9008 - Head of Recruitment and Retention Communications

Full Time, Part Time/Job Share, Flexible Working

Vacancy Approach

External

Location

National

Region

National

Closing Date

31-Aug-2025

Post Type

Permanent

SCS 1

Number of jobs available

1

Reserve List

12 Months

Job ID

9008

Descriptions & requirements

The Role

This is an exciting opportunity for an exceptional communications leader to join the Ministry of Justice's Communications Senior Leadership Team (SLT) in a new role as Deputy Director, Recruitment and Retention Communications, reporting into the Director of Communications.

In this senior leadership position, you will deal with some of the department's highest priority issues. You will lead two teams in the Communications Directorate, which both play a critical role in the department's delivery of frontline services.

Firstly, you will lead the Recruitment Marketing Team - setting the direction for recruitment marketing campaigns across our portfolio. These can range from multi-million-pound campaigns to recruit thousands of staff, such as our prison and probation officer recruitment campaigns, to smaller campaigns to recruit niche, hard-to-fill roles. The team's work is critical to making sure that MoJ can deliver its priorities of delivering swift access to Justice, protecting the public and reducing reoffending.

Secondly, you will lead the Prisons Resourcing Communications Team which delivers high-impact communications to help build recognition for the work professionals do in prisons and support the retention of critical frontline staff.

The team has a central hub, as well as dispersed regional teams charged with building positive PR for prisons at a national, local and hyper-local level; supporting prisons in their local outreach and candidate communications; and working with HMPPS Communications to help prisons to improve their local internal communications and engagement activity.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the Recruitment Marketing Team, setting the direction for recruitment marketing campaigns across our portfolio
• Develop campaigns which, as well as, driving the right number of applications, focus on delivering numbers in the right locations in the country, and that diversity of applicants is representative of the communities we serve
• Lead the procurement and management of a number of agencies who we work with on elements of campaign activity, including creative, channel planning and media buying. You will ensure these agencies are being held to account for delivering against our objectives, and delivering value for money for the taxpayer
• Lead the Prisons Resourcing Communications Team which delivers high-impact communications to help build recognition for the work professionals do in prisons and support the retention of critical frontline staff
• Lead on advice to seniors and Ministers, developing the team's strategic approach, advising on budget breakdown, and ensuring evaluation is in place to ensure you can learn from what's working and adapt your approach accordingly, as well as showcasing the team's ROI
• Ensure necessary approvals are in place for communications spend, both within the department and from Cabinet Office where required
• Ensure the work of your team is executed to brilliant standards, fostering a culture of improvement and innovation, and evaluating performance on an ongoing basis
• Develop strong networks, including engaging across the Government Communications Service
• Lead a team of approximately 35 people, setting direction and ensuring high standards are met.
  
  

Additional Information

We particularly encourage applicants from diverse backgrounds. If you believe you have the skills and qualities we are looking for, then we would be delighted to hear from you.

If you require any assistance please contact us . Please quote the job reference in your email to enable us to support you more quickly.

Job Description Attachment

Head of RRC Accessible Candidate Pack.docx(Job Description Supporting Documents)

Head of RRC Candidate Information Pack.docx(Job Description Attachment)

We will assess your experience for this role via the following methods

CV or Work History, Statement of Suitability

Statement of Suitability

Guidance for the Statement of Suitability

It is important through the application process that you give evidence and examples of proven experience of each of the essential criteria.

• You are experienced in leading teams of people at a strategic level. You will have experience of setting a vision and strategy to ensure diverse and geographically dispersed teams deliver against objectives
• A proven track record of highly effective communication, negotiating and influencing at the most senior levels with internal and external stakeholders. You are able to communicate clearly and with confidence, both verbally and in written format. You communicate with impact, understanding how to tailor your communication to a wide range of audiences.
• You have experience at operating in a senior Communications role, displaying clear understanding of marketing, with an ability to demonstrate clear judgement on complex issues in this environment
• You are able to make effective decisions that consider the impact across all aspects of the organisation. You have sound financial acumen and can apply financial management principles when making decisions. You evaluate options, balancing the impact on factors such as people, processes, finance and strategy
• You are able to manage budgets carefully and effectively, and able to advise on budget breakdown at all levels.

Evidence of Experience

CV or Work History, Statement of Suitability

Interview stage assessments

Interview Dates

Week commencing 22nd September 2025

Behaviours

Leadership

Communicating and Influencing

Seeing the Big Picture

Making Effective Decisions

Other Assessments

Which assessment methods will be used?

Presentation

Use of Artificial Intelligence (Al)

You must ensure that any evidence submitted as part of your application, including your CV, statement of suitability and behaviour examples, are truthful and factually accurate. Please note that plagiarism can include presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own.