RAF Communications Manager

The Royal Air Force (RAF) Media and Communications organisation is responsible for the delivery of communications that influence how people inside and outside the RAF understand, engage with, and think about us.

We work closely with the Ministry of Defence communications team, other communications teams across the Armed Forces, and the wider RAF Family of organisations that support our Whole Force.

RAF Media and Communications is part of the Government Communication Service. We use the OASIS framework for strategic communications and the four communication competences of Insight, Ideas, Implementation, and Impact.

We are seeking an ambitious, creative, and digitally driven Communications Manager to join our dynamic team within the Royal Air Force (RAF). This role offers an exciting opportunity to help shape and deliver engaging content while contributing to the RAF’s broader communications strategy.

As part of the RAF’s communications team, you will work closely with the strategy team to assist in delivering the RAF Communications Strategy, ensuring consistent, high-quality messaging across a range of platforms and to a variety of internal and external audiences. Your role will involve writing digital content for senior leaders, assisting in the development of communications plans for campaigns, and helping to think creatively about new ways to launch campaigns and reach diverse audiences.

You will play an integral role in the communications community across government and will have the opportunity to contribute to maintaining the RAF’s reputation as a centre of excellence.

This position is advertised at 37 hours per week.

Supporting the Strategy & Plans Team

• Assist with the delivery of the RAF Communications Strategy, forming strong relationships with the RAF communications network and advising on output.
• Write compelling digital content for senior leaders, ensuring consistency and alignment with RAF objectives.
• Support the development and implementation of communications plans for campaigns, collaborating with cross-government stakeholders, RAF communicators, and external partners.
• Represent the Strategy & Plans Team at external meetings or forums. Providing comprehensive feedback to support subsequent actions for the team.
• Supporting the Insight, Data and Evaluation manager with routine data analysis of Air Media content.

Supporting the RAF’s Communication Team

• Think creatively and contribute ideas to launch new campaigns and engage target audiences across digital and social media channels.
• Organise and chair regular team meetings, driving productivity and collaboration.
• Manage administrative tasks efficiently, ensuring all processes are completed in a timely and organised manner.
• Build and maintain partnerships with cross-government colleagues, stakeholders, and the RAF media & communicators network.
• Manage communications processes within the team, ensuring colleagues are kept up to date with any changes in policies or processes.
• Identify practical issues and risks in RAF communications, develop mitigation actions, and monitor them on an ongoing basis.

You may be expected to participate in a shared out of hours on call rota for which additional payments will be made.

Open to UK nationals only.

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

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

At sift, in addition to the below, you will be required to provide and will be assessed against a CV detail to include job history; qualification details and previous skills and experience.

At sift and interview, you will be assessed against your CV and the following:

Behaviours

• Leadership
• Communicating and Influencing
• Working Together

Technical Skills

• Government Communications Service- Insight
• Government Communications Service- Implementation

Technical Skills Framework: Competency Framework - technical specifications - GCS

Please note, should there be a high number of applicants at sift, candidates will only be assessed on their CV and the lead behaviour: Leadership.

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.

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