National Police Chiefs' Council - Head of Communications and Media

Job Title: Head of Communications and Media

Salary: Band A - The starting salary is £80,260, which includes allowances totalling £2,928.

The salary is broken down as £77,332 basic salary, which will increase annually until you reach the top of the scale £89,320 Plus, a location allowance of £1,928 and a non-pensionable allowance of £1,000.

Location: Remote working nationally within UK. NPCC is currently based in close proximity to St James Park underground station, London and therefore occasional travel will be required to this premise and other Police locations across the UK. We encourage applications from candidates living across the UK. Further details on flexible arrangements will be discussed at interview stage.

Contract – Fixed Term Contract until 31/03/2026 (with the potential for further extension subject to funding and performance).

THE NATIONAL POLICE CHIEFS’ COUNCIL (NPCC)

Policing is operating in a time of global change and uncertainty, the public and our staff need a service which is responsive, able to tackle future challenges and embrace opportunity.

The National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) brings UK police leaders together to set direction in policing and drive progress for the public.

We achieve this through:

Coordination – by joining up the operational response to critical national policing issues to deliver policing today and shape the future.

Collaboration – by working in partnership as part of the whole policing system and beyond to improve public safety.

Communication – by sharing the collective expertise, views and action of UK police chiefs.

NPCC COMMUNICATIONS TEAM

The NPCC Communications Team plays a crucial role in communicating the collective views and action of UK police chiefs to the public, government, and stakeholders, building and maintaining confidence in policing at the national level and supporting effective engagement with stakeholders.

THE ROLE

The postholder is responsible for managing and giving direction to a multi-disciplined communications team across national programmes, such as rebuilding the relationship between policing and the media, and delivery of a media and content strategy that supports the strategic objectives of UK police leaders, directly supporting the NPCC’s mission to set direction in policing and drive progress for the public.

The Head of Communication and Media ensures the NPCC’s communications reach and influence the audiences that matter most. Externally, the postholder will represent the NPCC among key stakeholders, such as the media, government and other policing organisations, building a professional network that enhances the impact of our communications. Internally, the post holder will be a visible and inspiring leader, providing strategic direction to the NPCC Communications Team and expert advice to senior police leaders. The postholder will support building the capability of a high performing communications team within NPCC, defining and encouraging best practice. They will support the Communications Advisory Group and review best practice coming from the communication ‘Media’ network and ‘digital and content’ network to advise on national guidelines for local forces.

The successful candidate would need to have the following experiences and skills:

Excellent decision-making and leadership skills on complex, high-profile and sensitive corporate issues and advising senior leaders.

Demonstrable management level communications and media experience within an organisation that deals with complex issues.

Senior level knowledge of the political, legal, media and stakeholder environment in which policing operates. This must be utilised to improve the communication team’s knowledge of policing and political issues to support effective communication.

Highly developed interpersonal, influencing and engagement skills to develop effective engagement strategies and forge collaborative relationships with a diverse range of internal and external stakeholders.

Extensive experience in leading a high-performing, communication team (including media, content creation digital and insight).

Led national programmes of work with a range of stakeholders, working to achieve shared outcomes.

Have worked across multiple channels, audiences, using insight and creating strategies that demonstrate creativity.

Led a team(s) work out of hours and at weekends to respond to urgent media queries, driving up standards and building strong relationships.

EMPLOYEE BENEFITS - If you join and work for us, you will get access to:

A competitive salary with yearly increments.

Support networks, free Employees' Assistance Programme, Occupational Health and wellbeing services.

Flexitime, with the ability to undertake your hours flexibly and in line with business need.

Hybrid working, with the ability to work remotely dependent on role.

Competitive pension scheme.

Company sick pay.

Job related equipment supplied

Specialist equipment supplied, under Occupational Health referral

Access to the Blue Light Card Scheme for discounts and services (requires a one-off payment of £5).

Development, coaching and mentoring opportunities available.

Supportive and flexible onboarding plan, including regular check-ins throughout your initial period of joining us to ensure you are up to speed with the role and getting the support you need.

VETTING

Applicants must hold or be prepared to undergo RV and CTC level before taking up the post.

APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS

Please provide a CV and evidence against the following competencies, (350 words maximum per competency) which are based on the knowledge, skills and experience set out in the job description and the competencies in the Competency and Values Framework (CVF). Please note, CV’s will not be assessed within the initial application, answers to the CVF questions alone determine next steps. Once candidates identified for interview has been confirmed, CV’s will then be shared with the appropriate Hiring Manager.

We are collaborative, Level 3 - Please give an example when you have demonstrated the ability to lead, develop and drive forward constructive relationships with partners/stakeholders to deliver an effective service / outcome, in the face of competing priorities and opinions.

We analyse critically, Level 3 - Please give an example of when you have been faced with a number of options relating to the strategic direction of a program or team in and what information you used to make the decision. Be clear what the decision was and how it was impacted by the evidence.

We are emotionally aware, Level 3 - Please provide evidence of your commitment to leading supporting and developing a successful workforce, including how you have set a positive culture as a leader of a team.

Should you want to know more about the role, we would strongly encourage you contact HR & Recruitment on hr-recruitment@npcc.police.uk to arrange an informal conversation.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Occasional national travel may be required. Travel expenses will be paid if location allowance is not being received, or when travel falls outside of the home to work journey. NPCC will pay for overnight accommodation if required.

The Metropolitan Police manage HR for NPCC recruitment.

Completed applications must be submitted by 23:55 on 14th May.

Once received, your application will be reviewed against eligibility criteria, following this, your application will be reviewed by the hiring manager. The application review for this vacancy will commence 19th May.

Following application review, successful candidates will be invited to interview. Interview dates will commence 26th May.

This role is open to external candidates as a fixed term contract, anyone who is an existing Met employee will be processed as a secondee.

Please note that if you are applying as a secondee from another national police force or government organisation, please contact HR-Recruitment@npcc.police.uk, do not apply online via Oleeo. Online applications will only be accepted for external candidates, or existing Met employees.