About us
HM Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS) is responsible for the administration of criminal, civil and family courts and tribunals in England and Wales. Our roles support our service users and colleagues, where people and businesses access potentially life-changing justice. We’re looking for individuals who are committed to public service and want to make a difference in people’s lives in delivering justice. If you’re interested in developing a career with a real purpose, please apply.
The role of the HMCTS Communications and Engagement Directorate is to:
enhance and protect our reputation
facilitate corporate communication and engagement with internal and external stakeholders and users
advise, challenge and support the organisation to communicate and engage effectively
About the role
As Head of Communications and Engagement (Crime) you will play a key role in ensuring the Communications Directorate and HMCTS achieve their strategic goals through high quality communications. Your deep understanding of our audiences will enable you to design and deliver impactful communication plans and messages that resonate with our range of audiences. You'll be the ‘go to’ communications expert among senior leaders in your area, guiding and advising them to add value to their work through your specialist knowledge.
In this influential senior management position, you'll be dynamic in leading communications and engagement relating to the criminal courts, one of the most fast-paced, high-profile and demanding areas of HMCTS.
Given the structure and purpose of the organisation, you’ll primarily lead on the delivery of operational communications and engagement. Within this varied role, however, you’ll have the opportunity to deliver your goals through a blend of communications disciplines, including press, stakeholder engagement, digital, strategic and internal comms, as well as the occasional campaign.
Your role as the Head of Communications & Engagement (Crime) will cover several key aspects including but not limited to:
Leading stakeholder communications and engagement work - from planning to implementation – and line-managing a team to support you in doing this
Contributing to providing an integrated communications service that delivers content seamlessly and consistently to external and internal audiences using a range of channels. Playing a key leadership role in ensuring the communications team is effective and innovative
Fostering strong working relationships with officials, providing them with communications advice and support to help them meet their business objectives
Directing and quality assuring the creation of stakeholder content and products, including being accountable for planning, promotion and delivery of stakeholder events and webinars
Advising internal ‘clients’ on best practice, emerging issues, risks and opportunities, guiding on the manner in which messages and key themes are communicated to ensure consistency, clarity and impact
Acting as the key point of contact between the HMCTS communications team and MoJ press office and aligning HMCTS stakeholder communications activity with that of the wider Ministry of Justice group
Managing and co-ordinating crisis communications plans and responses in the event of a major incident
Please refer to the attached role profile for a comprehensive overview of the role.
Who are we looking for? (Person Specification)
The ideal candidate for this position should demonstrate the following:
Essential
Experience of leading stakeholder communications - both developing plans and operational implementation - in a large and complex organisation
Proven experience in copywriting and adapting writing style for different audiences and channels, with robust editorial skills
Strong relationship management skills, effective at negotiating and influencing at a senior level
Confident giving presentations, leading meetings, and workshops, and credible when speaking with the Senior Management Team or operational leaders
Strong planning, organisational and people skills, including delivering communication products to tight deadlines
Proven ability to quickly analyse and interpret data, transforming it into actionable insights to inform strategic decisions and drive impactful communications outcomes
Can work quickly and effectively under pressure and through ambiguity, managing competing priorities and changing deadlines
Good knowledge of the communications landscape
Experience of leading a team, working collaboratively with diverse a mix of stakeholders to deliver results
Further information:
This is a full-time role, where flexible working arrangements will be considered on a case-by-case basis.
The successful candidate may be required to travel to any HMCTS site in line with business needs.