Head of Internal Engagement

London

• and Warrington - For London based roles your contractual place of work will be Stratford. However, as that site will not be operational until early 2025 in the interim period you will be required to carry out your contractual duties from Vauxhall, or such other reasonable location, on a temporary basis. For the avoidance of doubt as your contractual place of work is Stratford, the move from any temporary place of work will not give rise to any entitlement to payments for travel time or costs under the Relocation and Excess Travel Policy., This is a role at the heart of the NCA. Working to the Deputy Director of Communications, and closely with our Executive team, you will lead the internal communications team, acting as a trusted advisor to leaders and staff across the Agency, and setting the direction for internal, leadership and change communications to drive employee engagement and help shape our culture.

You will lead on understanding our audiences and ensuring an effective, high quality channel mix, to deliver tailored, compelling content to inform, engage and inspire our people, and ensure the NCA is a great place to work., Communications is part of the Agency's Strategic Centre, at the heart of the NCA, setting long-term direction, supporting senior leaders in their decision-making, and working closely with partners across HMG and law enforcement.
As part of the Strategic Centre, the communications team plays a vital role in supporting delivery of the Agency’s mission. We plan and deliver strategic internal and external communication to inform and inspire target audiences, helping them understand who we are and what we do, and recognise the unique contribution we make to tackling serious and organised crime. The communications team works with officers right across the NCA and is central to delivering the NCA strategy and mission
Our people are the Agency, and we are committed to delivering engaging communications to ensure our officers are well-informed, have a voice, and are aligned to our organisational mission, values and strategy, understanding their role and contribution to protecting the public from serious and organised crime, and feeling valued for it.
The communications team works with officers right across the NCA and is central to delivering the NCA strategy and mission.
You will lead a team to deliver outcomes on behalf of the Agency and its people. This role gives you the opportunity to shape the strategic direction of the Agency through our internal communications to a workforce of 5000 people. This is an exciting time to join the NCA. We are truly unique in the work we deliver, as an intelligence led law enforcement agency, and system leader in tackling serious and organised crime. We have grown in size and this year celebrate our 10 year anniversary. The scale of the crime we seek to disrupt has never been bigger and more challenging, and that means our people are busier and our work is varied and vital. We work across arrange of diverse partners from law enforcement, to the intelligence community, to government and criminal justice partners. And as crime is increasingly originating from overseas, we are also an international organisation, working closely with our officers overseas and our partners such as the
FBI or Interpol. We have a vast range of skills and expertise in the Agency , with officers working in roles within investigations, intelligence, threat leadership and enabling capabilities. The demands are high, and the work is fast paced but incredibly rewarding, preventing harm inflicted by the most dangerous criminals operating in the UK and across the world. Your influence and expertise will be instrumental in building a cohesive and communicative organisation that thrives on shared values and goals. We are looking for someone who is creative and confident, committed to using data and insight, and to continually testing and learning to increase the impact of our internal communications.
Please note - Some National travel may be required for this role.

• To be considered, you will need to successfully complete SC Enhanced clearance before commencing the role, + Setting strategic direction for internal communications. You will lead on developing and executing a comprehensive internal communications strategy and plan, to support achievement of the Agency’s strategic goals and people priorities, and deliver outcomes

+ Working with stakeholders across the Agency, including the Executive and HR, to ensure we have a consistent, coordinated and impactful narrative, and an integrated approach to planning and delivering internal communications
+ Leading, developing and managing the internal communications team to deliver key outcomes, fostering a culture of creativity, collaboration and high performance
+ Developing and managing relationships within the Agency and acting as a key advisor and coach to senior leadership on internal communications matters, providing strategic counsel and insights
+ Developing and implementing an effective triage/prioritisation process, to manage the workload of the internal communications team, planning effectively in line with Agency priorities.
+ Developing and managing an effective portfolio of internal communication channels that work for our people, through continual processes of evaluation, review and
identification of channel development and improvement.
+ Providing analytics and data to assist with the ongoing development of all internal communication channels and to suggest new ways of working to better meet the needs of the Agency and achieve internal communications objectives.
+ Implementing metrics to measure the effectiveness of internal communications, using data-driven insights to refine strategies and tactics.
+ Creating compelling content, initiatives and campaigns that enhance employee engagement, inspire and inform our people, foster a sense of belonging and develop our culture.
+ Supporting and driving effective change management communication strategies for organisational initiatives, ensuring employees understand and embrace changes

Behaviours
We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:
+ Seeing the Big Picture
+ Leadership
+ Changing and Improving, + 4 x Technical / Experience skills listed within the Person Specification above, via a 250 word Statement of Suitability per criteria.
For further application guidance please visit https://www.nationalcrimeagency.gov.uk/careers/applying-and-onboarding
Once submitted your application will be acknowledged by the Government Recruitment Service.
Please note depending on the volume of applications a Longlist at sift may be conducted on following criteria:
+ Experience working in a busy, senior, internal communications role, developing and executing a comprehensive internal communications strategy and plan to support achievement of an organisation’s strategic priorities and delivering measurable outcomes.
Candidates must pass this criteria for their application to be progressed.
A panel will then assess your application to select those demonstrating the best fit for the role by considering the evidence you have provided against the criteria set out in the Entry Criteria section.
Failure to address any or all of these may affect your application.
Sift results are expected to be released w/c Monday 24th June 2024.
Interview Details
You will then be asked to attend an interview in order to have a more in-depth discussion of your previous experience and professional competence.
The interview process will comprise of one round. Behaviours and Technical/Experience criteria will be assessed via presentation and competency based questions. The details of the presentation will be provided to those successful at shortlisting.
Interviews will take place throughout July 2024 - locations to be confirmed. Please be advised that the type of interview (eg. virtual/face-to-face) may be subject to change and successful candidates will be notified of this prior to attending. However the interview is conducted, the interview criteria will remain as detailed within this advert.
The above sift and interview dates are an indicative timeline.
Should you be successful at sift but cannot attend on the interview date(s) listed the recruitment team cannot guarantee an alternative date. Please contact the recruitment team.
Full details of the assessment process will be made available to shortlisted candidates.
Please ensure that all examples provided in your application are taken directly from your own experience and that you describe the examples in your own words. Any instances of plagiarism including copying of examples/answers from internet sources will result in a withdrawal of your application. Further action, including disciplinary action, may be considered in such cases involving internal candidates. Providing false or misleading information would be contrary to the core values of honesty and integrity expected of all Civil Servants.
Interview Outcome
Candidates will be alerted of the outcome of their interview via their CS Jobs Portal. We will be retaining a candidate pool of successful applicants to draw from as vacancies arise for up to 12 months.
If your application is successful and we are unable to offer you a post immediately, you will be invited to join our reserve list. If over the next 12 months we are able to offer you a position, we will contact you as soon as possible.
Once we make you an offer you will then go through our vetting and pre-employment checks processes.
All Appointments will be made in location merit order.
Multi-Location
Where more than one location is advertised, candidates will be appointed in merit order for each location. You will be asked to state your location preference on your application.
Please be aware that you can be posted to any location that you put in your preferences. If you would only like to be posted to one location, please confirm one location only. If you are posted to a location that you have requested and you do not accept that location, you may not be offered another role.
Please note, only advertised location can be offered. Notes populated in a free text box will not be taken into consideration.
Hybrid Working
Here at the NCA we have a hybrid working arrangement in place enabling officers to work a proportion of their role remotely. Eligibility and the degree of home working will vary depending on the requirements of the role. Further details can be discussed at offer stage.
Reasonable Adjustment
We are committed to ensuring our recruitment process is inclusive and accessible to all. As part of our application process you will be prompted to provide details of any reasonable adjustment to our recruitment process that you may need. If you have a disability or long-term condition (a physical or mental impairment that has a substantial and long term effect on your ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities, we have a duty to make reasonable changes to our processes.
If you need a change to be made so that you can make your application, you should: Contact Government Recruitment Service via ncarecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.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.
Inclusion and Accessibility
We are proud to be an inclusive, equal opportunities employer. As a Disability Confident Leader we are committed to ensuring that all candidates are treated fairly throughout the recruitment process. For details of the available group please visit https://www.nationalcrimeagency.gov.uk/careers/benefits-and-support
In order to monitor the effectiveness of the National Crime Agency’s Diversity & Inclusion strategy, the NCA require certain personal details about you on submission of your application. Please note that this will be treated in confidence and will not impact your application. You will be asked to complete an E-consent survey asking for permission to share this data with the NCA to be used for statistical/monitoring purposes only, refusal of consent to share the information will not impact your application.
If you are experiencing accessibility problems with any attachments on this advert, please contact ncarecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk
Additional Information
+ The NCA is a 24/7 organisation, and working patterns must support business requirements. Some roles may require you to respond at short notice or outside of core hours.
+ Individuals will be required to undertake and pass a substance misuse test as part of pre-employment checks.
+ Successful candidates may be required to undertake a medical. If required, the medical will take place in either London or Warrington. Unfortunately, travel costs will not be reimbursed.
+ If you are an internal candidate who has passed interview but is undergoing an internal investigation or have a written warning in place preventing a post move you may not be able to be posted until this investigation is concluded or restriction lifted. You will remain on the reserve list for a max of 12 months.
+ This role is being advertised on a permanent basis. If preferable, Loan or Secondment options will also be available for existing Civil Servants (Loan) and applicants from accredited NDPBs or any other employer (Secondment). Prior agreement to be released on a loan basis must be obtained before commencing the application process. In the case of Civil Servants, the terms of the loan will be agreed between the home and host department and the Civil Servant. This includes grade on return.
VETTING REQUIREMENTS SC
All security clearances require you to provide evidence of your UK footprint where you have been physically present in the UK.
The requirement for SC clearance is to have been present in the UK for at least 3 of the last 5 years.
Failure to meet the residency requirements will result in your security clearance application being rejected.
If you require SC clearance you will need to provide evidence of the below requirements.
Checks will be made against:
+ Departmental or company records (personnel files, staff reports, sick leave reports and security records)
+ UK criminal records covering both spent and unspent criminal records
+ Your credit and financial history with a credit reference agency
+ Security Services records
For further information on National Security Vetting please visit the following page https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/demystifying-vetting
We encourage all candidates to visit the NCA careers page for further information please visit https://www.nationalcrimeagency.gov.uk/careers
If you have any specific queries about the role that are not covered by the candidate pack, please contact:
ncarecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk
Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Security
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., + 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)., If you feel your application has not been treated in accordance with the Recruitment Principles and you wish to make a complaint in relation to any stage of the recruitment and selection process please email Central.recruitment@nca.gov.uk. please ensure that you refer to the campaign reference number. If you remain dissatisfied following the outcome of your complaint you have the right to contact the Civil Service Commission to pursue it further.
If you are not satisfied with the response you receive from the Department, you can contact the Civil Service Commission: https://civilservicecommission.independent.gov.uk/recruitment/recruitment-complaints

+ Experience working in a busy, senior, internal communications role, developing and executing a comprehensive internal communications strategy and plan to support achievement of an organisation’s strategic priorities and delivering measurable outcomes
+ Recent experience of leading and developing an internal communications team, prioritising effectively and decisively to deliver impact and fostering a culture of creativity, collaboration and high performance.
+ Ability to build relationships and command confidence.
+ Experience of planning and delivering a wide range of internal communications.

Alongside your salary of £75,092, National Crime Agency contributes £20,274 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.
All officers in the NCA are members of the UK Civil Service. You will be eligible for:
+ Civil Service pension scheme
+ 26 days annual leave rising to 31 on completion of 5 years continuous service