About the job

Summary

The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) works hard to help create great places to live and work across the country and support communities to come together and thrive.Tackling homelessness, building more homes, funding local government, levelling up every area of the country, faith and communities - DLUHC deals with some of the most high-profile issues across government and with policies that really matter to people across the country.

Right now, more than ever, our policies are impacting people on the ground with DLUHC on the frontline of the Government response to the Covid-19 pandemic and central to the efforts of the economic and local recovery.  We deal with some of the most important issues facing the UK and play a direct role in shaping the country’s future

Job description

We are looking for an exceptional insight and evaluation professional to join the DLUHC communications directorate and to lead the insight team.  The team has a wide remit as it works across the full portfolio of DLUHC. This means that the workload is very varied and often entails working on pioneering projects to address the research and insight challenges such issues bring.

The role of the Insight team is to use evidence, research and analysis to underpin our strategic communication strategies (often behaviour change focused), to help achieve some of the governments biggest communication challenges. It covers all types of communications research including quantitative and qualitative research, web analytics, desk research, and the full range of Government statistics. We use these to build our audience understanding, develop and test hypotheses, and measure impact and results.

The head of Insight will lead and manage a team of two other people to deliver communications insight and evaluation support across the Communication Directorate (CD), as well as an ad hoc service to teams beyond communications.  

You will contribute to the management of the Directorate and will report to the Head of Strategic Communications and Campaigns.  You will be expected to provide a strategic overview of Insight activity undertaken within your team to the Leadership team.

Responsibilities

Research and Client management

1.     Ensure the delivery of insight, research and evaluation advice and best practice support is provided to the shared service to improve the standard of communication strategy, planning & delivery;

2.     Build and maintain an overview of the monitoring and evaluation of communications activity across the directorate and ensure it is reported in a way that informs the communications process;

3.     Oversee the Directorates research & insight programmes; including stakeholder and customer research, internal customer satisfaction survey, consultations, insight packs, best practice guides and presentations;

4.     Managing both in-house and commissioned research projects, designing and delivering research programs or tenders as appropriate. Managing positive relationships with external research providers where relevant and associated research budget;

5.     Represent the unit at internal and cross government networks; build effective relationships in the department and across government with customers and partners including research, policy and operations colleagues, the Secretary of State and Ministers to improve the strategic integration of communications, research and insight;

6.     Build the reputation of the team within the shared service, the department and across government. Ensure performance standards are in line with SLA commitments and help raise the profile and increase understanding of the unit as a professional, expert and customer focused shared service. Embed a culture of continuous improvement, working with the team to identify process and service improvements.

Team Management

7.     Lead the business planning process including the strategic planning, allocation and management of Insight resource and ensure procurement best practice rules are followed;

8.     Lead, manage and develop a team of two. Empower, motivate and inspire them to deliver, taking responsibility for performance management, personal development and engagement;

9.     Ensure that relevant protocols for the induction and management of new staff in the Division are deployed.

10.  Convene regular meetings of your team and monitor the teams workload working with other G7s, G6s and SCS to ensure effective allocation of resources

11.  Ensure high quality and appropriate advice and project management is delivered by the insight team to clients by ensuring they have the appropriate skills12. Informing the strategic planning of communications and campaigns: developing and translating evidence-based theories of behaviour change to help underpin communications strategies and direct creative development, targeting and planning; 13. Lead the development and facilitation of workshops, creative problem solving, knowledge sharing, and in-house training sessions as required.

Behaviours

We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:

• Seeing the Big Picture
• Making Effective Decisions
• Developing Self and Others