This is an exciting opportunity to create and lead an internal communications function from the outset, helping to shape the culture, identity and future of DHS.

What You’ll Be Doing

Leadership and Team Management

• Lead, manage and develop a small internal communications team, setting clear objectives, maintaining high standards, and supporting professional development.
• Foster a collaborative and inclusive team culture aligned with DHS values.
• Manage team workload and priorities across competing demands.
• Drive innovation by identifying and implementing new approaches to internal communications.

Internal Communications Strategy and Planning

• Develop and deliver a comprehensive internal communications strategy aligned with organisational objectives and change programme milestones.
• Establish and maintain internal communications channels, governance arrangements and planning frameworks for the new organisation.
• Identify and capitalise on emerging communications opportunities, channels and trends.
• Develop and oversee an annual internal communications plan with clear objectives and evaluation measures.
• Provide strategic communications advice to senior leaders on staff engagement, organisational listening and change communications.
• Champion staff engagement, maximising dialogue between DIO’s leaders and staff and improving DIO’s organisational listening.

Channel Development and Management

• Research, establish and manage effective internal communications channels for a geographically dispersed workforce.
• Use audience insight to shape channel selection, content and messaging.
• Ensure channels are accessible and inclusive for both desk-based and operational staff.
• Monitor and evaluate channel effectiveness, adapting approaches based on evidence and feedback.

Change Communications

• Lead internal communications for the DHS transition programme, delivering clear and consistent messaging throughout organisational change.
• Work closely with HR, programme and leadership teams to align communications with key decisions and programme milestones.
• Develop and maintain a compelling change narrative that helps staff understand the purpose and impact of DHS.
• Identify and manage communications risks, including information gaps and inconsistent messaging.

Content and Storytelling

• Commission and produce high-quality content across a range of formats, including written, video, digital and face-to-face communications.
• Work with corporate and delivery teams to identify and share stories that inform, engage and celebrate achievement across the organisation.
• Develop and maintain a consistent organisational voice and tone.
• Act as a trusted communications adviser to senior leaders, providing support on proactive and reactive issues, including briefings, scripts and all-staff messages.

Insight and Evaluation

• Establish mechanisms to gather staff insight and feedback on communications effectiveness, engagement and sentiment.
• Use data, evaluation and feedback to continuously improve internal communications activity.
• Report on communications performance and staff engagement to senior leaders.
• Apply the GCS Evaluation Cycle to measure the outputs, outtakes and outcomes of communications activity.

Person specification

This is a unique opportunity for someone who will bring a strong vision for setting up the internal communications function for the DHS, ensuring new and emerging channels become part of the communications mix. You’ll have a proven ability to do deliver and embed change within teams and bring an innovative approach to the development of both channels and content.

The successful candidate will have excellent stakeholder management skills and will work collaboratively with other communications functions across Defence and a range of business areas and project teams. This role requires a strong leader, who is committed to the development of their team, empowers colleagues to deliver and champions creativity.

Essential Criteria

To be successful with your application, you'll need to show that you meet the following essential criteria:

• Experience in the internal communications profession, ideally within a complex or large organisation with a dispersed workforce.
• Experience in planning, delivering, and evaluating internal communications campaigns using evidence-based approaches.
• Proven experience leading and developing a team.
• Excellent written and verbal communications skills with ability to adapt tone and style for different audiences, including delivering change communications during organisational transformation.
• Strong stakeholder management skills with ability to build relationships across all levels of an organisation.
• Ability to work at pace in a complex, ambiguous environment with multiple competing priorities.

Desirable Criteria

• An understanding of the housing sector or Defence.

Whilst this role is advertised as a full-time position of 37 hours per week, we recognise the benefits of flexible working and are open to discussing part-time hours, job share arrangements, or other flexible working patterns with suitable candidates. Regular in-person attendance is required (this is expected to be approximately 60% of your working week) to promote the benefits of face-to-face collaboration alongside flexibility of hours to support work-life balance and business need. Initially, you may be expected to attend more frequently to familiarise yourselves with the site, the team, and your role.

Behaviours

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

• Communicating and Influencing
• Leadership
• Developing self and others
• Making Effective Decisions

Experience

You will be asked questions related to your technical knowledge and/or experience for this role.

Behaviours

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

• Communicating and Influencing
• Leadership
• Developing Self and Others
• Making Effective Decisions

Salary and Benefits

Alongside your salary of £61,630, Ministry of Defence contributes £17,854 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides (opens in a new window).

• 25 days’ annual leave plus one day a year up to 30 days after five years, and eight bank holidays
• An extra day off to honour the sovereign’s birthday
• Flexible and hybrid working wherever possible to support your work-life balance - attending site a few days each week will be required and encouraged, depending on your role and team.
• Market-leading employer pension contribution of around 28.97%
• Enhanced parental leave schemes
• Recognition awards
• Access to specialist training and funded professional qualifications
• Support for progression
• Huge range of discounts – plus more!

The post does not offer relocation expenses (move of home, excess fares or temporary transfer). Non Standard move applicants will be eligible for the full package, subject to eligibility.

Artificial intelligence

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