Menu
Warning This job advert has expired and applications have closed.

Communication and Engagement Officer (Planning)

Job details
Posting date: 23 April 2025
Salary: £36,728 to £40,670 per year
Hours: Full time
Closing date: 12 May 2025
Location: Newcastle-upon-Tyne
Company: Government Recruitment Service
Job type: Permanent
Job reference: 402259/1

Summary

In recognition of the hurt caused by the infected blood scandal and highlighted by the Infected Blood Inquiry (IBI), compensation will be paid to those infected and affected. This role is an opportunity to join a new Arms Length Body – the Infected Blood Compensation Authority (IBCA) – as we build a team of Communications and Engagement professionals to put the infected and affected community at the heart of our communications and support them to get the compensation they are entitled to.

The number one goal for this new organisation is to build and maintain trust with its service users and stakeholders. Effective, open and transparent communications will play an important part in this.

The Communications and Engagement team sits at the heart of the IBCA to ensure we explain the new compensation scheme with clarity, simplicity and effectiveness.

Opportunities to move to the new Infected Blood Compensation Authority (IBCA)

At the moment all IBCA roles are hosted by Cabinet Office within the Civil Service. However, once IBCA becomes operational, it is anticipated that most of these roles will transfer to IBCA, which is a new Arms Length Body (ALB) separate from the Cabinet Office. Roles that transfer to IBCA from Cabinet Office will maintain the same or substantially the same terms and conditions of employment that are overall no less favourable. It is anticipated that employees who move from Cabinet Office to IBCA will be able to continue to participate in the Civil Service Pension arrangements with no break in their pensionable service. Roles commencing after IBCA has become operational will be with IBCA itself on similar terms and conditions. All successful candidates will receive full details of the terms and conditions of employment for their role with their formal job offer.

Please note that the mission of IBCA means that it is likely to be operational for a period of approximately 5 to 7 years. When IBCA’s work begins to wind down, IBCA employees will receive support and practical guidance to find a new role, whether in the Civil Service, another Arms Length Body (ALB), or an external employer.

The Strategic Communications, Campaigns and Marketing team plans, leads and delivers campaigns for IBCA. This includes activity to support the development of our compensation service, and explaining to the infected blood community about how and when they’ll start their claim.

We are responsible for creating innovative, insight-driven campaigns and measuring and evaluating their effectiveness. We work closely with colleagues from across the organisation to understand and stay ahead of what’s happening so we can deliver the right communications at the right time. We also deliver internal communications to create an engaging workplace for IBCA colleagues.

We are creative, fast-working and encourage collaboration.

We are looking to add very particular skillsets to our team. One of those is communications planning.

Are you passionate about helping communication teams plan campaigns and projects that drive behaviour change? Are you confident in using project and work management tools and techniques to keep your colleagues working to agreed timelines? Our communications planning role could be for you.

This position is an opportunity to pursue those passions and develop your skills in a team striving for best practice as we help build an organisation from the ground up.

Main Responsibilities

We’re looking for a highly motivated and enthusiastic colleague to join our communications and engagement team. It’s a great opportunity to build your skills in communications and marketing, working flexibly across the team to support different priorities.

You will be required to:

  • Support the communications team with the planning needed to deliver strategic behaviour change campaigns.
  • Maintain our communications planning processes, liaising with the wider communication team and producing weekly forward look plans.
  • Work closely with our wider team on communications strategies, creating effective implementation plans and supporting them through campaign delivery.
  • Continually review and update our communications and marketing strategy, keeping the team on plan.
  • Support regular planning activities including meeting with teams across the IBCA and its agencies.
  • Monitor comms team mailboxes – allocating and actioning enquiries.
  • Develop constructive and productive working relationships with colleagues and the wider government communications network to ensure best practice.

Proud member of the Disability Confident employer scheme

Disability Confident
A Disability Confident employer will generally offer an interview to any applicant that declares they have a disability and meets the minimum criteria for the job as defined by the employer. It is important to note that in certain recruitment situations such as high-volume, seasonal and high-peak times, the employer may wish to limit the overall numbers of interviews offered to both disabled people and non-disabled people. For more details please go to Disability Confident.