JOB SUMMARY

As Director of Communications, you will lead an excellent team of professionals who are passionate about working together to produce creative and compelling communications. Your skills will be instrumental in shaping MHCLG’s handling strategies, whether they are around key announcements or setting the longer-term communications direction for the department.
You’ll have exposure to a variety of high-profile and often controversial issues and required to be a trusted advisor to the Deputy Prime Minister, Ministers, Permanent Secretary and Executive Team. The Director of Communications is part of the MHCLG’s Strategy and Communications Leadership Team and member of the Government Communications Service (GCS) leadership team that works across government.

The External Communications team comprises:

• press office and social media – creating announcements and providing a reactive 24/7 service for media
• visits and events – organising and accompanying ministers on visits and engagements
• campaigns, branding & marketing – working with agencies to produce creative marketing campaigns

You can read more about MHCLG’s recent news and communications here: Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government - GOV.UK

JOB DESCRIPTION

As part the Executive Team, the most senior leadership team in the department, this role offers a challenging and stretching opportunity for an experienced Communications professional to provide strong leadership within the Department and act as an ambassador for MHCLG across a wide range of stakeholders.
Reporting to the Director General for Strategy and Communications, Brendan Threlfall, you will have a team of around 60 communications staff based within MHCLG. You will have responsibility for effectively leading our internal and external communications teams. You will also act as the Head of Profession for Communications and be a part of the Government Communications Service leadership team, working with colleagues across all departments.
You will provide professional leadership to all communications staff across this network, and provide the leadership required to take forward the development of the Communications function across the organisation in line with the overall reform of Government Communications.
You will set the direction on MHCLG’s communications strategy and ensure that Departmental messaging is given appropriate priority, playing a critical role in achieving whole of Government priorities such as building 1.5 million homes and making work pay. You will also need to effectively manage communications of high-profile and often controversial issues in a fast-paced environment, acting as a trusted and expert adviser to Ministers, the Permanent Secretary and our Executive Team.
You will ensure appropriate alignment with wider Government priorities, working closely alongside No.10, the Cabinet Office, HM Treasury and other Government Departments and acting as a visible ambassador for MHCLG. You will also be a senior member of the Whitehall Directors of Communication Group. This forum drives standards across the profession and ensures appropriate alignment of activity across different departments, working alongside No.10 and HM Treasury.

KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES

The Director is responsible for:

• Leading a high-performing communications directorate to develop and deliver a communications strategy for Ministers and the Department, empowering the team to take responsibility and deploy the full range of communications tools to support the Government’s priorities;
• Providing counsel to the Deputy Prime Minister, Ministers, Special Advisers and senior officials, offering practical solutions for managing the reputation of all parts of the department and dealing quickly and proactively with politically sensitive issues;
• Playing a key leadership role in the Government Communication Service, developing influential working relationships with other government departments including No.10 and the Cabinet Office to ensure delivery of cross-government priorities;
• Providing professional leadership of communications activity across MHCLG and its ALBs, ensuring high standards and professional competence and contributing to effective and co-ordinated communications.
• Providing leadership for the department’s internal communications strategy to support the culture and values of the department, to ensure staff have the information they need to do their jobs, and to maintain and develop effective two-way communications with staff;
• Acting as an ambassador for the department and the profession, building and maintaining a strong external communications network across a wide range of stakeholders, including journalists, commentators and opinion formers, arms-length-bodies, and the private sector to ensure departmental messaging is given appropriate priority.

PERSON SPECIFICATION

We are seeking an experienced and talented strategic communications leader with experience of leading, developing and empowering diverse teams to work in a complex environment that is subject to media attention and public scrutiny.
Whether from the public or private sector, you will have an impressive track record in providing expert, robust advice and professional leadership at senior levels on a wide range of sensitive and complex communications issues. You must be able to handle big news days in succession, while keeping sight of longer-term communications strategy and be able to set this strategic direction for the team.
You will be able to handle and balance a wide range of relationships, internally and externally, and to be credible at senior levels, including with a wide range of Ministers, senior central government officials, and within the media. You will have a high degree of political sensitivity and professionalism to command confidence with Ministers, special advisers, senior officials in the department and across the Civil Service as part of the Government Communication Service.
As a leader we expect you to take pride in pioneering and be experienced in bringing people together and breaking down boundaries. You will role model continuous professional development and ensure that MHCLG’s communications function has the capability and skills it needs to deliver the communications strategy. As a leader within GCS, you will play an active role in raising professional standards and improving efficiency more broadly, including by leading continuous improvement projects.
We particularly encourage applications from those of an ethnic minority background and those with disabilities, who are underrepresented at this level in MHCLG.
Due to the nature of the role, the postholder will also be expected to conduct regular face-to-face meetings in London.

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)

The Director is responsible for:

• Leading a high-performing communications directorate to develop and deliver a communications strategy for Ministers and the Department, empowering the team to take responsibility and deploy the full range of communications tools to support the Government’s priorities;
• Providing counsel to the Deputy Prime Minister, Ministers, Special Advisers and senior officials, offering practical solutions for managing the reputation of all parts of the department and dealing quickly and proactively with politically sensitive issues;
• Playing a key leadership role in the Government Communication Service, developing influential working relationships with other government departments including No.10 and the Cabinet Office to ensure delivery of cross-government priorities;
• Providing professional leadership of communications activity across MHCLG and its ALBs, ensuring high standards and professional competence and contributing to effective and co-ordinated communications.
• Providing leadership for the department’s internal communications strategy to support the culture and values of the department, to ensure staff have the information they need to do their jobs, and to maintain and develop effective two-way communications with staff;
• Acting as an ambassador for the department and the profession, building and maintaining a strong external communications network across a wide range of stakeholders, including journalists, commentators and opinion formers, arms-length-bodies, and the private sector to ensure departmental messaging is given appropriate priority

This role is available in one of the locations listed below. During the application process you will be asked to express a location preference, from the advertised locations. Any offer made will be based on that specific location.

• London
• Wolverhampton
• Darlington
• Leeds
• Manchester
• Bristo