Senior Internal Communications and Engagement Manager Ref. 2392

Mind Achieving Impact AwardSocial Mobility Foundation AwardThe Times Top 100Disability confident leaderThe Prince's Responsible Business

Specialist Roles
Cheltenham, London, Manchester
Permanent
£43,957 plus Concesionary Payment £2,428
At GCHQ, diversity and inclusion are critical to our mission. To protect the UK, we need a truly diverse workforce that reflects the society we serve. This includes diversity in every sense of the word: those with different backgrounds, ethnicities, gender identities, sexual orientations, ways of thinking and those with disabilities or neurodiverse conditions. We therefore welcome and encourage applications from everyone, including those from groups that are under-represented in our workforce.
 
As one of Britain’s intelligence agencies, we unlock the complex world of communications to make a real difference to the safety of the nation. We work closely with our partners in the intelligence community to safeguard Britain’s people, interests, and businesses from various threats. Think serious organised crime, such as people and drugs trafficking, or terrorism and cyber-attacks. It’s challenging and varied work that you won’t find anywhere else. 
 
The Communications and Engagement Team (CET) sits at the heart of GCHQ, educating external and internal audiences on our mission to keep the UK safe and demonstrating the impact we make every single day. We work to inspire our amazing people and attract the next generation of talent, as we know that with a mix of minds, anything is possible. And we are pioneering innovative ways to change perceptions and build curiosity.  


Senior Internal Communications and Engagement Manager

The successful candidate will be a trusted strategic comms advisor to our leadership and will use a range of creative communications and engagement methods to connect our engaged and enquiring people, wherever they are located, with the organisation’s strategic vision, priorities and purpose.


You will own a dynamic portfolio, working closely across the internal comms team, with wider comms colleagues and our other agency partners. Our senior leadership see the critical value of strategic internal communications, so you should be comfortable working in a busy and changing environment.

You will report to the Head of Internal Comms within the Corporate Communications function. The team has embraced hybrid working, across multiple locations and with customers wherever they are.

Drawing on your expertise, you will direct activities for one of GCHQ’s strategic priorities, to embed a strong narrative and to connect and engage our people. Initially this might focus on our work to build a diverse and inclusive Culture, but with plenty of opportunity to flex onto other topics.

You will build expertise in the department, connecting the dots between strategies and stakeholder communities. We are looking for someone who has a spark to do things differently and achieve greater impact for internal campaigns. Work could also range from designing and delivering senior leadership events, shaping messages for Director GCHQ, through to larger campaigns on wellbeing or our Diversity plans.


We are looking for a talented and experienced communication and engagement specialists who have a strong track record of developing and delivering comms in a variety of strategic and responsive situations.

You will have creative flair and experience of using different channels and approaches to reach out to a diverse audience and a high ability to engage and inspire people.

You will be an excellent communicator and a strategic advisor to leaders, with an understanding of how to cut through the noise in a complex organisation. You should be comfortable collaborating and influencing across multiple stakeholders to achieve the desired outcome.

Key responsibilities:

The successful applicant will need to have:

•    Minimum 5 years’ experience in corporate communications
•    Experience of leading creative, strategic internal campaigns  
•    Experience of end-to-end communications planning and delivery, including using insight and evaluation to drive and achieve successful outcomes

Competency Requirements

•    Communication and Knowledge sharing    - Higher
•    Corporate Vision and Efficiency   - Intermediate
•    Change and Innovation   - Higher
•    Analysis and Decision Making - Intermediate
•    Contribution to Delivery   - Higher
•    Managing the Customer Relationship   - Higher
•    Working with and Leading Others - Higher

You can familiarise yourself with the general competencies we use to assess the aptitude of candidates here - Recruitment Process

If you’re excited about working with us and think you have some of what we’re looking for but aren’t sure if you’re 100% there yet… Rule yourself in and give it a go!

Training and Development

We are committed to providing the successful candidate with training and development opportunities to help their communications career reach new heights within GCHQ. These will be available through training courses, engaging in professional networks and activities within the business.

You should have a mindset for continual professional learning and want to use your knowledge and skills to coach and mentor others in the wider comms community. The team is constantly looking to evolve, so you should also be keen to play a part to shape and mature GCHQ’s internal communications and engagement function.

At NCSC and GCHQ, we are proud of our inclusive and supportive working environment that’s designed to encourage open minds and attitudes.  As an organisation that values and nurtures talent, we are committed to helping you fulfil your potential.  With comprehensive training and development opportunities, tailored to your needs and the requirements of your work, we will enable you to flourish in your role and perform to the very best of your abilities.


Benefits we offer
•    Access to learning and development tailored to your role and support to gain professional qualifications and certifications.
•    An environment that supports a range of flexible working options (including a flexible working hour scheme).
•    A culture which encourages inclusion and diversity.
•    Support to gain professional qualifications and certifications
•    A generous civil service pension
•    25 days annual leave, rising to 30 days based on length of service.
•    Paid parental leave
•    Three days volunteering leave per annum.
 
Salary

Total Rewards Package of £46,385 (on a pro rata basis). This is made up of a £43,957 starting salary and a £2,428 concessionary payment. Plus London weighting of £5,500 if applicable.


Location

You will be based out of one of our main hubs of London, Manchester or Cheltenham

Selection Process
 
To be eligible to apply, you must be a British Citizen. One of your parents must be a British Citizen or must have the nationality or citizenship from our approved list of countries which can be found on our website. If you hold dual nationality, of which one component is British, you will nonetheless be considered. Candidates must normally have been resident in the UK for seven out of the last ten years. This is particularly important if you were born outside the UK. You can apply at the age of 17 years and 6 months, if successful you will not be offered a start date prior to your 18th birthday. Discretion is vital. You should not discuss your application, other than with your partner or a close family member. Please note, you should only launch your application from within the UK. If you are based overseas, you should wait until you visit the UK to launch an application. Applying from outside of the UK will impact on our ability to progress your application. Further information on our eligibility criteria can be found on the Applying section.
 
As a Disability Confident employer, we will ensure that a fair and proportionate number of disabled applicants who meet the minimum criteria for this position will be offered an interview. This is known as the Offer of Interview (OOI). 
To secure an interview for this role, candidates applying under this scheme must demonstrate in their CV how you meet the key responsibilities for the role and will need to meet the minimum pass mark set.
If you meet the minimum pass mark, you will be invited to an interview.
If you successfully complete the required stages, and are successful at interview, you will receive a job offer conditional on you completing our developed vetting (DV) process, which enables you to obtain the level of security clearance required to undertake this role.
 
 
Be prepared to dedicate 60-90 minutes to completing your application. We’re conscious this might be more time than you expected, so our system will allow you to save your application at any time and come back to it later. But remember to submit your full application before the closing date. 

Once we’ve established that you meet our eligibility criteria, the next steps of this selection process are: 
- CV Sift
- Virtual interview, with a presentation to demonstrate your experience of leading an internal comms campaign
- Drug test

 The closing date for this role is 25th October
 
Please be aware that we withhold the right to bring forward the closing date for this role from the original closing date once a certain number of applications have been received. Please be mindful of this and submit your application at your earliest convenience to avoid disappointment. 

This Program / Vacancy is closed to applications.