Assistant Communications Officer

Job summary

As an Assistant Communications Officer, you will help on both internal and external communications projects to support business objectives and the delivery of our 2030 strategy. You will work with colleagues and stakeholders across all levels, from our senior leadership team to our newest apprentices, to help the organisation communicate effectively internally, and to explain and promote the work of the CPS to the public through external channels.

Job description

Key Responsibilities:

• Assist on internal and external communications projects.
• Create and design engaging communications content, including video editing and written content
• Support the management of our communication channels such as the intranet, weekly and monthly e-news bulletins.
• Support on gathering audience insight and evaluation data to inform communications and campaigns plans.
• Liaise with Area Communication Managers and other CPS colleagues to ensure consistent use of the branding guidelines, tone of voice guidance and accessibility standards across all communications.
• Contribute to effective communications and campaign planning by updating and managing team grids and planners.
• Support the planning and running of corporate events, including staff recognition events.

If you are detail-oriented, creative, and want to advance your communications career, please apply.

Join us and make and your purpose in the field of criminal justice.

Person specification

To eligible to apply you need:

Experience in communications.

It is desirable that you have the below experience but it is not required:

Be able to create content and video using design packages such as ‘Adobe Creative Suite’

Behaviours

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

• Making Effective Decisions
• Communicating and Influencing
• Working Together
• Delivering at Pace

Technical skills

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

• GCS Professional Competency - this is assessed at application, assessment and interview

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £32,110, Crown Prosecution Service contributes £9,302 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides (opens in a new window).

Join the Crown Prosecution Service

The Crown Prosecution Service commits to offer its employees the following experience.

• You can do impactful, purposeful work that’s making a difference to your local communities.
• You are able to learn and grow, with access to the right opportunities and resources.
• We care about your wellbeing.
• We want you to feel valued, trusted and included.

We also offer the following range of benefits:

• Civil Service contributory pension of up to 28.9%
• 25 days’ leave, increasing to 30 days after 5 years
• £350 each year to spend on personal development
• lawyer training programme for all new prosecutors
• an extra privilege day to mark the King's birthday
• competitive maternity, paternity and parental leave
• flexible working including flexitime, and a family friendly approach to work
• Cycle2Work scheme, employee savings.

Diversity at the Crown Prosecution Service is about inclusion, embracing differences and ensuring our workforce truly reflects the communities we serve. We want you to feel that you belong and can thrive, whatever your background, identity or culture. As a Disability Confident employer, we're happy to support requests for reasonable adjustments and improve your recruitment experience. If you'd like any reasonable adjustments made to our recruitment process, let us know within your application or contact [email removed]

The Crown Prosecution Service has fixed rates for its Executive Officer grade – a developing rate (the starting salary) and a spot rate (the maximum salary). Applicants typically join us on the developing rate and, after completing a 15-month development period, move to the spot rate if your line manager confirms you’re performing the role to a satisfactory standard.

If you’re joining the Crown Prosecution Service on a lateral transfer from another government department, you should contact us about the impact on your salary and the implications of any time you’ve already spent at that grade before applying or accepting an employment offer. Your salary may be adjusted if your location changes when you join us. This adjustment also takes into account any existing allowances that may have previously been consolidated into your basic pay – there’s no guarantee that you can retain these when you transfer.

We want to ensure our employees can thrive at work and home and offer a range of support to achieve a balance. This includes flexibility of working hours, flexibility to support caring responsibilities and a flexible approach to deployment. We offer a hybrid working policy. You must spend at least 40% of your contracted hours over a four-week period at court, in an office or another official workplace depending on business need and the kind of work you're doing.

Things you need to know

Artificial intelligence

Artificial intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Please see our candidate guidance (opens in a new window) for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.

Selection process details

This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours, Experience and Technical skills.

Recruitment Process

The recruitment process consists of an online application, assessment and interview. These are expected to take place on 1st and 2nd October.

Personal statement

We ask you to complete a personal statement of no more than 1,250 words. You need to address the core behaviours for this role, which are:

1. Making Effective Decisions
2. Delivering at Pace
3. GCS professional competency

The panel has the right to assess the lead behaviour ‘GCS Professional Competency’ first. If the standard on this behaviour isn’t met, the other behaviours won’t be considered and your application won’t progress. The panel also has the right to raise the minimum standard pass mark. The panel may also refer to the lead behaviour at the interview stage to determine merit order.

You also need to demonstrate the following experience required for this role:

• Experience in communications

In addition, you need to demonstrate the Crown Prosecution Service or Civil Service values.

CV

Please upload an up-to-date CV which should include:

• three years’ employment and/or academic history
• skills and experience
• achievements
• qualifications.

You need to attach your CV as an anon