Communications and Engagement Manager

The communications and engagement manager is key to ensuring that the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (IPSA)’s role as an independent regulator is well understood by the media, the public and stakeholders.

The role will also be involved in a wide range of communications activity within, and outside of IPSA with specific focus on ensuring that internal communications and stakeholder engagement is innovate, inspiring and supports the delivery of IPSA’s strategic plan and improvement programme.

The post-holder will lead and co-ordinate the external and internal engagement for the organisation-wide improvement programme. This will include delivery of communications, events, materials, and engagement, and line management of the communications officer.

The communications and engagement manager’s responsibilities include:

Developing and managing a strategy for stakeholder communications
Making innovative, modern, and impactful use of social media tools
Explaining to the media and other interested parties IPSA’s position on strategy and policy issues
Developing a plan for internal communications and staff engagement, focused on engagement
Supporting the head of communications in network building
Undertaking a range of communication, engagement and continuous improvement projects
Deputising for the head of communications and acting as an out-of-hours spokesperson
Undertaking autonomous projects and other ad-hoc pieces of work
Ensuring that the intranet is up to date and properly utilised
Line management of the communications officer
Undertaking communication and engagement projects

Who we are looking for

The successful candidate will understand the environment IPSA operates in, the role of Parliament and the work MP’s do for the general public.

You will have a demonstrable track record of communications practices, including innovative ways of engaging your audience. You will have experience using social media and other tools to effectively engage internally and externally about IPSA’s work, and specifically, you will be comfortable using technology to deliver innovative solutions in line with government digital services standards.

You will demonstrate brilliant interpersonal skills to effectively deal with internal and external stakeholders and you will be adept at multi-tasking and enjoy collaborating with others.

As you will be joining a high-performing team, resilience is a key attribute which we will look for, and given the remit of the role, the ability to work dynamically with an unwavering commitment to meeting your own internal deadlines is important. Undertaking communication and engagement projects to help deliver IPSA’s communications ambitions will be expected of the postholder, and you will understand how strategic communications can add value to all areas of IPSA’s work.

A critical thinker with high initiative, a flexible approach to work and change are important so you will be comfortable working autonomously but also in the face of changing headwinds and developing situations.

You will be joining a diverse and knowledgeable bunch of people, passionate about making IPSA brilliant and so you will need to fit right in. Above all, you will live and breathe IPSA’s values and be able to demonstrate how your experience and ways of working align with these.

A full job description and person specification, including other skills which we are looking for, is available on the ‘current vacancies’ section on our website.

Location

We are a hybrid organisation with employees working in all corners of the UK. We have an office in central London which you can work from, although we welcome applications from all across the UK, offering flexible homeworking on UK mainland locations (which includes Northern Ireland).

What IPSA can offer you

A competitive salary which is regularly benchmarked against industry
Hybrid and flexible working, with occasional travel to our London office for team meetings
Generous contributions into a ‘civil service’ pension
25 days' holiday entitlement (+ bank holidays), increasing by 1 day each year up to 30 days
Option to purchase additional holiday days each year
Access to learning and development tailored to your role with coaching opportunities
Working in a high-performing organisation which supports democracy with a great team ethic
A culture encouraging equity, diversity and inclusion
Time to participate in our inclusive workplace networks
Mental Health First Aid network and access to our EAP
Enhanced family leave provisions
Workplace awards programme for living IPSA’s values and innovative ideas
Season ticket/rent deposit loans
Cycle to work scheme
Volunteering days and ‘you’ time

Our commitment and value

We are committed to making IPSA a brilliant place to work and at the heart of our people philosophy is our promise to engage, enable and empower every member of our team to deliver excellence, learn and develop each day.

Through a diversity of backgrounds, experience and thought IPSA will continue to be a high-performing organisation with a truly diverse and inclusive culture. We are guided by our values and live and breathe them through all the work that we do.

These are Staying Connected, Seeing the Bigger Picture, Being Open, Doing the Right Thing and Making a Difference. As a values-based organisation you can expect these to feature throughout the recruitment process and beyond.

How to apply

If you feel like you are a good fit for this role and for IPSA then we would love to hear from you. Please send us your CV and a one-page cover letter to careers@theipsa.org.uk. We ask you to be succinct in your cover letter highlighting why you would be a great match. It is always a good idea to cross reference your letter with the key elements of the role and focus on some of your key achievements which might be relevant to this role and how you align to our values.

Before you apply, please take a moment to read the ‘how to apply’ section on our website which details our approach to reducing unconscious bias in our recruitment process.

Interview process and timeline

Interviews will be virtual via Microsoft Teams, so you will need access to a secure WiFi network and a private space. Our interviews are competency-based, and we will ask you a series of questions designed to help assess your suitability for the role and for IPSA, and we may also ask you prepare a short presentation.

The closing date for this role will be Sunday 1 October 2023, so we encourage you to submit your application without delay. Interviews will take place week commencing 9 October 2023.

Due to the high number of applications we expect to receive for this role, we will only contact you if your application is shortlisted for interview. Feedback will only be provided after interview

If you would like to arrange an informal discussion before making an application, please let us know on people@theipsa.org.uk

Salary: £46,000-£50,000