We're looking for someone who can lead the delivery of integrated marketing and communications campaigns for HMRC-across low-cost/no-cost and paid channels. In this role, you'll also take ownership of a holistic, connected always-on search strategy (covering both SEO and Paid Search) that supports all our campaigns and ensures people can easily access the information they need, whenever they need it.

You'll be working closely with internal digital teams and external agencies to make sure everything is optimised, evaluated, and continuously improved.

There are two core elements to this role, including:

Integrated Campaign Leadership :

• Planning: Lead and co-ordinate key marketing paid for campaigns from end-to-end, working with Communications Business Partners to understand business objectives, and seeking input from specialists across the Communications Directorate and agencies to effectively plan marketing campaign.

• Delivery: Oversee the delivery of integrated campaigns across paid for channels, supported with low cost/ no cost. Using data to optimise the campaign to drive greater effectiveness.

• Evaluation: Leading post campaign evaluation against business objectives, calculating ROI and providing key learnings.

• Leadership: Leading a team (at least two direct reports) a group of agencies and virtual project team to plan, deliver and evaluate campaigns.

Connected Search Expertise :

• Develop holistic always on connected strategy for Search that goes beyond the traditional search engines and considers places where customers search for data (including blogs, YouTube, etc.)

• Serve as a subject matter expert in search strategies, encompassing both Paid Search and SEO, to optimise how HMRC customers discover and access information and support resources.
• Drive continuous improvement in search performance through data analysis, testing, and implementation of best practices.

Other responsibilities:

• Overseeing running of virtual project teams, ensuring effective collaboration across different expert teams (Digital, PR, External Affairs, etc.).
• Developing a culture of continuous learning and improvement.
• Acting as an adviser on marketing campaigns content and delivery.
• Work with internal stakeholders across HMRC, wider government, external agencies and campaign partners to ensure effective and integrated communication campaign delivery.

Person specification

The successful candidate for this role will have:

• Proven track record of successful marketing campaign delivery: Demonstrated ability to plan, execute, and measure the impact of marketing campaigns across various channels, including paid, owned, and earned media.
• Experience in developing data-driven search marketing approaches, including multi-channel search strategies.
• Strong agency management skills: Proven ability to collaborate effectively with external agencies, such as creative, media, and other agencies, to deliver high-quality work. This includes the experience in inspiring agencies through clear and concise briefings.
• Analytical and problem-solving skills: Strong analytical skills to identify opportunities, solve problems, and make data-driven decisions.
• Results-oriented: Proven ability to deliver high-quality work on time and achieve measurable results.
• Collaborative team player: Strong interpersonal skills and the ability to build effective relationships with colleagues and external partners.
• Effective communicator: Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal, with the ability to communicate complex ideas clearly and concisely.

Essential Criteria

• Strong experience in delivering paid-for marketing campaigns across various media channels that delivered tangible business results.
• Advanced paid search and SEO marketing experience in complex, content-rich environments, including developing sophisticated search strategies across Google Ads, Bing Ads, and other new and emerging platforms.
• Proven experience in leading, managing, and motivating teams and agency partners (incl. creative, media planning and buying agencies) to drive desired behaviour change
• Proven analytical and problem-solving skills with the ability to handle complex challenges proactively.

Desirable Criteria

• Previous experience in government or public sector digital marketing.
• Qualifications in digital marketing, communications, or related field.
• Experience with accessibility-focused digital communication strategies.
• Certification in Google Ads, Google Analytics, or equivalent professional digital marketing credentials.

Behaviours

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

• Changing and Improving
• Communicating and Influencing
• Delivering at Pace
• Leadership

Technical skills

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

• You will be asked technical questions relevant to the role.

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £56,344, HM Revenue and Customs contributes £16,322 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

HMRC operates both Flexible and Hybrid Working policies, allowing you to balance your work and personal commitments. We welcome applications from those who need to work a more flexible arrangement and will agree to requests where possible, considering our operational and customer service needs.

We offer a generous leave allowance, starting at 25 days and increasing by a day for every year of qualifying service up to a maximum of 30 days.

• Pension - We make contributions to our colleagues' Alpha pension equal to at least 28.97% of their salary.
• Family friendly policies.
• Personal support.
• Coaching and development.

To find out more about HMRC benefits and find out what it's really like to work for HMRC hear from our insiders or visit Thinking of joining the Civil Service

Things you need to know

Selection process details
This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window) , and will assess your Behaviours, Experience and Technical skills.

How to Apply

As part of the application process, you will be asked to provide the following:

• A name-blind CV including your job history and previous experiences. Your CV should cover up to your last 5 roles, detailing your responsibilities and any key achievements (Max 500 words for all roles).
• A 500-word Personal Statement. Your personal statement should clearly demonstrate how your skills and experience meet the essential criteria.

Please complete a separate statement (Max 250 words) for the Desirable Criteria where applicable. This is not essential for the role but may be considered by the vacancy-holder where candidates have the same scores at sift or interview.

Further details around what this will entail are listed on the application form.

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.

Sift

In the event of a large number of applications being received, an initial sift may be held on your CV.

At full sift your CV and Personal Statement will be assessed, with the successful candidates being invited to interview.

We may also raise the score required at any stage of the process if we receive a high number of applications.

Interview

During the panel interview, your experience and behaviours will be assessed, to determine your suitability for the role. You will also be asked technical questions relevant to the role.

Interviews will take place via video link. Sift and interview dates to be confirmed.

Eligibility

Please take extra care to tick the correct boxes in the eligibility sections of your application form. We understand mistakes sometimes happen but if you contact us later than two working days(Monday-Friday) before the vacancy closes, we will not be able to reopen your application for you. If you do make a mistake with your eligibility form, please contact us via: unitybusinessservicesrecruitmentresults@hmrc.gov.uk - Use the subject line to insert appropriate wording for example - 'Please re-open my application - [insert vacancy ref] & vacancy closing date [insert date]'.

To check that you are eligible to apply for this role, please review the eligibility information before submitting your application .

Reserve List

A reserve list may be held for up to 12 months from which further appointments may be made for the same or similar roles - if this applies to you, we'll let you know via your Civil Service Jobs account.

Merit List

After interview, a single merit list will be created, and you will only be considered for posts in locations you have expressed a preference for. Appointments will be made in strict merit order in line with the set number of roles in each location.

Criminal Record Check

Applications received from candidates with a criminal record are considered fairly in accordance with the DBS Code of Practice and the Recruitment of ex-offenders Policy.

Reasonable Adjustments

We want to make sure no one is put at a disadvantage during our recruitment process. To assist you with this, we will reduce or remove any barriers where possible and provide additional support where appropriate.

If you need a change to be made so that you can make your application, you should:

Contact the UBS Recruitment team via unitybusinessservicesrecruitmentresults@hmrc.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.

Important information for existing HMRC contractual homeworkers

This role may be suitable for existing HMRC employees who are contractual homeworkers. Occasional attendance to the office will be required where there is a business need. Please consider the advertised office locations for this role when applying and only select locations from the 'location preferences' section that you can travel to.

Terms and Conditions

Customer facing roles in HMRC require the ability to converse at ease with members of the public and provide advice in accurate spoken English and/or Welsh where required. Where this is an essential requirement, this will be tested as part of the selection process.

HMRC has a presence in every region of the UK. For more information on where you might be working, review this information on our locations (opens in a new window) .

The Civil Service values honesty and integrity and expects all candidates to abide by these principles. The evidence you provide in your application must relate to your own experiences.

Any instances of plagiarism or other forms of cheating will be investigated and, if proven, the relevant application(s) will be withdrawn from the process.

Recording of interviews is prohibited unless explicit agreement is sought in line with the UK General Data Protection Regulations.

Questions relating to an individual application must be emailed as detailed later in this advert.

Applicants who are successful at interview will be, as part of pre-employment screening, subject to a check on the Internal Fraud Database (IFD). This check will provide information about employees who have been dismissed for fraud or dishonesty offences. This check also applies to employees who resign or otherwise leave before being dismissed for fraud or dishonesty had their employment continued. Any applicant's details held on the IFD will be refused employment.

A candidate is not eligible to apply for a role within the Civil Service if the application is made within a 5 year period following a dismissal for carrying out internal fraud against government.

New entrants will join on the minimum of the pay band.

Please note that, if you are applying for roles on a part-time basis, the salary agreed will be pro-rata, reflective of the working hours agreed within your contract.

If you experience accessibility problems with any attachments on this advert, please contact the email address in the 'Contact point for applicants' section.

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

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.

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

Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)

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.

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) .

Apply and further information

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 : Julia Davies
• Email : julia.davies2@hmrc.gov.uk

Recruitment team

• Email : unitybusinessservicesrecruitmentresults@hmrc.gov.uk

Further information
Appointment to the Civil Service is governed by the Civil Service Commission's Recruitment Principles. You have the right to complain if you feel there has been a breach of the Recruitment Principles.

In the first instance, you should raise the matter directly via ubsrecruitmentcomplaints@hmrc.gov.uk . Please note that we do not accept complaints or appeals regarding scoring of outcomes of campaigns unless candidates can provide clear evidence that the campaign did not follow the Recruitment Principles.

If 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 website.

Attachments
Combined TC and OGD Pay - English - July 2024 Opens in new window (docx, 132kB) Combined TC and OGD Pay - Welsh - July 2024 Opens in new window (docx, 120kB)