DWP Private Office: Chief Speechwriter

at  Department for Work and Pensions

JOB SUMMARY

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) is seeking a Chief Speechwriter to the Secretary of State to head up the Department’s Speechwriting and Editorial Team, based within Private Office.
The successful candidate will be responsible for creating a suite of products for DWP’s Ministerial Team, helping them refine and communicate their vision for the Department across a range of policies and tailored to different audiences. Able to set both a high standard and direction, they will work closely with private offices, press office, policy teams, and Special Advisers.
DWP is the UK’s biggest public service department, and administers the state pension, a range of working age, disability, and ill health benefits to around 22 million claimants and customers. What we do matters to millions of people every day.
Private Office is the link between Ministers, the Permanent Secretary, the Departmental Board, the Executive Team, the wider Department and across Government, and plays a key role in the development of policy and the delivery of Ministerial priorities.

JOB DESCRIPTION

As the Chief Speechwriter to the Secretary of State and Head of Speechwriting and Editorial Ministerial Speechwriter, you will:

• Oversee a small cross-cutting central communications team to develop, deliver and quality-assure written and oral communication products for the Secretary of State and Ministerial Team, aligning them with departmental objectives and the wider governmental agenda.
• Act as the Department’s Editor-in-Chief, overseeing an effective and coordinated approach to communicating the department’s mission, strategic priorities, policies and operational changes/successes to internal and external audiences.
• Provide expert editorial oversight, strategic advice and practical support to policy, finance, programme, project and operational teams to develop creative and compelling content for the Department’s communication channels, campaigns and publications, ensuring they meet ministerial expectations and are suitable for target stakeholder audience(s).
• Work closely with the Department’s internal, strategic and digital communication teams to plan and deliver effective communication products ensuring they reflect the ‘voice’ and priorities of Ministers and offer coherency between communication, parliamentary, correspondence and other stakeholder products.
• Devise, develop and deliver inspiring, informative and engaging internal and external communication products for the Secretary of State and Ministerial Team.
• Oversee a dynamic speeches strategy for the Secretary of State, proactively looking for new and innovative opportunities and platforms to communicate policy/operational announcements.
• Deliver a capability-building programme for Private Office, policy and operational colleagues at all levels to enhance departmental and wider civil service capabilities around effective stakeholder communication.
• Provide visible senior leadership across Private Office Group to create a work environment that is collaborative, supportive and energetic.

We will offer the successful candidate:

• The opportunity to work closely with Ministers, Special Advisers, and senior officials, as well as counterparts across Whitehall.
• An exciting, fast paced, and challenging work environment that involves dealing with complex issues.
• The chance to be part of a supportive team with plenty of opportunities to learn and develop new skills.
• The opportunity to broaden understanding of DWP policy, Parliamentary business, and cross government functions.

SECURITY REQUIREMENTS

If successful and transferring from another Government Department a criminal record check may be carried out.
In order to process applications without delay, we will be sending a Criminal Record Check to Disclosure and Barring Service on your behalf.
However, we recognise in exceptional circumstances some candidates will want to send their completed forms direct. If you will be doing this, please advise Government Recruitment Service of your intention by emailing Pre-EmploymentChecks.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk stating the job reference number in the subject heading.
Applicants who are successful at interview will be, as part of pre-employment screening, subject to a check on the Internal Fraud Database (IFD). This check will provide information about employees who have been dismissed for fraud or dishonesty offences. This check also applies to employees who resign or otherwise leave before being dismissed for fraud or dishonesty had their employment continued. Any applicant’s details held on the IFD will be refused employment.
A candidate is not eligible to apply for a role within the Civil Service if the application is made within a 5 year period following a dismissal for carrying out internal fraud against government.
You must meet the security requirements before you can be appointed. The level of security needed is Security Check.
For meaningful checks to be carried out individuals you will need to have lived in the UK for a sufficient period of time, to enable appropriate checks to be carried out and produce a result which provides the required level of assurance. Whilst a lack of UK residency in itself is not necessarily a bar to a security clearance, and expectation of UK residency may range from 3 to 5 years.
Failure to meet the residency requirements needed for the role may result in the withdrawal of provisional jobs offers.
For further information on National Security Vetting please visit the following page https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/demystifying-vetting

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)

Communications / Marketing
Policy