Director of Communication, Scotland Office

This position can be based at the following locations:

Dover House, London, SW1A 2AU

Office of the Secretary of State for Scotland, Edinburgh, EH8 8FT

This is not a traditional Civil Service role. This is an opportunity to lead a fundamental transformation in how the government informs and connects with citizens in an era of rapid technological change, evolving media consumption, and the critical challenge of building public trust.

As the most senior communications advisor in your department and a member of the cross-government communications leadership group, you will actively lead and embrace change and innovation and have an entrepreneurial mindset bringing the team with you and championing continuous improvement.

This is a pivotal role. You will operate at the heart of government decision-making, shaping how policies and priorities are communicated to the public. Your work will directly influence the impact of government policy, democratic engagement, and the perception of government, both domestically and internationally.

Audience-focused and insight-driven, you will bring consumer marketing and storytelling expertise to public service communication. You will boldly champion modern communications - leading the cultural shift from reactive, press-first communications to integrated always-on campaigns, embracing digital innovation, leveraging responsible AI and boldly putting citizens at the heart of our planning and delivery.

You will be part of a senior peer network of Government Communications leaders, collectively responsible for a Civil Service profession of over 7,000 communicators across departments, agencies and arm’s-length bodies.

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

Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)

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

For full details of the Selection Process and Recruitment Timeline, please view the Candidate Information pack.

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.