Head of Strategic Communications

**Details**:
**Reference number**:

- 405548

**Salary**:

- £75,550 - £83,973
- London Inner minimum £81,904 maximum £83,973
National minimum £75,550 maximum £77,757
- A Civil Service Pension with an employer contribution of 28.97%

GBP

**Job grade**:

- Grade 6

**Contract type**:

- Permanent

**Business area**:

- DWP - Communications

**Type of role**:

- Communications / Marketing

**Working pattern**:

- Flexible working, Full-time, Part-time

**Number of jobs available**:

- 1

**Contents**:

- Location
- About the job
- Benefits
- Things you need to know

**Location**:

- Leeds, London, Sheffield

**About the job**:
**Job summary**:
We are looking for a dynamic and experienced Strategic Communications professional to join the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) at Grade 6 level. This is a senior role within our Communications Directorate, responsible for shaping and leading strategic communication and engagement across major issues, policy and initiatives that affect millions of people.

**Job description**:
**Responsibilities will be**:

- Lead the development and delivery of integrated strategic communication plans aligned to government missions, departmental priorities and business objectives.
- Provide strategic advice and challenge to senior leaders, ensuring communication activity supports the DWP’s long-term goals and meets audience needs.
- Drive insight-led planning by using audience research, data, evaluation and horizon scanning to inform communication strategies.
- Coordinate cross-discipline collaboration with media, digital, internal communications, marketing, stakeholder engagement and policy teams to ensure cohesive and effective messaging and delivery.
- Own and maintain a robust forward look for the department’s communications agenda, anticipating reputational risks and opportunities.
- Build and maintain strong working relationships across the department and with wider Government Communications Service, ensuring DWP’s voice and narrative is coherent.
- Provide leadership to team members and play an active role in building capability across the wider Communications function.

**Person specification**:
**Key Criteria for the Role**:
**Essential Criteria**
- Significant experience in leading strategic communications using audience insight, data and evaluation to guide communications strategy in a complex, high-profile environment.
- Proven ability to see the bigger picture and translate policy into communication plans that drive outcomes.
- Experience in leading and developing a high performing team.
- Strong influencing skills, with the ability to engage and advise senior stakeholders.
- Ability to handle high-pressure, fast-paced issues and deadlines with confidence and clarity.
- A collaborative approach and ability to work across professional boundaries, managing multiple stakeholders and priorities.

**Please note**:
**DCS Criteria additional information**:
**Hybrid working**

The **Head of Strategic Communications works**with many stakeholders, being in the office is essential at times, with the need to work closely with key stakeholders that include, policy makers, ministers etc., often via in-person meetings. This blended working approach allows you to work collaboratively, meet stakeholders in-person, support others and promotes a healthy work life balance. As stated, if you are successful a hybrid working arrangement will be discussed with you prior to you taking up your post.
From 01 September 2025 hybrid working colleagues will be required to meet 60% in office attendance. As your stakeholders are based across DWP Hub locations, there may also be the requirement to attend other locations at times.

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

- Seeing the Big Picture
- Communicating and Influencing
- Leadership
- Delivering at Pace

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

- Insight
- Ideas
- Implementation
- Impact

**Benefits**:

- Alongside your salary of £75,550, Department for Work and Pensions contributes £21,886 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

DWP have a broad benefits package built around your work-life balance which includes:

- Working patterns to support work/life balance such as job sharing, term-time working, flexi-time and compressed hours.
- Generous annual leave - at least 23 days on entry, increasing up to 30 days over time (pro-rata for part time employees), plus 9 days public and privilege leave.
- Support for financial wellbeing, including interest-free season ticket loans for travel, a cycle to work scheme and an employee discount scheme.
- Health and wellbeing support including our Employee Assistance Programme for specialist advice and counselling and the opportunity to join HASSRA a first-class programme of competitions, activities and b