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Communications Manager (External Affairs)

Employer
Food Standards Agency
Location
Belfast, Cardiff, Birmingham, London or York), or home based in the UK
Salary
£30,350
Closing date
12 Dec 2021

Job Details

 

Location

Multi-location from one of our FSA Offices (Belfast, Cardiff, Birmingham, London or York), or home based in the UK. Please be aware that this role can only be worked within the UK and not overseas. Travel across the UK may be required on an occasional basis, possibly with overnight stays.

About the job Summary

The FSA is a non-ministerial department of over 1300 people, with a big vision – to drive change in the food system so that it delivers “food we can trust”. Our primary goal is to continue to protect public health and consumers’ wider interest in food. As we have now exited the EU the FSA faces a significant period of change and activity.

As the public-facing representatives of the Agency’s work, the Communications Team shapes the public understanding of the FSA’s work and fuels important conversations around food safety and nutrition.

The FSA has an exciting opportunity for a Communications Manager who can help to protect public health, working with their colleagues to build strategic relationships with key stakeholders. Working to build an understanding of our stakeholder landscape, the post holder will act as a primary source of intelligence and insight for the organisation.

Job description

Alongside colleagues from across the FSA, you will develop effective plans to build and maintain our relationships with stakeholders, identifying proactive engagement opportunities and making sure that the FSA is represented at key events.

As a small department working in a busy industry amongst numerous other government departments and loud voices, it’s vital that the FSA is able to consistently punch above its weight and make itself heard. The successful candidate will play a major part in our success here, creating opportunities for stakeholder engagement and working alongside the wider team to connect their efforts with the wider communications work carried out by the Agency.

If you have a background in delivering impeccable external stakeholder engagement activity, a talent for understanding the bigger picture and planning around it, and an interest in using these skills to help the FSA protect public health, apply today for this exciting opportunity.

We are currently also recruiting to a number of other Communications Manager and Senior Communications Manager roles at HEO and SEO grade. Please take a look at our other vacancies in Civil Service Jobs or at www.food.gov.uk
 

Responsibilities

Please read the attached Candidate Pack to discover further details about the role, our organisation, who we are looking for and the criteria we will assess against during the selection process. We look forward to receiving your application and wish you every success.

Behaviours

We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:

  • Seeing the Big Picture
  • Communicating and Influencing
  • Delivering at Pace
  • Working Together

Benefits

Our candidate pack details the benefits that the FSA has to offer. Please also refer to the attached Terms and Conditions statement.

Things you need to know Security

Successful candidates must pass a disclosure and barring security check.

People working with government assets must complete basic personnel security standard checks.

Selection process details

This vacancy is using Success Profiles, and will assess your Behaviours and Experience.

Full details of the selection process are detailed in the attached candidate pack. This will consist of shortlisting against the essential and desirable person specification criteria stated. If successful at shortlisting stage, you will be invited to the final selection stage consisting of a technical and behaviours-based interview.

In the event of receiving a large number of applications an initial sift may take place on just the identified lead criteria indicated below:

• Proven record of successfully delivering external stakeholder engagement activity in a communications or policy environment

The FSA is committed to being an inclusive employer with a diverse workforce. We encourage applications from people from the widest possible diversity of backgrounds, cultures and experiences. All appointments are made on merit.

We actively review the deployment of talent on a periodic basis in the interests of optimising personal development and the achievement of business plans.

Our candidate pack details the benefits that the FSA has to offer. Please also refer to the attached terms and conditions statement.

Any move to the Food Standards Agency from another employer will mean you can no longer access childcare vouchers. This includes moves between government departments. You may however be eligible for other government schemes, including Tax Free Childcare.
Determine your eligibility at https://www.childcarechoices.gov.uk

A reserve list will be held for a period of up to 12 months from which further appointment may be made.

If applying on a job-share basis, the expectation would be that you are already in an established job-share partnership.

If applying on a part-time basis, the minimum is 24 hours a week.

Sift: week commencing 13/12/2021
Interviews: week commencing 03/01/2022

Interviews will be held remotely via MS Teams.

Please note that the interview date maybe subject to change.

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Nationality requirements

This job is broadly open to the following groups:

  • UK nationals
  • nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
  • nationals of the Republic of Ireland
  • nationals from the EU, EEA or Switzerland with settled or pre-settled status or who apply for either status by the deadline of the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
  • relevant EU, EEA, Swiss or Turkish nationals working in the Civil Service
  • relevant EU, EEA, Swiss or Turkish nationals who have built up the right to work in the Civil Service
  • certain family members of the relevant EU, EEA, Swiss or Turkish nationals

Further information on nationality requirements

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code 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.

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.

Company

We are an independent Government department working across England, Wales and Northern Ireland to protect public health and consumers’ wider interests in food. 

Our job is to use our expertise and influence so that people can trust that the food they buy and eat is safe and what it says it is.

View our Top Employer profile

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