Communications Manager

Dear applicant,

Thank you for your interest in the post of communications manager with the Centre for Justice Innovation. This pack will give you some more information about the role. Please feel free to contact us if anything is not clear or you have further questions.

Please find attached:

·  The job description and person specification for this post;

·  Application form

·  Equalities monitoring form

·  Complying with preventing illegal working legislation

The Centre for Justice Innovation works to reform the justice system through research, policy, and practice development. We seek to build a justice system that is fair and also feels fair, that holds people accountable, and which addresses the underlying problems which bring people into contact with it.

Any offer of employment will be made subject to references, confirmation of the right to work in the UK and the satisfactory completion of a probationary period.

If you would like to apply for this position, please submit the following:

1)  A CV of no longer than two sides of A4, specifying education and work experience;

2)  A completed application form;

3)  A completed equalities monitoring form (NB this will be detached before short listing.)

Any application which is incomplete or in which candidates have exceeded the requirements set out above will not be considered. Full application documents should be emailed to .

Key dates are:

Application deadline: 6pm on Thursday 22 June 2017

First interviews: Thursday 13 July 2017

Second interviews: Wednesday 19 July 2017

Interviews for short listed candidates will be held at our office at Canterbury Court, Kennington Park Business Centre, 1-3 Brixton Road, London SW9 6DE.

We look forward to receiving your application.

Yours sincerely,

Stephen Whitehead

Head of Policy and Communications

JOB DESCRIPTION and person specification: COMMUNICATIONS manager

The Centre for Justice Innovation is recruiting a permanent full time communications manager. The successful candidate will work with our small team to help the Centre promote criminal justice reform in the United Kingdom.

Terms: Full time, permanent, 33 days holiday per year including bank holidays (increasing to a maximum 38 with five years’ service)

Pay: £30,000 - £35,000 dependent on experience, plus pension contributions

Location: Canterbury Court, Kennington Park Business Centre, 1-3 Brixton Road, London SW9 6DE

Application deadline: Noon on Tuesday 13 June 2017

First interviews: Tuesday 4 July 2017

Second interviews: Wednesday 12 July 2017

Start date: September 2017

What will I be doing?

The Centre for Justice Innovation works to advance the use of evidence-led reform by capturing and spreading lessons across the justice system. We highlight promising new research and practice, whilst working with policy makers to identify and overcome barriers to innovation. Our practice development team works directly with justice practitioners to help design, set up and test new approaches. In our communications, we strive to maintain an independent, authoritative public voice in our areas of expertise.

We are seeking a strong communicator and influencer to lead our communications work. If successful you will develop and implement media and communications strategies to help us influence and support our specialist practitioner and policymaker audiences, and communicate our ideas to the wider public through national, trade, social and local media.

As media and communications lead in a small organisation, you will take on a range of tasks, from the strategic to the practical, and act as a public face for the organisation with stakeholders.

The role will involve:

·  Leading external communications for the Centre;

·  Leading and implementing the Centre’s proactive and reactive media profile;

·  Helping us to communicate directly with stakeholder audiences;

·  Managing our online presence;

·  Creating media packages around our work including press releases, interview opportunities, case studies and other resources;

·  Planning and delivering seminars, roundtables and other events.

As a small team, you will be expected to play a significant role in influencing how the Centre develops. Roles and objectives may change and all members of staff are expected to be prepared to work flexibly in response to changing business needs.

The Centre is based at Oval, London.

Job description

Through your application, you should demonstrate the experience, skills and knowledge you have in the areas described below.

Experience

·  Significant experience of communications, media or press office work in a relevant organisation;

·  Managing an organisation’s online presence;

·  Working with national and specialist press;

·  Organising and running events;

·  Successfully managing projects to budget and deadline;

·  Fundraising (desirable).

Skills and abilities

·  Communicating complex ideas simply and effectively, both verbally and in writing;

·  Managing websites using Wordpress or other CMS software;

·  Developing communications priorities and working with others to achieve them;

·  Balancing multiple priorities and managing your own workload;

·  Working at pace and to deadline;

·  The enthusiasm and energy to work in a small team.

Knowledge

·  Understanding of policy and practice in the criminal justice system or related social policy spheres (desirable).

You will also need to have:

·  A willingness and ability to travel within the UK and occasionally overseas;

·  Eligibility to work in the UK legally.

As a small, but growing organisation, we are continuously developing our ways of working. Job descriptions may therefore change over time.

Equal opportunities

It is the policy of The Centre for Justice Innovation to treat all employees and job applicants fairly and equally regardless of their gender, sexual orientation, marital status, race, colour, nationality, ethnic or national origin, religion, age, disability, offending history or union membership status.

Privacy

All information sent to us as part of this job application form will be used only by the Centre for Justice Innovation, for the purposes of recruitment and improving our recruitment practice.

Information will be stored securely and disposed of within 12 months of the application closing date.

APPLICATION FORM

Thanks for making it this far. So you can give it your best go, here is a little guidance on filling this form out:

·  This is a simple Word form. When you start writing in the boxes, they will expand.

·  Please read each question in the application form carefully before you start your answers.

·  Keep to the word limits asked for and write in a font of no smaller than 11 point. We will check!

·  Remember, each question is designed for you to demonstrate why you are awesome and why we should hire you. Blow your own trumpet.

Name:
In this post, you will need to communicate complex and sensitive ideas in a way which engages journalists. Can you give an example of where you’ve worked with media to communicate a complex issue? How did you interest them? What was the end result? 200 words max)
A key element of our organisation’s mission is to support and inform a specialist audience of criminal justice practitioners. Can you give an example of a time you’ve had to communicate with a specialist audience? How did you reach them? How did you frame your message with that audience in mind?
(200 words max)
In this role, you will be responsible for managing internal and external partners to get communications products out of the door. Can you give an example of where you’ve had to co-ordinate multiple people to deliver a project? How did you ensure everything got done? (200 words max)
In this post, you will help shape and communicate the strategic direction of the Centre and its work. Can you give an example of where you have helped shape the strategic communications of an organisation? (200 words max)
While we are not necessarily looking for someone with experience of working on criminal justice issues, it will be helpful to have a basic grounding in the field. In your view, what is the most important issue facing the justice system today and how can a small organisation like ours address it? (300 words max)

Complying with preventing illegal working legislation

All potential employees will be asked to provide us with either one of the documents listed in List 1 or two documents in the combinations specified in List 2 below. We will only accept original documents:

LIST 1

1.  A United Kingdom passport describing the holder as a British citizen, or as a citizen of the United Kingdom and Colonies having the right of abode in the United Kingdom.

2.  A passport containing a certificate of entitlement issued by or on behalf of the Government of the United Kingdom, certifying that the holder has the right of abode in the United Kingdom.

3.  A passport or national identity card, issued by a State which is a party to the European Economic Area Agreement, or any other agreement forming part of the Communities Treaties which confers rights of entry to or residence in the United Kingdom, which describes the holder as a national of a State which is a party to that Agreement.

4.  A United Kingdom residence permit issued to a national of a State which is a party to the European Economic Area Agreement, or any other agreement forming part of the Communities Treaties, which confers rights of entry to or residence in the United Kingdom.

5.  A passport or other travel document or a residence document issued by the Home Office which is endorsed to show that the holder has a current right of residence in the United Kingdom as the family member of a named national of a State which is a party to the European Economic Area Agreement, or any other agreement forming part of the Communities Treaties which confers rights of entry to or residence in the United Kingdom, and who is resident in the United Kingdom.

6.  A passport or other travel document endorsed to show that the holder is exempt from immigration control, has indefinite leave to enter, or remain in, the United Kingdom or has no time limit on his/her stay.

7.  A passport or other travel document endorsed to show that the holder has current leave to enter, or remain, in the United Kingdom and is permitted to take the employment in question, provided that it does not require the issue of a work permit.

8.  A Registration Card which indicates that the holder is entitled to take employment in the United Kingdom.

LIST 2

List 2 covers combinations of documents. You must provide two documents as specified in Combination 1 or Combination 2 in the combination list.

If the family name or other personal details on the two documents do not match, then we will ask you for further proof of the reason for any difference between the two documents produced. This should be in the form of a marriage certificate, divorce document, deed poll, adoption certificate or statutory declaration.

Combination 1

A A document issued either by a previous employer, HMRC, the Department for Work and Pensions' Jobcentre Plus, the Employment Service, the Training and Employment Agency (Northern Ireland) or the Northern Ireland Social Security Agency, which contains the National Insurance number of the person named in the document; and

One of the following documents from (B- H)

B a birth certificate issued in the United Kingdom, the Channel Islands, the Isle of Man or Ireland, which specifies the names of the holder's parents; or

C a birth certificate issued in the Channel Islands, the Isle of Man or Ireland; or

D a certificate of registration or naturalisation as a British citizen; or

E a letter issued by the Home Office, to the holder, which indicates that the person named in it has been granted Indefinite Leave to Enter or Remain in the United Kingdom; or

F an Immigration Status Document issued by the Home Office, to the holder, endorsed with a United Kingdom Residence, which indicates that the holder has been granted Indefinite Leave to Enter or Remain in the United Kingdom; or

G a letter issued by the Home Office, to the holder, which indicates that the person named in it has subsisting leave to enter or remain in the United Kingdom and is entitled to take the employment in question in the United Kingdom; or

H an Immigration Status Document issued by the Home Office, to the holder, endorsed with a United Kingdom Residence Permit, which indicates that the holder has been granted Limited Leave to Enter or Remain in the United Kingdom and is entitled to take the employment in question in the United Kingdom.

Combination 2

A A work permit or other approval to take employment issued by Work Permits UK; and either D or C below

B a passport or other travel document endorsed to show that the holder has current Leave to Enter, or Remain in the United Kingdom and is permitted to take the work permit employment in question;

OR

C a letter issued by the Home Office to the holder, confirming the same.

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