Regional Prison Resourcing Internal Communications Officer

The Recruitment and Retention Communications (RRC) team sits within the Ministry of Justice's award-winning communications team. We pride ourselves on having an excellent and supportive team culture, a focus on innovation and making a difference to people's lives., You will work to ensure that your work aligns with the MOJ annual communications strategy and to Departmental and cross-government priorities. Your work should be based on relevant audience insight, set outcomes, have an implementation plan, and include evaluation metrics to measure the impact of communications.

• Effective collaboration.
You are expected to build effective working and collaborative relationships internally and externally. You will be able to use these relationships to unblock issues, manage risks, and deliver more effective communications. These regional roles will involve extensive travel to visit prisons in the North, South West and West Midlands region, expected to be on average at least two days per week. A driving license and own car is essential. Mileage will be paid as expenses. The other days of the week when not in prisons will be home working based. Application process We will be using success profiles to assess your communication and delivery abilities. As part of the application process, you will be asked to complete a CV and provide examples of Civil Service behaviours (PDF) and technical behaviours based on the Government Communication Professional Competency Framework (PDF). Civil Service Behaviours We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process: Communicating and Influencing Communicate with clarity, integrity and enthusiasm. Respect the needs, responses and opinions of others. Working together Form effective partnerships and relationships with people both internally and externally, from a range of diverse backgrounds, sharing information, resources and support. Changing and improving Understand Seeks out opportunities to create effective change and suggest innovative ideas for improvement. Review ways of working, including seeking and providing feedback Government communication service technical behaviours
• Ideas - Support the development of proactive communications. Work constructively with other communications, policy colleagues and partners to gain expert advice and opinions.
• Implementation - Deliver communications plans in an efficient and timely manner to deadline.
• Impact - Analyse and evaluate communications to assess the effectiveness and inform future activity.
Selection process details As part of the application process you will be asked to complete a CV and personal statement. Your personal statement should demonstrate your suitability in no more than 1000 words that highlights the reason you are interested in the role and how your experience makes you the best candidate for the role requirements. In your statement you should also make particular reference to the Civil Service behaviours and Government Communication Service technical skills set out above. Please note that that feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview. Security clearance and residency If you are successful at interview, we will work with you to acquire SC security clearance. This is a straightforward process for most people but does, generally, require you to have been resident in the UK for at least the last five years., For more information about the recruitment process, benefits and allowances and answers to general queries, please click the below link which will direct you to our Candidate Information Page. Link: https://justicejobs.tal.net/vx/candidate/cms/About%20the%20MOJ Things you need to know Selection process details This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Strengths and Experience. https://justicejobs.tal.net/vx/candidate/cms/About%20the%20MOJ Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment. Security Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check. Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is security check (opens in a new window). See our vetting charter (opens in a new window). People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks. 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, A driving license and owning a car is essential. Mileage will be paid as expenses., The MoJ offers Hybrid Working arrangements where business need allows. This is an informal, non-contractual form of flexible working that blends working from your base location, different MoJ sites and / or from home (please be aware that this role can only be worked in the UK and not overseas). All employees will be expected to spend a minimum of 60% of their working time in an office, subject to local estate capacity.
Some roles will not be suitable for Hybrid Working. Similarly, Hybrid Working will not suit everyone's circumstances. Arrangements will be discussed and agreed with the successful candidate(s) and subject to regular review. For nationally advertised roles, the successful candidate(s) will be appointed to a MoJ office location, which may include their nearest Justice Collaboration Centre or Justice Satellite Office. This will be discussed and agreed on the completion of pre-employment checks. Some of MoJ's terms and conditions of service are changing as part of Civil Service reform. The changes will apply to staff joining MoJ who are new to the Civil Service. Staff joining MoJ from other civil service employers will transfer onto the new MoJ terms if they are already on 'modernised' terms in their current post or onto 'unmodernised' MoJ terms if they are on 'unmodernised' terms at their current post. Details will be available if an offer is made. MoJ candidates who are on a specialist grade, will be able to retain their grade on lateral transfer. All candidates who are currently in receipt of Mark Time / Pay Protection should ensure they are familiar with the new policy on permanent and temporary promotion which can be found on the employee intranet. Flexible working hours The Ministry of Justice offers a flexible working system in many offices. Standard full time working hours are 37 hours per week. MoJ welcomes part-time, flexible and job-sharing working patterns, where they meet the demands of the role and business needs. All applications for part-time, flexible and job-sharing working patterns will be considered in accordance with the MoJ's Flexible Working policy.,
• You've been serving overseas with HM Forces or in some other official capacity as a representative of HM Government
• You were studying abroad
• You were living overseas with parents
In such cases you will need to be able to provide referee cover for the period(s) of residence overseas. The duration of overseas residence and the country of abode will also be taken into account. Success Profiles, Behaviours Changing and Improving Communicating and Influencing Working Together Technical Skills Ideas - Support the development of proactive communications. Work constructively with other communications, policy colleagues and partners to gain expert advice and opinions Implementation - Deliver communications plans in an efficient and timely manner to deadline Impact - Analyse and evaluate communications to assess the effectiveness and inform future activity Any candidate who has been assessed as being appointable to the role they applied for may be offered a similar, lower grade role, if one is available. Furthermore, any candidate who has just missed meeting the criteria for a particular role, may be appointed to a similar role at a lower grade if such a role is available, and if they have been assessed as meeting the criteria for the lower grade role. These appointments will also be made in merit order. A Great Place to Work for Veterans The "Making the Civil Service a Great Place to work for veterans" initiative includes a guaranteed interview scheme to those who meet the minimum criteria to provide eligible former members of the Armed Forces with opportunities to secure rewarding jobs. Allowing veterans to continue to serve their country, and to bring highly skilled individuals with a broad range of experience into the Civil Service in an environment, which recognises and values your previous service in the Armed Forces. For further details about the initiative and eligibility requirements visit : https://www.gov.uk/government/news/making-the-civil-service-a-great-place-to-work-for-veterans Redeployment Interview Scheme Civil Service departments are expected to explore redeployment opportunities before making an individual redundant. The MoJ are committed, as part of the Redeployment Interview Scheme, to providing opportunities to those who are 'at risk of redundancy'. MoJ are able to offer an interview to eligible candidates who meet the minimum selection criteria, except in a limited number of campaigns. Candidate's will not be eligible for the Redeployment Interview Scheme if they are applying on promotion.

We are looking for two passionate, internal communications professionals to work in the Prison Resourcing Communications team. You will help us to deliver an impactful, local communications strategy, to achieve our ambition of improving our local prison communications channels, drive up staff engagement, improve staff retention and strengthen the relationships between people working across HMPPS (His Majesty's Prison and Probation Service). We have one role based in the Southwest and West Midlands area of England and another in the North (to cover prisons in the Northeast and Northwest). Your own car and a full driving license are essential to enable you to travel to prisons for face-to-face meetings with prison staff and Governors. The successful candidate will join us at an exciting time and will help us to revolutionise the way we communicate to the staff working in our prison community. For too long prisons have been overlooked, there is not enough recognition of the extraordinary jobs our staff do - incredible stories of compassion, progress against extraordinary odds, and rehabilitation. The role has a strong focus on internal communications and staff engagement but also encompasses campaigns. With your line manager you will be helping to develop an impactful insight based local prisons communications strategy that will improve our local channels and drive-up staff engagement. Working as part of a team of central and regional communications experts, the successful applicant will be a natural relationship builder and will be able to work collaboratively and with impact across a range of teams including those inside prisons, senior leaders in HMPPS and other communication functions. In addition, you will be a creative thinker, able to come up with new innovative solutions to old problems and remain positive in the face of adversity. You will ensure all of your work is executed to brilliant standards, within an existing culture of continuous improvement and innovation, and evaluating the impact of your work on an ongoing basis. You will also be expected to develop strong networks. Your interpersonal skills will be first rate and you will be at ease engaging with senior internal and external stakeholders for example policy teams and prison governors. Person specification: The role has several key requirements including:
• Expertise in delivering creative internal communications and excellent writing skills
You will think creatively to evolve and develop our local communications channels, celebrating the great work the prison service does to keep the public safe and rehabilitate offenders. You will help deliver an insight-based and impactful local prison internal communications strategy. You will also be able to write clear and compelling content for audiences.
• Solution-focussed, self-motivated and innovative
You will be experienced in developing and delivering effective, relevant and timely communications that help support staff engagement. You are solution-focussed, proactive and resilient. You are able to come up with new, innovative and creative ideas to extend the reach of our corporate communications and improve communications locally.
• Using insight and evaluating the impact of your work., To apply for roles in MOJ you will need to confirm your employment history for at least 3 years prior to the date of application so that pre-employment checks (BPSS) can be undertaken. If you have spent significant time abroad (a total of 6 months in the past 3 years) you would be required to give a reasonable account of the reasons why.
For some roles you will be required to successfully complete National Security Vetting at Counter Terrorism (CTC), Security Clearance (SC) or Developed Vetting (DV) level as a condition of appointment. To meet CTC/SC/DV requirements you will normally need to have been resident in the UK for at least 3/5/10 years prior to the date of application (The level of checks that are required are stated in the advert).

The national salary range is £34,140 - £37,105. London salary range is £38,661- £42,019. Your salary will be dependent on your base location Number of jobs available 2 Detail of reserve list 12 Months Region National City/Town National Building/Site NATIONAL, Alongside your salary, Ministry of Justice contribute towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.
• Access to learning and development
• A working environment that supports a range of flexible working options to enhance your work life balance
• A working culture which encourages inclusion and diversity
• A Civil Service pension with an average employer contribution of 27%
• Annual Leave
• Public Holidays
• Season Ticket Advance, The MoJ offers a range of benefits:
Annual Leave Annual leave is 25 days on appointment and will increase to 30 days after five years' service. There is also a scheme to allow qualifying staff to buy or sell up to three days leave each year. Additional paid time off for public holidays and 1 privilege day. Leave for part-time and job share posts will be calculated on a pro-rata basis. Pension The Civil Service offers a choice of pension schemes, giving you the flexibility to choose the pension that suits you best. Training The Ministry of Justice is committed to staff development and offers an extensive range of training and development opportunities. Networks The opportunity to join employee-run networks that have been established to provide advice and support and to enable the views of employees from minority groups to be expressed direct to senior management. There are currently networks for employees of minority ethnic origin, employees with disabilities, employees with caring responsibilities, women employees, and lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender employees. Support
• A range of 'Family Friendly' policies such as opportunities to work reduced hours or job share.
• Access to flexible benefits such as voluntary benefits, retail vouchers and discounts on a range of goods and services.
• For moves to or from another employer or moves across the Civil Service this can have implications on your eligibility to carry on claiming childcare vouchers. You may however be eligible for alternative government childcare support schemes, including Tax Free Childcare. More information can be found on GOV.UK or Childcare Choices. You can determine your eligibility at https://www.childcarechoices.gov.uk/.
• Paid paternity, adoption and maternity leave.
• Free annual sight tests for employees who use computer screens.
Working for the Civil Service The Civil Service Code sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants. We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles. Should you feel that the recruitment process has breached the recruitment principles you are able to raise a formal complaint in the following order
• To Shared Service Connected Ltd (Monday to Friday 8am - 6pm) or e mail Moj-recruitment-vetting-enquiries@gov.sscl.com);
• To Ministry of Justice Resourcing team (resourcing-management-office@justice.gov.uk);
• To the Civil Service Commission (details available here)
As a Disability Confident employer, MoJ are committed to providing everyone with the opportunity to demonstrate their skills, talent and abilities, by making adjustments throughout all elements of the recruitment process and in the workplace. MoJ are able to offer an interview to disabled candidates who meet the minimum selection criteria, except in a limited number of campaigns. For more information on applying for a role as a candidate with a disability or long-term condition, please see our Disability Confident Scheme Frequently Asked Questions webpage. You will be able to request reasonable adjustments to the recruitment process within the application form. If you need additional help completing the application form, please contact the SSCL Recruitment Enquiries Team. Diversity & Inclusion The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see the Civil Service People Plan and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy. Interview dates Interviews TBC Closing Date