Deputy Head of External Affairs
| Posting date: | 12 March 2025 |
|---|---|
| Salary: | £52,082 to £67,790 per year |
| Additional salary information: | London £57,234 - £67,790 + £6,300 communications allowance. National £52,082 - £61,084 + £6,300 communications allowance. |
| Hours: | Full time |
| Closing date: | 25 March 2025 |
| Location: | SW1A 2BQ |
| Company: | Government Recruitment Service |
| Job type: | Permanent |
| Job reference: | 395636/2 |
Summary
Are you a dynamic, creative communications professional with a strong track record in external affairs or public affairs? Do you want to shape and lead the department’s external affairs strategy across some of the most exciting and high-profile issues in government? If so, we’d love to hear from you.
As the Deputy Head of External Affairs, you’ll mastermind the direction of the Department’s new External Affairs function, overseeing the development and delivery of stakeholder handling and engagement strategies across our high profile and wide ranging policy areas. You will sit within the Strategic Communications, Campaigns and External Affairs team, leading two other dedicated External Affairs professionals and upskilling the wider team while leading your own portfolio of priorities to build trusted working relationships with a broad range of stakeholders and partners. Through this, your team will gather and analyse stakeholder intelligence to help deliver effective communications, inform policy development, and further Departmental priorities and Ministerial objectives.
You will work closely with policy and communications colleagues to integrate external affairs plans into all of the highest priority communications activity, coordinating high level engagements and advising Ministers and senior officials. You will be adept at making connections between policy and communications, building external awareness and understanding of DCMS policies by explaining what we’re trying to achieve away from the noise of the media. You will also oversee an ambitious and varied events programme, with excellent organisational skills and a track record of organising high-profile events.
This is a fast-paced, high-profile role that requires a self-motivated leader who has the ability to spot new opportunities, and the ambition, autonomy and energy to drive them forward. You will be an essential part of a specialist community of Government Communication Service professionals working in external affairs across government, championing cross-government working.
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