Head of Creative (New Media Unit)
Cabinet Office
Reference number: 411217
Salary: £76,000 - £117,800
Non civil servants will be expected to start at the salary minimum if successful. Standard pay rules apply for existing civil servants.
A Civil Service Pension with an employer contribution of 28.97%
Contract type: Permanent
Working pattern: Flexible working, Full-time, Job share
Location: If successful for this role you will be based in London, York or Glasgow.
Some UK travel may be required for this role.
Job summary
The New Media Unit (NMU) is part of the Government Communication Service (GCS) and sits within the Cabinet Office. The NMU was established in November 2024 with the clear goal to reach, connect and rebuild trust with audiences in the most effective way possible. Our aim is to provide the public with relevant, useful and authentic content when and where they want to receive it and communicate in an entirely new way.
The government has signalled a clear intention to focus on ambitious, measurable, long-term objectives that deliver better outcomes for citizens. This requires a new way of doing government which is more joined-up and better reaches the public to build awareness, understanding and trust in the government’s missions. The New Media Unit is a critical lever in achieving these long-term aims, bringing together the specialist skills required to reach citizens with content they want to consume at a time and place they want to consume it.
The team is evolving and works in an agile way proactively delivering on missions-based campaigns and responding to nation-wide communications. We need people who think differently and who can respond quickly to the ever-changing media landscape. At its core this team is focused on flexibility and collaboration across the three pillars (Strategy, Campaign and Creative), working closely with the GCS Strategy & Campaigns and Applied Data & Insight teams, alongside No 10 and departmental communication teams across government.
This is a really exciting time to be joining the NMU as we look to expand our activity, test and learn different approaches and deliver communications which make a difference to people’s lives. This is a rare chance to be part of something truly ground-breaking, where your ideas will directly influence the future of digital communications at the heart of government.
Job description
What we’re looking for
We need outstanding leaders in strategy, marketing and partnerships, creative, design and content production, who have a high level of digital expertise and will put audiences at the heart of everything they do. We're seeking innovative and creative senior leaders to help craft our evolving vision. This is a unique opportunity to lead one of the biggest transformation projects in government communications, to help the government reconnect with citizens in digital channels. Most importantly, we want people who care passionately about delivering outstanding communication for the public.
We value colleagues who embrace change, think outside the box, and thrive in a dynamic environment where responsibilities evolve with our ambitions. We welcome applications from the widest range of people of different backgrounds, cultures and experiences. If you're passionate about making your mark and flourishing in an atmosphere that champions fresh thinking and adaptability, we want to hear from you.
Responsibilities:
The Head of Creative brings big, bold, creative ideas to the table to solve problems and overcome barriers for our audiences, thereby helping us to achieve our communications objectives. You will be responsible for:
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Leading the development and articulation of a clear, compelling and exciting creative vision for digital campaigns and defining the overall aesthetic and brand identity.
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Leading digital creative strategy, routes and concepts to deliver outstanding content of the highest standards which meet and exceed our team objectives and KPIs.
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Establishing a creative environment that encourages innovation, idea generation and continuous improvement; nurturing and developing the team, and making the New Media Unit one of the most exciting places to work creatively
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Leading the presentation of creative concepts and pitches to senior clients in a persuasive and compelling way; proactively and confidently addressing client feedback to ensure creative deliverables align with their needs.
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Inspiring and developing a high-performing team of collaborative, open and creative strategic thinkers; providing outstanding mentoring across the creative teams, including designers, copywriters, and art directors.
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Deputising for the Head of the New Media Unit in representing NMU at the most senior levels both inside and outside of government.
Benefits
Alongside your salary of £76,000, Cabinet Office contributes £22,017 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.
Whatever your role, we take your career and development seriously and want to enable you to build a really successful career within the Department and wider Civil Service.
It is crucial that our employees have the right skills to develop their careers and meet the challenges ahead, and you’ll benefit from regular performance and development reviews to ensure this development is ongoing. As a Civil Service employee, you’ll be entitled to a large range of benefits.
This includes:
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25 days annual leave on entry, increasing on a sliding scale to 30 days after 5 years’ service. This is in addition to 8 public holidays and one privilege day to mark the King's birthday.
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A competitive contributory pension scheme that you can enter as soon as you join where we will make a significant contribution to the cost of your pension; where your contributions come out of your salary before any tax is taken; and where your pension will continue to provide valuable benefits for you and your family if you are too ill to continue to work or die before you retire.
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Flexible working patterns including part-time or term-time working and access to Flexible Working Schemes allowing you to vary your working day as long as you work your total hours.
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Generous paid maternity and paternity leave which is notably more than the statutory minimum offered by many other employers.
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Childcare benefits (policy for new employees as of 5 April 2018): The government has introduced the Tax-Free Childcare (TFC) scheme. Working parents can open an online childcare account and for every £8 they pay in, the government adds £2, up to a maximum of £2000 a year for each child or £4000 for a disabled child. Parents then use the funds to pay for registered childcare. Existing employees may be able to continue to claim childcare vouchers, so please check how the policy would work for you here
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Interest-free loans allowing you to spread the cost of an annual travel season ticket or a new bicycle.
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The opportunity to use onsite facilities including fitness centres and staff canteens (where applicable).
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Occupational sick pay.
Indicative Timeline
We will try and offer as much flexibility as we can, but it may not be possible to offer alternative dates for assessments or interviews. You are therefore asked to note the below timetable, exercising flexibility through the recruitment and selection process, in order to meet the dates given. Please note that these dates may be subject to change.
The anticipated timetable is as follows:
Advert Closing Date: 23:55pm Wednesday 23rd July 2025.
Shortlist: Week commencing 4th August 2025.
Interview: Week commencing 11th August 2025.
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.
Apply and further information
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Contact point for applicants
Job contact:
Recruitment team
