Head of Communications

£60,500 - £75,000 per annum 
Contract type: Permanent 
Organisation: NIC
Closing date: 7th July

Are you excited by the prospect of a high profile and varied senior communications position, working directly with the National Infrastructure Commission’s Chair and Chief Executive, and having overarching responsibility for its communications strategy, press and media activities and online presence? If so we’d love to hear from you.

The National Infrastructure Commission (NIC) was established in 2015 to provide the government with impartial, expert advice on major long-term infrastructure challenges. Its objectives are to support sustainable economic growth across all regions of the UK, improve competitiveness and improve quality of life.

We are looking for someone with experience dealing with high-profile media stories, and developing effective and influential communications strategies. Someone who is able to build strong relationships with press and media contacts, devel0p the NIC’s website and social media presence, plan and deliver eye-catching events and speaking engagements, and run a high quality proactive and reactive media service for the Commission. 

You will collaborate with the NIC’s senior team, Chair and Commissioners to shape the narrative of NIC’s reports and announcements, and to build the NIC’s media profile. You will represent the NIC on communications both internally in Government, and externally with journalists, opinion formers and other stakeholders across the wide-ranging infrastructure landscape – whether that’s on energy, transport, digital communications or environmental matters such as flood risk management, waste or water supply.

Our ideal candidate will have significant media handling experience, and will have dealt directly with national press and broadcast media to secure positive coverage of a high-profile policy agenda. You’ll also have excellent communication skills; you’ll be able to clearly explain complex issues and deliver difficult methods with clarity, and be persuasive where required. These skills will also be useful as you’ll be expected to build excellent and productive relationships with communication teams across key government departments, and to develop strong links to key journalists and opinion-formers in the press and broadcast media. 

Within this role, strategic thinking will be key, as you’ll be ensuring communications plans and activities reflect wider strategic priorities, and communicating effectively with senior leaders to influence future plans and strategies. Lastly, you’ll be skilled at managing and developing a team – overseeing the work of two communications managers on press engagement, online and social media strategy, and on a rolling programme of stakeholder visits and events.

The National Infrastructure Commission is part of the UK Civil Service and the successful candidate will be subject to National Security Vetting. To allow for meaningful checks to be carried out applicants will normally need to have lived in the UK for at least 3 years out of the past 5 years. A lack of UK residency in itself is not necessarily a bar to security clearance but the Commission will need to consider on a case by case basis using all information that can be obtained following a successful application.

Our recruitment process is underpinned by the principle of appointment based on fair and open competition and appointment on merit, as outlined in the Civil Service Commissioners’ Recruitment Principles. If you feel your application has not been treated in accordance with these principles and you wish to make a complaint, you should in the first instance contact HM Treasury, who provide recruitment support to the NIC, by email: [email protected] 

If you are not satisfied with the response you receive, you can contact the Civil Service Commission, which regulates all Civil Service recruitment.