London (region)
Job Summary
In the Department of Health and Social Care, we are proud of our purpose – to enable everyone to live more independent, healthier lives for longer. To achieve this, and create a great place to work, we have four values: we are inclusive, we constantly improve, we challenge, and we are agile. If this sounds like an environment you would like to work in, we would love to hear from you.
This is a fast-paced and challenging role involves close engagement with the Secretary of State, other ministers, and special advisers, as well as a range of different teams and external stakeholders.
Speechwriting is a challenging and high-profile function. You must have very strong written and spoken communication skills and you will need to be flexible, able to work at pace and adapt your writing style to different voices.
You must also be able to take feedback and amendments on your work from multiple stakeholders and have the ability to pick out salient facts from a mass of information to suit the target audience.
Shortlisted candidates may have the opportunity to speak to the Secretary of State prior to the interview. This is an informal discussion to allow candidates to learn more about the role and is not part of the assessment process. Further details will be shared beforehand.
The Department will undertake due diligence checks on all applicants who are invited to interview. Due diligence checks will include social media and internet searches.
The role attracts a private office allowance of £12,587 on top of base G6 salary of £72,602. This is to reflect that out of hours (including evening and weekend) working is sometimes required which is usually organised on a rota basis.
Job Description
The role of speechwriter sits in the Private Office, Intelligence and Parliamentary (PIP) team in DHSC, which comprises several private offices. It is part of the wider Ministers, Accountability and Strategy Directorate, which sets the strategic direction of the health and care system, supports ministers and provides effective internal governance and accountability. The role is varied, challenging and stimulating, working in a fast-paced, dynamic environment in the Secretary of State’s office.
Key Responsibilities Include
* Writing national agenda-setting speeches and other written products for the Secretary of State.
* Communicating the Secretary of State’s vision for health and social care to stakeholders, the media, and the wider public.
* Working closely with the Secretary of State, and their advisers, to capture the Secretary of State’s voice and priorities and write for him across many different products.
* Confidently provide the Secretary of State with clear advice on their speeches and produce clear, compelling, well-argued products and effectively evaluate their impact on audiences.
* Provide senior counsel and advice on narrative and messaging.
* Develop and maintain strong working relationships with ministers, private offices, special advisers, senior officials and ensure a streamlined speechwriting process.
* Work effectively with the wider communications team, so that speechwriting plans are joined up with wider communications strategies. Integrate with media activity around speeches, and identifying and driving appropriate tactics to boost this when appropriate.
Essential
* Extensive expertise in and experience of speechwriting or other written work, for senior figures, in the public or private sectors.
* Experience of providing trusted guidance on messaging and narrative to senior stakeholders, either inside or out of government.
* Experience of working on major agenda-setting speeches and products.
* Clear and proven ability to deliver in fast-paced environments, responding quickly and calmly as priorities change and as short deadlines are imposed.
* A track record of sound judgement and awareness of the wider news agenda.
* Demonstrable ability to work effectively with and positively influence a range of colleagues and senior stakeholders, internal and external.
* Strong, provable ability to assimilate a wide range of information and knowledge quickly and to develop compelling content.
Desirable
* Experience of working with the media.
* Experience of parliamentary affairs.
* Experience of working within a private office.
Behaviours
We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:
* Communicating and Influencing
* Seeing the Big Picture
* Delivering at Pace
Technical Skills
We'll assess you against these technical skills during the selection process:
* Candidates will be invited to provide an example of a previous speech or other written work (no more than 1,500 words) they have written, which will assess a Technical Skill relative to the role.
* Candidates will be invited to take a test which will assess a Technical Skill relative to the role. Details of the test will be issued to candidates with the release of the sift scores.
Selection Process Details
This vacancy is using Success Profiles and will assess your Behaviours, Experience and Technical skills. Applications will be sifted W/C: 05/05/2025. Interview date: W/C 19/05/2025. Interview location: The interview will take place at 39 Victoria Street, London. Further details and interview slots will be released to candidates who are successful at sift.
Contact Point for Applicants
* Name: Claire Pringle
* Email: Claire.pringle@dhsc.gov.uk
Recruitment team:
Email: dhscrecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk
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