Communications Officer

We operate a flexible hybrid working model across the UK, with colleagues linked to one of our core locations in Darlington, Newport or Titchfield (Fareham) and working between office and remote throughout the week.

ONS operates a hybrid working arrangement where colleagues are required to work in their allocated office location at least 20% of their work time from January 2024 raising to a minimum of 40% attendance from April 2024. The exception to this is for colleagues based at the Darlington Economic Campus who will be required to attend the office for a minimum of 20% of their work time due to current accommodation constraints.

The Integrated Data Service (IDS) is seeking a talented communications officer to support the coordination of a varied work schedule, designed to highlight the IDS to relevant audiences.

The role requires a proactive approach and a good understanding of communication best practices. You will be confident, collaborative in approach and deliver projects effectively, while working with enthusiasm and to consistently exacting standards.

The successful candidate will work as part of the Integrated Data Service (IDS) which is a cross-government service. This is critical to informing policy decisions and improving public services, for which the Office for National Statistics is the lead delivery partner. The IDS is building a comprehensive data service, underpinned by a secure and trusted infrastructure, to enable government to make best use of its data assets. This will enable policymakers to draw on the most up-to-date evidence and analyses to support policy development, improve public services and people’s lives.

The External Communications Officer will work in a friendly and diverse team, who champion the use of data across government, driving culture change and are proud of their work.

Responsibilities may include:

• Helping to deliver a mix of communication activities to extend IDS’ reach and engagement activity, with the IDS brand and products.
• Coordinating impressive, planned communications activities on time. There will be a strong focus on events activity.
• Collaborating with wider teams as required.
• Supporting colleagues to collectively produce consistently high-quality work.

Essential Criteria

• Proven ability to meet tight deadlines, while being able to prioritise a busy workload.
• Being able to work independently, but as part of a high performing team; demonstrating an instinct and desire to help others.
• Experience in at least one of the following: managing an events schedule, media related activity, social media, website, and/or newsletters.
• Experience of coordinating administration tasks for a team, for example updating guidance and co-managing a team email inbox.
• Highly organised, with a planning and methodical approach.
• Has a ‘can do’ attitude, being willing to take on new challenges as they arise.

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

• Communicating and Influencing
• Making Effective Decisions
• Delivering at Pace

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

• Government Communication Competency: Ideas – Campaign and Marketing

Alongside your salary of £25,954, Office for National Statistics contributes £7,007 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

The Office for National Statistics is part of the Civil Service, and as such we share a number of key benefits with other departments, whilst also having our own unique offerings to support our 5400 valued colleagues across the business.

Whether you are hearing about us for the first time or already know a bit about our organisation, we hope that the benefits pack attached (bottom of page) will give you a great insight into the benefits and facilities available to our colleagues, and our fantastic working culture.

Inclusion & Accessibility

At ONS we are always looking to attract the very best people from the widest possible talent pool, and we are proud to be an inclusive, equal opportunities employer. As a member of the Business Disability Forum and a Disability Confident Leader we’re committed to ensuring that all candidates are treated fairly throughout the recruitment process.

As part of our application process, you will be prompted to provide details of any reasonable adjustments to our recruitment process that you need. If you would like to discuss any reasonable adjustments before applying, please contact the recruitment team in the first instance.

If you would like an accessible version of any of the attachments or recruitment documents below or linked to in this advert, please contact the recruitment team who will be happy to assist.