Head of Strategic Content and Communications - Performance

Job summary

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The Strategic Content and Communications team plays a vital role at the heart of HMRC Communications, enabling the function to deliver impactful and cohesive messaging that supports delivery of the department’s objectives and transformation ambitions. We help to define the story we tell our key audiences, manage key publications and speeches and identify proactive opportunities to communicate how we are performing and effectively transforming as a department to deliver against the Government’s Plan for Change.

Job description

This role sits within the wider Strategic Communications and Campaigns team - the engine room of HMRC Communications. Together, we set the strategy and direction for the function, using data and insight to prioritise delivery and steer decisions, shaping our story and delivering award-winning behaviour change campaigns with the support of our in-house brand and creative experts.

This is an exciting opportunity to join the team in an important leadership role, shaping HMRC’s performance narrative and driving effective communications delivery across a range of key corporate publications, including the Annual Report and Accounts and regular performance reports. You’ll lead a strategic campaign that tells HMRC’s performance story in a clear, transparent and compelling way, with the goal of influencing perceptions among key audiences.

The successful candidate will be a proactive self-starter with exceptional drafting and editorial skills, strong senior stakeholder management experience, and a keen understanding of the bigger picture. You’ll have the ability to distil complex information into clear, compelling messages and bring proven expertise in communications planning and delivery.

Person specification

Strategic thinking: the ability to see the bigger picture and think strategically, working across multiple teams and stakeholders to understand the existing landscape and transformation plans to craft a compelling departmental story and communications campaign.

Communication and credibility: excellent communication and influencing skills with the credibility and confidence to make narrative or communications recommendations to non-communicators.

Strong collaboration and relationship building skills.

Essential Criteria

• Significant experience of delivering high-quality corporate publications and narratives, coordinating complex editorial, design and publishing activity across multiple stakeholders.
• Proven communications experience, delivering campaigns and communications using best practice principles (including those from Government Communications Service).
• Expert drafting, editing and proofreading skills with proven experience of taking raw, often complex information and developing impactful narratives and communications products.
• Experience providing strategic communications advice directly to senior leaders (SCS/Director level or equivalent) and influencing high-profile decisions.
• Ability to work at pace, responding to uncertainty and ambiguity, juggling competing priorities and delivering to tight deadlines.
• Strong planning and organisational skills, with experience of managing the successful production and distribution / publishing of high-profile publications and coordinating delivery across multiple teams and channels.
• Experience leading, developing and motivating a team to deliver high-quality outcomes in a fast-paced environment.

Desirable Criteria

• Member of the Government Communications Service (GCS).

Further Location Information

Please ensure that you only apply for a location that you are willing and able to work from, as we will only make one offer of employment. Any additional notes included in a ‘Further Location Preferences (optional)’ field within the application form, will not be considered. Please be aware that you cannot change your location preference after submitting your application.

Office closures

For more information on where you might be working, review this information on our locations.

If your location preference is for one of the following sites, it’s important to note that these are not long-term sites for HMRC and we will require you to move to a new building in the future, subject to our location strategy and the applicable employee policies at that time.

These sites are:

• Benton Park View, Newcastle - moving to Pilgrims Quarter, Newcastle
• Lynx House, Portsmouth – moving to an alternative office in Portsmouth

You will be given more information about what this means at the job offer stage.

Leeds Locations

Moves Adjustment Payment will be available for this role, provided the successful applicant is a current HMRC colleague in Bradford and meets the eligibility requirements outlined in the HMRC’s Moves Adjustment Payment guidance.

Behaviours

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

• Seeing the Big Picture
• Communicating and Influencing
• Delivering at Pace
• Making Effective Decisions

We only ask for evidence of these behaviours on your application form:

• Seeing the Big Picture

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £58,541, HM Revenue and Customs contributes £16,959 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).

HMRC operates both Flexible and Hybrid Working policies, allowing you to balance your work and personal commitments. We welcome applications from those who need to work a more flexible arrangement and will agree to requests where possible, considering our operational and customer service needs.

We offer a generous leave allowance, starting at 25 days and increasing by a day for every year of qualifying service up to a maximum of 30 days.

• Pension - We make contributions to our colleagues’ Alpha pension equal to at least 28.97% of their salary.
• Family friendly policies.
• Personal support.
• Coaching and development.

To find out more about HMRC benefits and find out what it’s really like to work for HMRChear from our insiders or visit