of your application except in circumstances where there are a high number and calibre of candidates