Job summary
DSIT
At DSIT we’re all about improving people’s lives by maximising the potential of science & technology.
We accelerate innovation, investment and productivity through world-class science, research and development.
We use technology for good by ensuring new and existing technologies are safely developed and deployed across the UK, with the benefits more widely shared.
We are driving forward a modern digital government which gives citizens a more satisfying experience and their time back.
We do all this to enable the Government’s 5 national missions: kickstarting economic growth, making Britain a clean energy superpower, taking back our streets, breaking down barriers to opportunity and building an NHS fit for the future.
Above all, we focus on improving people’s lives. Whether it’s researching new treatments for disease, developing better batteries, reducing burdens through better public services, keeping children safe online, and much more, outcomes for citizens are at the heart of what we do.
Our Inclusive Environment
We offer flexible working benefits, employee well-being support and a great pension. We are enormously proud to be a Disability Confident Leader employer. We support candidates with adjustments throughout our recruitment process. Information about disability confidence and just some examples of the adjustments that you can request can be found in the reasonable adjustment section below.
The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see the Civil Service People Plan and the Civil Service D&I Strategy.
Find Out More
We regularly run events where you can find out more about the department and tips for the application and interview process. You can sign up for upcoming events here: https://forms.office.com/e/Jae3B4w7xm
You can also follow our LinkedIn Page: https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/dsitcareers/
Role
The Role and Our Team
We are looking for an enthusiastic and organised Communications & Partnerships Manager to support the delivery of communications, outreach, partnerships and stakeholder engagement activities for the UK’s national AI compute resource. The Artificial Intelligence Research Resource (AIRR) programme is building world‑class infrastructure to power cutting‑edge AI research and innovation. You will support how the programme communicates its mission, capabilities and impact; contribute to building strong partnerships across academia, industry and the public sector; and help ensure that users and stakeholders understand how to access and benefit from world‑class AI compute. This role is ideal for someone who is eager to learn, comfortable working with technical topics, and excited to support a nationally important programme. You will contribute to content creation, partner coordination, user communications and general programme support, working closely with policy colleagues, delivery partners and host institutions.
Person specification
Key Responsibilities
Join us at the forefront of the UK’s AI revolution. As the Communications and Partnerships Manager for the AIRR Programme, you’ll play a key role in supporting the future of national AI research infrastructure. You will support end‑to‑end communications and partnership activity to raise awareness, build trust and drive active use of AIRR services across priority audiences, including academia, SMEs, the public sector and industry. The role will contribute to the design and delivery of a strategic engagement approach that addresses adoption barriers, supports the user journey, stimulates demand and helps ensure the programme realises maximum public value from government investment in AI infrastructure.
- Support the development and delivery of communications activity that strengthens public understanding of AIRR and supports programme objectives
- Draft and update clear, accessible content for communications activity, including content explaining complex or technical topics
- Prepare case studies, presentations, user stories and supporting materials, helping ensure outputs and outcomes are captured as activity happens
- Support the development and coordination of internal communications to ensure visibility, understanding and consistency across teams in the department Support monitoring of media coverage, digital performance and stakeholder feedback, contributing to evaluation and continuous improvement
- Contribute to communications activity that supports the AIRR user journey, helping improve clarity and confidence at key stages such as onboarding and first use
- Partnership & Stakeholder Support - engagement with universities, industry partners, research bodies and public‑sector teams
- Work with partners and delivery organisations to support coordinated and consistent communications outputs, including accurate representation of AIRR and DSIT investment
- Maintain stakeholder records, track engagement activity and support follow‑up actions.
Essential Criteria
- You’ll bring experience in an external‑facing communications role, contributing to the planning and delivery of communications activity
- You’ll be able to translate complex, technical or sensitive information into clear, engaging and accessible content
- You’ll also have experience supporting announcements, launches, events or engagement activity, helping to coordinate activity and ensure delivery is timely and joined‑up
- You’ll bring experience working with partners or external organisations, contributing to productive relationships and coordinated communications outcomes. This includes supporting partnership working where perspectives or priorities do not fully align, applying sound judgement, awareness of context and a collaborative, diplomatic approach. A proactive and collaborative approach is essential
- You’ll be comfortable working independently when required, while working effectively with others to deliver shared objectives.
- You’ll also have experience supporting colleagues with varying levels of communications experience, helping improve the clarity, quality and consistency of outputs
- You’ll have experience supporting monitoring or evaluation of communications activity, such as tracking outputs, capturing learning or identifying emerging risks and opportunities
- Experience working in a government, public‑sector or similarly regulated environment, or a strong understanding of public‑sector communications principles, including accessibility, assurance and governance, is required
- You’ll be willing to develop knowledge of AI Research and compute infrastructure, and how public investment delivers public value.
Desirable Criteria
- Understanding of digital, technology, research or public‑sector environments
- Experience supporting user or stakeholder communities
- Interest in AI, digital infrastructure or technology policy.
Behaviours
We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:
- Communicating and Influencing
- Delivering at Pace
- Making Effective Decisions
- Working Together
We only ask for evidence of these behaviours on your application form:
- Communicating and Influencing
- Delivering at Pace
- Working Together
Benefits
Alongside your salary of £44,620, Department for Science, Innovation & Technology contributes £12,926 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.
The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology offers a competitive mix of benefits including:
- A culture of flexible working, such as job sharing, homeworking and compressed hours.
- Automatic enrolment into the Civil Service Pension Scheme, with an employer contribution of 28.97%.
- A minimum of 25 days of paid annual leave, increasing by 1 day per year up to a maximum of 30.
- An extensive range of learning & professional development opportunities, which all staff are actively encouraged to pursue.
- Access to a range of retail, travel and lifestyle employee discounts.
Office attendance
The Department operates a discretionary hybrid working policy, which provides for a combination of working hours from your place of work and from your home in the UK. The current expectation for staff is to attend the office or non-home based location for 40-60% of the time over the accounting period.
Artificial intelligence
Artificial intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Please see our candidate guidance (opens in a new window) for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.
Selection process details
This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours, Strengths and Experience.
As part of the application process you will be asked to complete behavioural statements, a CV and personal statement. Further details around what this will entail are listed on the application form.
Please use your personal statement (in no more than 750 words) to explain how your skills and experience make you suitable for this role, focusing in particular on:
Your experience delivering clear, accessible communications to support complex or technical programmes; how you have worked with a range of stakeholders to support engagement, partnerships or outreach; and how you use evidence, insight or evaluation to improve communications and user engagement.
Candidates should use practical examples to demonstrate how they meet the essential criteria for the role and how their approach would support awareness, understanding and effective use of the AI Research Resource (AIRR).
Applications will be sifted on behavioural statements, CV, and personal statement.
In the event of a large number of applicants, applications will be sifted on the lead behaviour statement - Communicating and Influencing, only.
Candidates who pass the initial sift may be progressed to a full sift, or progressed straight to assessment/interview.
The interview will consist of behaviour and strength-based questions.
Interviewees will be asked to deliver a presentation; further details will be provided nearer the time.
A reserve list of candidates may be kept for up to 12 months.
Sift and interview dates to be confirmed.
Further Information
Reasonable Adjustment
We are proud to be a disability confident leader and we welcome applications from disabled candidates and candidates with long-term conditions.
Information about the Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) and some examples of adjustments that we offer to disabled candidates and candidates with long-term health conditions during our recruitment process can be found in our DSIT Candidate Guidance. A DSIT Plain Text Version of the guidance is also available.
We encourage candidates to discuss their adjustment needs by emailing the job contact which can be found under the contact point for applicants section.
If you are experiencing accessibility problems with any attachments on this advert, please contact the email address in the 'Contact point for applicants' section.
If successful and transferring from another Government Department a criminal record check may be carried out.
New entrants are expected to join on the minimum of the pay band.
A location based reserve list of successful candidates will be kept for 12 months. Should another role become available within that period you may be offered this position.
Candidates who meet the minimum benchmark may be placed on a Reserve List for consideration for similar roles, including those at a lower grade. Candidates who narrowly miss the benchmark and are not placed on the Reserve List may still be considered for an offer in a similar role at a lower grade.
Please note terms and conditions are attached. Please take time to read the document to determine how these may affect you.
Any move to the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology from another employer will mean you can no longer access childcare vouchers. This includes moves between government departments. You may however be eligible for other government schemes, including Tax Free Childcare; for further information visit the Childcare Choices website.
DSIT does not normally offer full home working (i.e. working at home); but we do offer a variety of flexible working options (including occasionally working from home).
DSIT cannot offer Visa sponsorship to candidates through this campaign. DSIT holds a Visa sponsorship licence but this can only be used for certain roles and this campaign does not qualify.
In order to process applications without delay, we will be sending a Criminal Record Check to Disclosure and Barring Service/Disclosure Scotland on your behalf.
However, we recognise in exceptional circumstances some candidates will want to send their completed forms direct. If you will be doing this, please advise Government Recruitment Service of your intention by emailing [email protected] stating the job reference number in the subject heading.
For further information on the Disclosure Scotland confidential checking service telephone: the Disclosure Scotland Helpline on 0870 609 6006 and ask to speak to the operations manager in confidence, or email [email protected]
Applicants who are successful at interview will be, as part of pre-employment screening, subject to a check on the Internal Fraud Database (IFD). This check will provide information about employees who have been dismissed for fraud or dishonesty offences. This check also applies to employees who resign or otherwise leave before being dismissed for fraud or dishonesty had their employment continued. Any applicant’s details held on the IFD will be refused employment.
A candidate is not eligible to apply for a role within the Civil Service if the application is made within a 5 year period following a dismissal for carrying out internal fraud against government.
For further information on National Security Vetting please visit the Demystifying Vetting website.
Feedback
Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.
Security
Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check.
Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is security check (opens in a new window). See our vetting charter (opens in a new window).
People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.
Nationality requirements
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)
Working for the Civil Service
The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants. We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window).
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.
The Civil Service also offers a Redeployment Interview Scheme to civil servants who are at risk of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the advertised vacancy.
Diversity and Inclusion
The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see the Civil Service People Plan (opens in a new window) and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (opens in a new window).
Apply and further information
This vacancy is part of the Great Place to Work for Veterans (opens in a new window) initiative.
The Civil Service welcomes applications from people who have recently left prison or have an unspent conviction. Read more about prison leaver recruitment (opens in new window).
Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.
Contact point for applicants
Job contact
Recruitment team
Further information
Appointment to the Civil Service is governed by the Civil Service Commission’s Recruitment Principles. If you feel that your application has not been treated in accordance with the recruitment principles, and wish to make a complaint, then you should contact in the first instance [email protected] . If you are not satisfied with the response that you receive, then you can contact the Civil Service Commission. For further information on bringing a complaint to the Civil Service Commission please visit their web pages: Click here to visit Civil Service Commission/Complaints.
Attachments
DSIT T&Cs v1.2 (1) Opens in new window (docx, 179kB)
