Senior Communications Manager (Ref: 18511)
CompanyMinistry of Justice UK
Location
London, England, United Kingdom
Employment TypeContract
Posted At6/5/2026
UK Visa Sponsorship Analytics
Analytics are greyed out due to low classification confidence (59.0%).
Occupation TypeSales accounts and business development managers
Occupation Code Skill LevelHigher Skilled
Sponsorship Salary Threshold
£55,200
(£28.31 per hour)
Occupation rate applies
Above analytics are generated algorithmically based on job titles and may not always be the same as the company's job classification. You can also check detailed occupation eligibility, and salary criteria on our UK Visa Eligible Occupations & Salary Thresholds page.
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Description
East Midlands (England), East of England, London (region), North East England, North West England, Scotland, South East England, South West England, Wales, West Midlands (England), Yorkshire and the Humber
Job Summary
This position is based nationally.
Job Description
Job title: Senior Communications Manager
Directorate: Communications
Duration: 24 months
The role is advertised as a Fixed Term Contract initially for 24 months. There is the potential that this could be extended or the role made permanent at a later date, although this cannot be guaranteed.
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.
About The Role
The role of the HMCTS Communications and Engagement Directorate is to:
This role primarily focuses on providing quality communications, engagement advice and direction on a wide range of areas including court buildings, cross-cutting services such as video hearings and court technology, and improvements to open justice, among others. As the organisation evolves, you may be asked to cover other subject matter areas too. These are challenging and highly scrutinised areas and your remit will involve close working and engagement with priority organisations across the justice system.
Whether it is business partnering with senior leaders and officials in projects or service teams or supporting our colleagues working on the frontline in courts and tribunals, this is a demanding but highly rewarding role. You’ll be the ‘go to’ communications expert and lead the delivery of comms and engagement activity relating to your area.
Through your work, you’ll be an integral part of how HMCTS achieves its priorities and delivers operational and strategic milestones.
Key Accountabilities
Job Summary
This position is based nationally.
Job Description
Job title: Senior Communications Manager
Directorate: Communications
Duration: 24 months
The role is advertised as a Fixed Term Contract initially for 24 months. There is the potential that this could be extended or the role made permanent at a later date, although this cannot be guaranteed.
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.
About The Role
The role of the HMCTS Communications and Engagement Directorate is to:
- enhance and protect the reputation of HMCTS
- facilitate corporate communication and engagement with internal and external stakeholders and court users
- advise, challenge, and support the organisation to communicate and engage effectively.
This role primarily focuses on providing quality communications, engagement advice and direction on a wide range of areas including court buildings, cross-cutting services such as video hearings and court technology, and improvements to open justice, among others. As the organisation evolves, you may be asked to cover other subject matter areas too. These are challenging and highly scrutinised areas and your remit will involve close working and engagement with priority organisations across the justice system.
Whether it is business partnering with senior leaders and officials in projects or service teams or supporting our colleagues working on the frontline in courts and tribunals, this is a demanding but highly rewarding role. You’ll be the ‘go to’ communications expert and lead the delivery of comms and engagement activity relating to your area.
Through your work, you’ll be an integral part of how HMCTS achieves its priorities and delivers operational and strategic milestones.
Key Accountabilities
Your role as the Senior Communications Manager encompasses several key aspects, including but not limited to:
This is a specialist communications role, so it is essential that the role holder is an experienced communications professional. You will need the confidence and experience to engage with a diverse range of audiences and stakeholders.
Essential Skills
The ideal candidate for this position should demonstrate:
- designing, delivering and evaluating communications and engagement strategies and activity that really engage our complex audiences
- fostering strong working relationships with senior officials, developing solutions and working on complex issues to provide them with communications and engagement advice and support, helping them meet their business objectives
- telling our story and bringing the courts to life for our audiences by drafting a range of content, key messages and narratives including, but not limited to, news articles, blogs, podcasts, case studies, briefing documents, speaking notes and presentations
- providing quick and timely input to submissions, Freedom of Information (FOI) requests and Parliamentary Questions (PQs)
- handling high-profile and sensitive media issues, working with subject matter experts and press office to develop proactive and reactive media lines and products that enhance and protect HMCTS’ reputation
- taking responsibility for supporting evaluation and reporting of communications and engagement activity in your area and ensure we meet the required outcomes
- providing support to the G6/G7 and other senior leaders in directing and advising on all communications and engagement activity in relation the organisation’s response to a crisis
This is a specialist communications role, so it is essential that the role holder is an experienced communications professional. You will need the confidence and experience to engage with a diverse range of audiences and stakeholders.
Essential Skills
The ideal candidate for this position should demonstrate:
- Strong planning, organisational skills with experience of developing and delivering external communications and engagement strategies and plans in a large and complex organisation.
Desirable Skills
- Familiarity with using content management systems and managing web pages.
- Experience of change or technology related communications
Application Stage
Please Submit:
- An anonymised CV. Please ensure your CV is uploaded in a simple format to prevent any formatting issues when it's downloaded or reviewed.
- be succinct and clear
- be factually accurate – you must ensure that any evidence submitted as part of your application, is 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
- Your statement of suitability should be no more than 750 words and should give us real life examples of how your skills and experience match those needed for this role. Your statement should be based on the criteria set out in the Key Accountabilities and Essential Criteria sections above.
- You must ensure that any evidence submitted as part of your application is 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.
For those successful in passing the sift stage, interviews will take place over two stages.
At both stages of interview, candidates will be assessed against the Civil Service Success Profiles and Government Communication Service (GCS) competencies below at SEO/SIO level.
Guidance For These Can Be Found Below:
- Success Profiles - Civil Service Behaviours (publishing.service.gov.uk)
- Government-Communications-Professional-Competency-Framework.pdf (civilservice.gov.uk)
Success Profiles Behaviours
- Working together
- Ideas
At this stage, you will be asked to complete a written exercise. No preparation is required for the written exercise in advance, and candidates will be provided with all they need to complete this on the day. You will be also assessed against the GCS Technical Competency – Implementation.
Please note that travel fares will be the responsibility of candidates and cannot be reimbursed.
Further details
Working pattern
This is a full-time position only due to the nature of the role. Flexible working arrangements may be considered on a case-by-case basis, in line with business needs.
Travel Requirements
There will be a requirement to travel occasionally to any HMCTS site in line with business needs.
Fixed Term Appointments (FTA) on Promotion
MoJ employees may apply for FTA opportunities in MoJ that are advertised at a higher grade than their current substantive grade. Where an employee accepts an FTA on promotion, this promotion will be temporary, and the employee will revert to their substantive grade upon return to their home business area, as per the loan policy for OGD loans. Before applying, employees must seek approval from their line managers to ensure they can be released for the duration of the FTA and can return to their substantive role at the end. If there is no role available at the end of the FTA, the employee will be subject to redeployment and potentially redundancy procedures.
About Our Benefits
We reward our people for their hard work and commitment. We have a number of family friendly and flexible working polices that will help you achieve a healthy work-life balance. In addition, we offer a range of employee benefits which include generous annual leave, a highly competitive contributory pension scheme, childcare benefits, season ticket and bicycle loans.
Proud to Serve. Proud to keep justice going.
Job title: Senior Communications Manager
Directorate: Communications
Duration: 24 months
The role is advertised as a Fixed Term Contract initially for 24 months. There is the potential that this could be extended or the role made permanent at a later date, although this cannot be guaranteed.
About Our Benefits
We reward our people for their hard work and commitment. We have a number of family friendly and flexible working polices that will help you achieve a healthy work-life balance. In addition, we offer a range of employee benefits which include generous annual leave, a highly competitive contributory pension scheme, childcare benefits, season ticket and bicycle loans.
Proud to Serve. Proud to keep justice going.
Person specification
Please Refer To Job Description
Behaviours
We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:
We'll assess you against these technical skills during the selection process:
Proud to Serve. Proud to keep justice going.
Job title: Senior Communications Manager
Directorate: Communications
Duration: 24 months
The role is advertised as a Fixed Term Contract initially for 24 months. There is the potential that this could be extended or the role made permanent at a later date, although this cannot be guaranteed.
About Our Benefits
We reward our people for their hard work and commitment. We have a number of family friendly and flexible working polices that will help you achieve a healthy work-life balance. In addition, we offer a range of employee benefits which include generous annual leave, a highly competitive contributory pension scheme, childcare benefits, season ticket and bicycle loans.
Proud to Serve. Proud to keep justice going.
Person specification
Please Refer To Job Description
Behaviours
We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:
- Working Together
- Communicating and Influencing
- Delivering at Pace
We'll assess you against these technical skills during the selection process:
- GCS Technical Competency: Ideas
- GCS Technical Competency: Implementation
- Access to learning and development
Link: https://justicejobs.tal.net/vx/candidate/cms/About%20the%20MOJ
Artificial intelligence
Artificial intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Please see our candidate guidance (opens in a new window) for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.
Selection process details
This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours, Experience and Technical skills.
https://justicejobs.tal.net/vx/candidate/cms/About%20the%20MOJ
Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.
This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours, Experience and Technical skills.
Security
Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check.
People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.
Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check.
People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.
Nationality requirements
This Job Is Broadly Open To The Following Groups:
- UK nationals
- nationals of the Republic of Ireland
- nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
- nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
- nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
- individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
- Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service
Working for the Civil Service
The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.
We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window).
The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.
The Civil Service also offers a Redeployment Interview Scheme to civil servants who are at risk of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the advertised vacancy.
The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.
We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window).
The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.
The Civil Service also offers a Redeployment Interview Scheme to civil servants who are at risk of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the advertised vacancy.
Diversity and Inclusion
The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see the Civil Service People Plan (opens in a new window) and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (opens in a new window).
This vacancy is part of the Great Place to Work for Veterans (opens in a new window) initiative.
Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.
Contact point for applicants
Job Contact :
- Name : SSCL Recruitment Enquiries Team
- Email : moj-recruitment-vetting-enquiries@resourcing.soprasteria.co.uk
- Telephone : 0345 241 5359
- Email : moj-recruitment-vetting-enquiries@resourcing.soprasteria.co.uk
Appointment to the Civil Service is governed by the Civil Service Commission’s Recruitment Principles. If you feel a department has breached the requirement of the Recruitment Principles and would like to raise this, please contact SSCL (Moj-recruitment-vetting-enquiries@gov.sscl.com) in the first instance. If the role has been advertised externally (outside of the Civil Service) and you are not satisfied with the response, you may bring your complaint to the Commission. For further information on bringing a complaint to the Civil Service Commission please visit their web pages: http://civilservicecommission.independent.gov.uk/civil-service-recruitment/complaints/
https://jobs.justice.gov.uk/careers/JobDetail/18511?entityId=18511