Strategic Communications Lead

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

- 354272**Salary**:

- £57,100 - £64,650- A Civil Service Pension with an average employer contribution of 27%**Job grade**:

- Grade 7**Contract type**:

- Permanent**Business area**:

- Strategy, Communications and Advocacy**Type of role**:

- Communications / Marketing**Working pattern**:

- Flexible working, Full-time, Part-time**Number of jobs available**:

- 1Contents

Location

About the job

**Benefits**:
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Location
- Belfast, Cardiff, Edinburgh, London, ManchesterAbout the job

**Job summary**:
The Strategy, Communications and Advocacy (SCA) Directorate is at the heart of the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), working across the organisation on a wide range of high-profile cases and projects, to make sure the important content the CMA generates is communicated clearly and effectively to everyone in the UK.

We are recruiting to the position of Strategic Communications Lead, who will help us establish a strong central strategic communications function based on content development, planning, channel expertise, insight, and evaluation.

**About the CMA**

We help people, businesses, and the UK economy by promoting competitive markets and tackling unfair behaviour. Our work is wide ranging, ambitious and often new and challenging.

**Job description**:
The post holder will contribute to the running of the strategic communications team and take on lead responsibility for the following roles:

- Programming: Advise on external communications programming in the CMA, including case announcements, speeches, op eds, events, publications, campaigns and compliance.
- Planning: Produce a co-ordinated forward plan for CMA comms and external engagement activity that demonstrates how our work aligns with key messages and priorities. This forward plan is a critical tool to help us manage resource and communicate strategically for maximum impact.
- Reputation management: Pro-actively identify themes or events which pose risks or opportunities from a communications perspective. Build strategies to manage these including leveraging horizon scanning capabilities.

**Person specification**:
Essential:

- ** Outstanding communication skills, both oral and written, with high levels of sensitivity and judgment and the ability to influence outcomes effectively through persuasive argument.**(Lead Criteria)**
- **
Expertise in strategic communications with a strong track record of performance and delivery (Lead Criteria)**
- Experience in planning and delivering communications strategies based on insight and evidence of delivering work at pace and to set deadlines.
- Authority and credibility to influence and engage successfully with CEO/Exco/senior leadership, colleagues and external partners in complex or politically sensitive situations.
- Experience of working collaboratively, building effective relationships with colleagues and senior decision makers, and delivering in partnership with other organisations or departments with related goals or responsibilities.
- Ability to balance and prioritise multiple competing and changing demands whilst remaining resilient and highly motivated.

**Desirable**:

- Understanding of the CMA’s role and powers would be advantageous, but is not essential.

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

- Seeing the Big Picture
- Communicating and Influencing
- Working Together
- Making Effective Decisions
- Delivering at Pace

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

- Strategic Communications

**Benefits**:

- Alongside your salary of £57,100, Competition & Markets Authority contributes £15,417 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.You’ll also get:

- 25 days leave (increasing to 30 days over five years), plus 8 public holidays and an additional day off for the King’s birthday. In addition, you’ll be able to access a wide range of other types of leave as and when you need it, including generous maternity, paternity, shared parental leave and adoption options, as well as paid special leave for volunteering
- Season ticket loans, cycle to work scheme, flu vaccinations and eye tests
- Access to the Civil Service Sports & Leisure, giving discounted gym membership, high street discounts, free access to UK wide attractions and a free Tastecard
- A range of wellbeing benefits, including an employee assistance programme, flexible working options and family friendly policies, regular networking events and professional learning opportunities at work

**Our Values**

We are Ambitious and Evidence-based, and always strive for Excellence. We treat everyone with Respect and are Collaborative and Inclusive.

Everything we do is underpinned by the Civil Service values: Honesty, Integrity, Impartiality and Objectivity.

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