Senior Communications and Engagement Advisor

Department for Culture, Media & Sport; Greater Manchester; Hybrid; GBP 39,000 - 49,000; Full time

Job description

Senior Communications and Engagement Advisor

Apply before 11:55 pm on Monday 28th April 2025

Location - Manchester

Salary - £39,365 - £48,608 + benefits (including a Civil Service Pension with an employer contribution of 28.97%)

Contract type - 2-year fixed term contract

We lead the Government's work on the future governance of football. At present, the Shadow Football Regulator comprises over thirty members of staff, led by an interim Chief Operating Officer, undertaking a range of activities in preparation for passage of the Football Governance Bill, which is currently in Parliament.

The Shadow Football Regulator is a dedicated team within DCMS which is responsible for setting up the Independent Football Regulator (IFR). It is ensuring the regulator has the right skills, governance and corporate functions so it can start work as soon as possible after the Bill receives Royal Assent.

This post, and its recruitment, is dependent on progress of the Bill, and the intention is for this role to transfer to the Regulator once it's legally established.

Please note that the Independent Football Regulator will be based in Greater Manchester, but an exact location has yet to be determined.

Job Description

This is an exciting opportunity for an experienced, talented and motivated stakeholder and/or communications professional to join a growing organisation and shape its corporate communications. You will have a strong background in strategic communications and planning, utilising a mixture of channels to target specific audiences and deliver organisational objectives. You will have experience of working productively with external and internal stakeholders, with sound judgement and the ability to lead.

Responsibilities include:

1. Working with policy, stakeholder, communications and strategy teams to deliver a regulatory familiarisation process, to ensure industry has a strong understanding of the regulatory regime before it is implemented.
2. Coordinating activity across the Shadow Football Regulator to ensure there is a streamlined approach to stakeholder communications and work with the wider communications and engagement team to ensure it is deliverable.
3. Leading the delivery of external content for industry. This could include how-to guides, graphics and coordinating webinars and newsletters.
4. Supporting the wider communications and engagement team on the strategic engagement planning across programme.
5. Line management of a HEO.

Person Specification

Essential Requirements:

1. Excellent communication skills, with experience of using these skills to engage with and influence internal and external stakeholders to achieve successful outcomes.
2. Experience of delivering creative and targeted external strategies that use a range of different channels and tailored approaches to reach target audiences.
3. A proven track record of leading the delivery of projects on time, to a high-quality and within budget.
4. Strong organisational skills, with experience of managing competing priorities across multiple teams in a fast-paced working environment.

Desirable Skills:

1. Interest in and/or experience working in football, understanding of the current stakeholder landscape in football and existing regulation in the game.
2. Line Management experience.

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £39,365, Department for Culture, Media and Sport contributes £11,404 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme.

DCMS values its staff and offers a wide range of benefits to everyone who works here. We're committed to developing talent and supporting colleagues to have great careers in our department. To support with that, some of the benefits we offer include:

1. Flexible working arrangements and hybrid working - DCMS staff work on a flexible basis with time spent in offices, and time spent working from home
2. 26.5 days annual leave on entry, increasing to 31.5 days after 5 years' service
3. A Civil Service pension with an employer contribution of 28.97%
4. Access to the Edenred employee benefits system which offers discounts to popular retailers and access to various useful resources such as financial and savings advice
5. 3 days of paid volunteering leave
6. Up to 9 months maternity leave on full pay + generous paternity and adoption leave
7. Staff reward and recognition bonuses that operate throughout the year
8. Occupational sick pay
9. Access to the Employee Assistance Programme which offers staff 24/7 confidential support and resources such as counselling, debt guidance and management advice
10. Active and engaged staff networks to join including the LGBT+, Ethnic Diversity, Mental Health and Wellbeing and Gender Equality Networks
11. Exceptional learning and development opportunities that you can explore alongside your day-to-day work
12. Season ticket loan, cycle to work scheme and much more!

How To Apply

You will be redirected to a careers site to complete your application.