Deputy Head of Digital Communications – Content Lead

Salary: £61,630 (London locations may attract an allowance of £3,300 per annum)

Location: London (minimum 60% office attendance)

Job type: Permanent, full-time, Grade 7

Closing date: 11:55pm, Monday 9th November 2026

Job summary

The Deputy Head of Digital Communications – Content is a key leadership position at the heart of Defence Communications. Reporting to the Head of the Digital Communications you will be the chief content lead for Defence, driving our content engine and ensuring the products we capture and create are driving impact with key audiences across a variety of high-profile channels.

Leading a team of videographers, photographers, designers and editors you will ensure the content we produce – including high-quality imagery, video and animation – remains competitive and innovative in a landscape where the visual is vital to influencing audiences at pace.

The role holder will be a confident, strategic and creative communicator, with hands-on experience of leading a team of creatives able to drive innovation and impact at scale in an ever-evolving digital landscape. You will be a natural and confident advocate for the specialisms of your team, a resilient team player, comfortable working with and influencing senior leaders and ministers under pressure in delivering consistently first-class, creative multimedia content. You will develop processes that embed resilience in a highly specialised team, and have a thorough working knowledge of the technical, legal and operational requirements of producing and distributing such content at pace.

You will be a trusted leader to digital, creative and photography teams across Defence, working collaboratively across government, partners in industry and external creators to ensure our content output remains at the forefront of public sector communication globally.

The role holder will be comfortable working to time-critical deadlines, including where required working out of hours and responding to breaking news events and operations to ensure consistent and effective delivery.

Given the fast-paced nature and leadership focus of the role, there is an expectation the role-holder will be office based 60% of the time, and that you would be prepared to travel as part of the role, including overseas.

Job description

• Leadership of a team of civilian and military videographers, photographers, editors and designers, responsible for the content output of the Ministry of Defence and wider Defence organisations.
• Working closely with the Single Services (British Army, Royal Navy and Royal Air Force), Defence organisations and government partners to ensure that the content we produce remains best in class, reaches priority audiences and meets the high standards expected of the UK Armed Forces.
• Driving content innovation and technical expertise in the digital team and wider Defence Communications.
• Developing and implementing a refreshed Digital Content strategy that ensures the content of defence continues to engage and reach new audiences on a range of platforms and channels.
• Advising Ministers, senior military leaders and other key Defence partners on best-in-class content executions.
• Maintain close relations with key suppliers, external agencies and creators to support digital production.
• Deputising for the Head of Digital Communications where required.
• Some out-of-hour working and travel is a feature of this role. The role holder will be expected to join a digital duty rota to support some out of hours working, for which you will be imbursed.

Person specification

• Expert understanding and ability to produce and disseminate a range of multimedia across the digital and media landscape – including videography, photography, graphic and motion design.
• Significant experience of managing a team of multimedia experts, delivering engaging, high quality and timely content to high profile digital and media channels (including a range of social media channels)
• Extensive videography, photography, motion design and editing experience – with an expert knowledge of the Adobe Suite or similar systems.
• Solid understanding of the workings and management of large content management systems, including legal and copyright obligations and requirements.
• A deep understanding and interest in latest social media trends and online formats, and an ability to adapt and apply these to a team’s work at pace.
• A natural communicator, adept at working confidently with a range of stakeholders and influencing high profile individuals in a variety of environments and locations.
• Proven experience of driving innovation in an organisation to ensure outputs keep pace with the latest market standard.
• A strong news sense.
• A resilient, inclusive leader comfortable working under pressure across multiple priorities to tight deadlines, bringing others with them.

Desirable:

• Experience maintaining relationships with key suppliers and external agencies to support digital and multimedia production.
• Experience working in a live news or media environment.

Behaviours

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

• Leadership
• Communicating and Influencing
• Changing and Improving
• Working Together

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).

• Learning and development tailored to your role
• An environment with flexible working options
• A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity
• A Civil Service pension with an employer contribution of 28.97%
• Season ticket advance to assist with travel costs to/from home and your permanent work location
• Free use of gym at Main Building

Where business needs allow, some roles may be suitable for a combination of office and working from home as part of a non-contractual hybrid working arrangement. All office-based employees will be expected to spend a minimum of 60% of their working time in office, subject to site capacity and any required workplace adjustments. Requirements to attend other locations for official business, or work in another MOD workplace, will also count towards this level of office attendance. Applicants can request further information regarding how this and other flexible working arrangements may work in their team from the Vacancy Holder (see advert for contact details). Defence Business Services cannot respond to any questions about working arrangements.

The post does not offer relocation expenses.

External recruits who join the MOD who are new to the Civil Service will be subject to a six-month probation period.

Please Note: Expenses incurred for travel to interviews will not be reimbursed.

Please be advised that the Department is conducting a review of all pay related allowances which could impact on those allowances that the post currently being advertised attracts.

Any move to MOD from another employer will mean you can no longer access childcare vouchers. This includes moves between government departments. You may however be eligible for other government schemes, including Tax-Free Childcare. Determine your eligibility at https://www.childcarechoices.gov.uk/.

The Ministry of Defence is committed to providing a safe and healthy working environment for its staff which includes educating them on the benefits of not smoking, protecting them from the harmful effects of second-hand smoke and supporting those who want to give up smoking. Under the Smoke-Free Working Environment policy, Smoking and the use of all tobacco products (including combustible and chewing tobacco products) will not be permitted anywhere in the Defence working

environment however some exemptions are in place, please refer to local guidance. The policy is Whole Force and includes all Defence personnel, contractors, visitors and other non-MOD personnel. All applicants seeking, considering, or accepting employment with the Ministry of Defence should be aware of this policy and that it is already in place at a number of Defence Establishments.

MOD Recruitment Satisfaction Survey – We may contact you regarding your experience to help us improve our customer satisfaction. The survey is voluntary and anonymous. You may however be given the opportunity to provide additional information to help us improve our service which includes the collection of some personal data as defined by the United Kingdom General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR). The MOD Privacy Policy Notice sets out how we will use your personal data and your rights.

Selection process details

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

Sifting

The initial application consists of a CV and 750-word statement of suitability.

Your CV should consist of your career history, qualifications and previous skills/experience, including any key achievements in each role. Your CV will be scored against the experience required for the role as noted within the essential criteria.

The Personal Statement should be aligned to and demonstrate how you meet the skills and experience set out in the essential criteria, detailed in the job description.

In the event of a large number of applicants we will do the sift on the CV only, based on the essential criteria as outlined in the advert.

Interview

If successful at sift, you will be invited to interview. You will be assessed against Civil Service Success Profiles behaviours and a GCS technical skill.

At interview, candidates will be assessed against the following:

• Leadership
• Communicating and Influencing
• Changing and Improving
• Working Together

Assessment

We'll assess you against the GCS Digital - Ideas competency during the selection process. Candidates invited to interview will be required to deliver a short presentation and portfolio. Further details will be provided when invited to interview. Government Communication Service (GCS)

The interview will take place in MoD Main Building, London. Please note that travel expenses to interview will not be reimbursed.

Further information:

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.

As a result of the changes to the UK immigration rules which came into effect on 1 January 2021, the Ministry of Defence will only offer sponsorship for a skilled worker visa under the points-based system, where a role has been deemed to be business critical. This role does not meet that category, and we will not sponsor a visa. It is therefore NOT open to applications from those who will require sponsorship under the points-based system.

Should you apply for this role and be found to require sponsorship, your application will be rejected and any provisional offer of employment withdrawn.

The Ministry of Defence requires all candidates who are successful at interview to declare any outside interests. These declarations will be discussed with successful candidates following the interview process and before a formal offer of employment is made, as some outside interests may not be compatible with MOD civilian roles. This will not, in the majority of cases, prevent employment in MOD, but it is a measure that must be taken to ensure that appropriate mitigations can be put in place to manage any potential, perceived or actual conflicts of interest from the first day of employment.

The Ministry of Defence adopts a zero-tolerance approach to unacceptable behaviours, which includes bullying, harassment, sexual harassment, discrimination, and victimisation. You will not be eligible and will not be considered for this post if you have been dismissed from a role for such unacceptable behaviours within the last five years. This will also apply if you resign or otherwise leave a role but, because of an adverse decision, would have been dismissed for gross misconduct had you continued in that employment. Pre-employment checks will be carried out.

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a basic (or equivalent) 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

Contact point for applicants

Name :Daniel Edwards

Email :Daniel.edwards185@mod.gov.uk

Recruitment team

Email :DBSCivPers-Resourcingteam3@mod.gov.uk