Our team is dispersed across the UK, making teamwork and support among colleagues essential. Building strong relationships with HMRC teams, other government departments and the media is crucial for promoting and explaining HMRC's policies effectively. This role requires strong interpersonal skills and the ability to present compelling communications strategies to senior leaders.

Job holders in this grade will carry out a range of activities across communications professional disciplines to support efficient running of the directorate. This may involve being deployed to support emerging priority work.

We provide a 24/7/365 service to the media running an on call service outside of normal working hours, which are 9am to 6pm Monday to Friday. All colleagues at grade Higher Officer (HO) and above joining the press office team will be part of the on call rota.

If you're up for a dynamic challenge and enjoy a fast-paced role where every day is different, this could be the perfect opportunity for you.

Person specification

Responsibilities:

• Develop and implement proactive media plans that align with HMRC's campaigns and business milestones across all platforms.

• Respond to media enquiries within agreed deadlines, working closely with colleagues and officials to agree on suitable messaging.

• Collaborate across the press, digital, external affairs, campaigns and business partner teams to deliver effective, targeted communication strategies.

• Evaluate results and use insights to inform and improve future activities.

• Anticipate and address potential issues before they arise, handling them effectively and rebutting inaccurate media stories.

• Keep the Press Office Planner updated on key events and opportunities.

• Identify opportunities for specialist media coverage and lead the execution of those stories.

• Monitor media coverage to stay informed on relevant stories.

• Build strong relationships with journalists, stakeholders and officials across HMRC and other government departments to ensure accurate, timely messaging.

• Supporting, colleagues across the Press, Digital and External Affairs team and the wider communications team to ensure delivery of priority work.

• Participate in the out-of-hours press office on call rota.

Essential Criteria

• Extensive experience in professional external communications roles, such as a journalist or press/public relations officer.

• Strong writing skills with attention to detail, including the ability to convey complex information clearly to non-expert audiences.

• Proven ability to work collaboratively across departments/organisations and with external partners, to deliver outstanding results-driven communication activity.

• A creative, forward-thinking approach with the ability to generate innovative ideas for media and stakeholder content.

• Strong decision-making and organisational abilities, able to deliver accurate work under pressure.

• Capable of thriving in fast-paced high-pressure environments, and providing constructive feedback to senior colleagues.

• Membership of GCS or willing to join as part of the role

You'll need to be an excellent writer, capable of explaining complex issues clearly. Your writing skills will be tested during the interview, and your application will be reviewed for accuracy in grammar, punctuation and content. Only candidates demonstrating these high standards will be invited for interview.

Technical skills

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

• Successful candidates will be required to complete a written exercise at interview which will be provided on the day - no preparation is necessary.
• GCS - Insight - press & media
• GCS - Ideas - press & media
• GCS - Implementation - press & media
• GCS - Impact- press & media

We only ask for evidence of these technical skills on your application form:

• GCS - Implementation - press & media

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £36,320, HM Revenue and Customs contributes £10,521 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 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.
• A 500-word personal statement. This should explain why you fit the essential criteria and key responsibilities of the role.
• A separate 250 word statement on the GCS Competence - Implementation - Press & Media

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

We acknowledge that AI can assist you in your application. Find our guidelines here.

Sift

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

At full sift your CV, Personal Statement and GCS Competence Implementation - Press and Media 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, you will be asked questions about the four GCS Technical Skills.

• GCS - Insight - press & media
• GCS - Ideas - press & media
• GCS - Implementation - press & media
• GCS - Impact- press & media

Additionally, you will be required to carry out a written exercise, details of which will be provided at the interview.

Further information about level appropriate skills that will be assessed can be found in the GCS Competency Framework:

https://gcs.civilservice.gov.uk/publications/competency-framework/ .

Interviews will take place face to face in one of our local HMRC offices. 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.

Additional Security Information

Please note: in addition to the standard pre-employment checks for appointment into the Civil Service, all candidates must also obtain National Security Vetting at Security Check (SC) clearance level for this vacancy. You will normally need to meet the minimum UK residency period as determined by the level of vetting being undertaken, which for SC is 5 years UK residency prior to your vetting application. If you have any questions about this residency requirement, please speak to the vacancy holder for this post.

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 .

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.

Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is security check (opens in a new window) .

See our vetting charter (opens in a new window) .

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 : Clare Merrills
• Email : clare.merrills@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. 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
UPDATED - 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)