Communications Campaign Officer
Sheffield
New Jobs
Permanent
£41,750 - £48,250 a year
- Support the Home Office's communications strategy by delivering key messages on public services and engaging with diverse stakeholders.
- Ideal candidates will possess strong communication skills, creativity, adaptability, and experience in campaign management or public relations.
- This full-time role is based in Sheffield or Manchester, offering a competitive salary and a commitment to inclusive professional development.
Details
Reference number
Salary
London pay locations: Westminster, £45,750 - £48,250
Plus a Recruitment and Retention Allowance (RRA) of £2,300pa.
Job grade
Contract type
Business area
Type of role
Working pattern
Number of jobs available
Contents
- Location
- About the job
- Benefits
- Things you need to know
- Apply and further information
Location
About the job
Job summary
The Home Office works to build a safe, fair and prosperous UK. We achieve this through our work on counter-terrorism, policing, crime, drugs policy, immigration and passports.
The Corporate Services Group works closely with the Home Office?s policy and operational commands to enable us together to deliver the department?s priorities. The group is comprised of different teams and professional functions, including Commercial, Communications, Finance, People, Portfolio and Project Delivery, Private Office, Security, Estates and Information.
As a member of the Communications Directorate, you?ll be supporting our mission to deliver outstanding public services that work for everyone.
You will join a multi-disciplinary team with colleagues based across the UK, working together to deliver the Home Office?s communications strategy.
We believe a positive, open and supportive culture is crucial to help everyone deliver their best work. We value diversity and provide an inclusive and encouraging environment for our team members. We nurture our talent and offer a broad range of learning and development opportunities to help you fulfil your potential.
Job description
Successful applicants will be a highly motivated, adaptable, innovative, dependable and collaborative communications professional, prepared to work on some of the most challenging, high profile and interesting issues in government.
You will support the planning, delivery and evaluation of communications campaigns aligned to major government priorities, such as securing the border, reducing illegal migration and tackling knife crime, to create measurable change among audiences.
You will work with a multi-disciplinary team, including press, marketing, insight, internal communications, external affairs and social media specialists. And you will build and maintain positive relationships with internal and external stakeholders.
You will be expected to manage content production and work with agencies where needed, while also having the opportunity to bring your own creative ideas to life. This will involve managing plans, ensuring activity remains on schedule and delivering value for money.
Working pattern
Due to the business requirements of this role, it is only available on a full-time basis.
Out of hours duty rota
You will also be required to join the out of hours press office duty rota and contribute approximately one to two shifts a month. In-depth training and overtime pay is provided.
Person specification
Essential criteria
You must be able to demonstrate:
- Experience in a communications role, including planning, delivering across multiple channels, evaluating and prioritising competing priorities.
- Effective communication skills (excellent written and speaking), including the ability to negotiate and influence, and experience developing trusted and productive relationships with colleagues and stakeholders.
- A proven track record to distil large amounts of complex information into clear key messages suitable for specific audiences.
- Being politically aware and having an understanding of how to identify and mitigate reputational risks.
Desirable criteria
- Familiarity with public communications in a large complex organisation.
- Experience engaging with journalists.
- Experience using creative content tools e.g. Canva, Adobe Creative Cloud.
Behaviours
We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:
- Communicating and Influencing
- Delivering at Pace
We only ask for evidence of these behaviours on your application form:
- Communicating and Influencing
Technical skills
We'll assess you against these technical skills during the selection process:
- Communications - Ideas
- Communications - Insight
- Communications - Implementation
Benefits
In addition to your salary, a career with the Home Office offers a range of benefits, including:
- A Civil Service pension with an employer contribution of 28.97%.
- In-year reward scheme for one-off or sustained exceptional personal or team achievements.
- 25 days annual leave on appointment, rising with service to 30 days.
- Eight days of public holidays, plus one additional privilege day.
- Where business needs allow, some roles may be suitable for a combination of office and home-based working. This is a non-contractual arrangement where all employees will be expected to spend a minimum of 60% of their working time in an office.
- Successful candidates will be given an additional Recruitment and Retention Allowance (RRA) of £2,300, which will be added to the base salary.
- See more of our benefits on our careers website.
Sign-up on our website to receive emails with information about careers at the Home Office.
Things you need to know
Artificial intelligence
Selection process details
This gives us the best possible chance of finding the right person for the job, drives up performance and improves diversity and inclusivity.
We will endeavour to conduct the selection process in line with the dates indicated below, but cannot guarantee that these will not, where necessary, be revised.
As part of the application process, you will first be asked to confirm your eligibility by providing some basic personal information.
After submission of this first stage, you will be invited to complete the following Civil Service Work Strengths test.
1. Online Test ? by 20th August 2026.
If you successfully pass the Civil Service Work Strengths test, you will be invited to complete the full application form. Please complete the online test as soon as possible (within 24-48 hours is recommended). If you fail to complete the online test or full application before the deadline, your application will be withdrawn.
Guidance for the Civil Service test will be available when you are invited to take the test. The online test is accessed via the Civil Service Jobs website.
Please note you cannot complete the test on a mobile phone or tablet.
Following successful completion of your test, you will then be asked to complete the full application form.
2. Application ? by 20th August 2026.
As part of the application process, you will be asked to complete:
- a CV
- a Personal Statement (maximum 1000 words)
- Evidence of the Behaviour Communicating and Influencing (maximum 250 words)
Your CV should consist of your career history, qualifications and skills/experience, including any key achievements in each role. Your CV will be scored against the experience required for the role as noted within the essential criteria.
The Personal Statement should be aligned to and demonstrate how you meet the skills and experience set out in the essential criteria, detailed in the job description.
For guidance and information on how to construct your application (CV, Personal Statement and Behaviours), you are encouraged to visit Civil Service Careers website.
3. Sift ? from 24th August 2026.
The sift will be held on the CV, Personal Statement, and the lead Behaviour Communicating and Influencing.
Should a high volume of applications be received, an initial sift will be conducted on the CV. Candidates who pass the initial sift will then be progressed to a full sift that will consist of all the remaining elements submitted (Personal Statement and Lead Behaviour). Candidates who fail to meet the minimum pass score for the initial sift will not have their remaining submitted elements scored and will only receive a sift score for that assessed at the initial sift.
4. Interview ? from 15th September 2026.
If you are successful at sift stage, you will be invited to an interview that will be Behaviours (as listed in the job advert) and Technical Skills based questions. All Behaviours listed in the selection process will be scored at the interview.
The Technical questions will be centred around Government Communication Professional Competency Framework. Please refer to: https://www.scribd.com/document/1068968903/GCS-Government-Communication-Professional-Competency-Framework
In addition, candidates will be asked to undertake a written assessment at interview stage. The exercise will be assessed against 'Experience' on the 'Success Profiles' and will be assessed against the 'Essential Criteria' as listed in the job advertisement. The details will be disclosed closer to the interviews.
The interview will take place in person, at either our London, Manchester or Sheffield Offices.
Please note any travel expenses incurred in attending an interview will not be reimbursed.
For guidance and information on what to expect and how to prepare for an interview, you are encouraged to visit Civil Service Careers.
Problems during the application process
If you experience problems accessing this advert, or you think you?ve made a mistake on an initial application, please contact hocandidates.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk, including the vacancy reference, at least two working days before the vacancy closes. Further information can be found on our website.
Do not create or attempt to submit another application, online test or use a different Civil Service Jobs account to proceed as this would be in violation of the candidate declaration.
Further information
Location preferences
You can select up to three locations in order of preference. Please ensure that these are locations you are prepared to travel to. If you are offered a role at one of your preferred locations and you decline, your application will be withdrawn.
Reserve List
A reserve list may be held for a period of up to 12 months from which further appointments may be made. There is no guarantee that being held on a reserve list will lead to a job offer. Further information can be found on our website.
Reserve lists will be held for each location. Candidates will be appointed in merit order by location.
Breaking Tied Scores
The behaviour, technical and experience skills have been ranked in order of importance to enable us to differentiate between candidates with tied interview scores.
Standards
All Civil Servants are expected to comply with the Civil Service Code, and its core values of integrity, honesty, objectivity and impartiality.
Criminal Record Check
In order to process applications without delay, we will be sending a Criminal Record Check to Disclosure and Barring Service on your behalf. However, we recognise in exceptional circumstances some candidates will want to send their completed forms direct. If you will be doing this, please advise Government Recruitment Service of your intention by emailing Pre-EmploymentChecks.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk stating the job reference number in the subject heading.
Additional Security Checks
As well as successfully obtaining UK Security Vetting clearance, candidates will be subject to a range of additional checks. The range of checks carried out will depend on whether you are a current Home Office employee, existing civil servant or an external new entrant as well as the role requirements. Further details are included in the Notes to Candidates.
Reasonable Adjustments
If a person with disabilities is at a substantial disadvantage compared to a non-disabled person, we have a duty to make reasonable changes to our processes.
If you need a change to be made so that you can make your application, you should:
- Contact Government Recruitment Service via HOrecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk as soon as possible before the closing date to discuss your needs
- Complete the ?Assistance Required? section in the ?Additional Requirements? page of your application form to tell us what changes or help you might need further on in the recruitment process. For instance, you may need wheelchair access at interview, or if you're deaf, a language service professional
If you are experiencing accessibility problems with any attachments on this advert, please contact the email address in the ?Contact point for applicants? section.
Feedback
Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.
Security
See our vetting charter .
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)
- 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
We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles .
Diversity and Inclusion
Apply and further information
Contact point for applicants
Job contact :
- Name : Home Office Resourcing Centre
- Email : HORCCampaignTeamCorporateEnablers@homeoffice.gov.uk
Recruitment team
- Email : HOrecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk
Further information
Sheffield
New Jobs
Permanent
£41,750 - £48,250 a year