APPLICATION FORM

CONFIDENTIAL APPLICATION FOR EMPLOYMENT

The Royal Parks is committed to the fair treatment of its staff, potential staff or users of its services. Recruitment and selection decisions are made purely on merit as the result of fair and open competition. We are committed to equality of opportunity for the advancement of employees including promotion and training and do not discriminate against any person because of gender, race, ethnic or national origin, religion, sexual orientation, marital status or responsibility for dependants, age, physical/mental disability or offending background.

Tip: You can use the arrow keys on your keyboard to move between fields. Once completed, please email your form to vacancies@royalparks.gsi.gov.uk with the job title as the subject, we don’t require a hard copy as well.

The closing date for this application is Friday, 29 th April 2016 .

1. JOB POSITION

Position applied for: Communications Manager

Grade: III

Vacancy reference: CM0416

2. PERSONAL DETAILS

Title: Please select:

Surname:      

Forename(s):      

Address:      

Postcode:      

Daytime telephone(s):      

Email Address:      

Do you have a full current driving licence? (If required by the job description)

Please select:

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Are you currently a Civil Servant? Please select:

Have you ever been a Civil Servant? Please select:

At what stage are you applying? Please select:

3. EDUCATION

A) Secondary Education

School name/address From

(MM/YYYY)

To

(MM/YYYY)

Examinations (subject/result, etc.)

                       

(Tip: Tables will automatically expand as you type if extra space is needed)

B) Further Education and Training

University/college name From

(MM/YYYY)

To

(MM/YYYY)

Type of

Course

Subjects Qualifications or class of degree

                                   

C) Occupational Qualifications/Institute Membership/Membership of Professional Organisations

College/Institute

or other name

From

(MM/YYYY)

To

(MM/YYYY)

Qualification/level

                       

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4. EMPLOYMENT HISTORY

Please provide details over the last 10 years, including any unpaid or voluntary work, listing present or most recent employer first. Any gaps in employment dates should be explained. If you have any particularly relevant experience dating beyond the last 10 years please include this.

Current salary and benefits or salary when last employed:

£      Notice required:

     

Name and address of employer and type of

business

From

(MM/YYYY)

To

(MM/YYYY)

Job title and main duties

Reason for leaving

                             

                             

                             

                             

                             

                             

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5. REASON FOR APPLICATION – Skills, Qualities and Experience

In this part we want you to highlight your skills, qualities and experience. The competencies relevant to the post you are applying for are listed in the Person Specification on the job description enclosed below. For those competencies listed below, please give specific examples in no more than 200 words for each heading about a time either at work, volunteering or in your personal life that demonstrates how you meet the essential criteria required to do the job. You must ensure that your answers provide clear evidence of the given competency.

Making Effective Decisions: Demonstrates sound judgement, invites challenge where appropriate and involves others in decision making to help build engagement and present robust recommendations.     

Leading and Communicating: Communicates clearly and in a succinct, engaging manner, using appropriate styles, methods and timing, including digital channels, to maximise understanding and impact.     

Collaborating and Partnering: Establishes relationships with a range of stakeholders, understands their views and puts measures in place to address any issues or concerns.     

Achieving Commercial Outcomes: Works effectively with different groups such as public and private sector organisations and delivery partners, to develop solutions and achieve organisational goals.     

Managing a Quality Service: Anticipates risks involving a range of groups including partners, stakeholders, public and media and develops plans to address these.     

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6. PERSONAL STATEMENT

This is your opportunity to tell us why you think we should select you and why you want the job. Here you can demonstrate how your experience meets the other role competencies in the person specification attached. You may also include personal interests which are relevant and meet the requirements of the post. You must use no more than 350 words.

     

7. ATTENDANCE RECORD

If you wish to comment on any extended absences from the office, please do so here.

     

8. PART TIME

If you are part time, please state the number of hours that you are able to work and also please confirm if you would consider job share.

9. REFEREES

Please provide the contact details of referees from your employment over the past 3 years.

Please note that your present employer and other referees will not be contacted without your prior consent.

Referee 1 Referee 2Name:       Name:      Address:       Address:      Postcode:       Postcode:      Occupation:       Occupation:      Email:       Email:      

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Telephone No:

      Telephone No:      

Referee 3 Referee 4Name:       Name:      Address:       Address:      Postcode:       Postcode:      Occupation:       Occupation:      Email:       Email:      Telephone No:

      Telephone No:      

10. DECLARATION

By submission of your form, you agree to the following:

I confirm that the information given on this form is, to the best of my knowledge and belief, true and accurate. I understand that if I have given misleading information on this form, this will be sufficient grounds for terminating my employment. I have personally completed the application form.

Name:       Date: Click here to enter a date.

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11. LINE MANAGER’S ASSESSMENT OF SUITABILITY (or Countersigning Officer if Line Manager not available)

If you are currently employed as a Civil Servant you will be required to complete this section in full. Candidates must attach their entire completed application, with section 11 for their line managers to complete. Please also attach your last 2 years' appraisal reports.

External candidates should proceed directly to Section 12.

1) I consider this applicant to be:

Highly suitable Suitable Unsuitable I am unable to judge

Please comment on your assessment drawing attention to the applicant’s experience/special qualities for the post. If you are unable to judge the applicant’s suitability, please give reasons:

     

To be completed only if applicant is applying for trawled post on promotion.

2) Do you consider the applicant to have the skills and experience to perform at the higher grade they have applied for?

Yes No

Please comment on your promotion assessment:

     

Name:       Grade:       Date: Click here to enter a date.

Line Manager/Countersigning Officer for Please select: years and Please select: months

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12. DIVERSITY FORM (this will be detached from your application by the HR Dept)

Section A: Your Details

Title: Please select:

Forename(s):      

Surname:      

Date Of Birth:      

Male Female

Gender Identity (optional): If you identify as transsexual or transgender (in that you have effected a permanent change of gender identity) or as inter-sex, which group do you identify with?      

How did you learn of this vacancy? Please select:

If ‘Other internet site’, ‘Recruitment Agency’ or ‘Other’, please specify here:      

Section B: Disability

The Royal Parks wish to encourage suitably qualified people with disabilities to apply for jobs. All information will be treated in strictest confidence.

Do you consider that you have a disability? Yes No Prefer not to say

What is the nature of your disability?      

Please give details of any special needs or requirements that you may need us to make if you are invited to interview/offered employment:      

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Section C: Religion or Belief and Sexual Orientation

Which religion or belief do you most associate with? Please tick one box only.

No religion Buddhist Christian Hindu Jewish

Muslim Sikh Any other religion Prefer not to say

Which sexual orientation do you most associate with? Please tick one box only.

Bisexual Gay Man Gay Woman/Lesbian Heterosexual/straight

Other Prefer not to say

Section D: National Identity

Which National Identity do you most identify with? Please tick one box only.

British English Northern Irish Scottish

Welsh Other (please specify if you wish)       Prefer not to say

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Section E: Ethnic Identity

Which Ethnic Background do you most identify with? Please tick one box only.

ASIAN OR ASIAN BRITISH:

Bangladeshi Indian Pakistani

Any Other Asian Background (please specify if you wish)      

BLACK OR BLACK BRITISH:

African Caribbean Any Other Black Background (please specify if you wish)      

CHINESE:

Any Chinese Background (please specify if you wish)      

MIXED ETHNIC BACKGROUND:

Mixed White and Asian Mixed White and Black African Mixed White and Black Caribbean

Any Other Mixed Background (please specify if you wish)      

WHITE:

Any White Background (please specify if you wish)      

OTHER ETHNIC BACKGROUND:

Any Other Ethnic Background (please specify if you wish)      

Prefer not to say

Thank you for completing these forms, please now email your final application and diversity form to vacancies@royalparks.gsi.gov.uk with the job title as the subject

JOB DESCRIPTION

Job Title: Communications Manager – 12 months maternity cover (at least first six

months working on events communication)

Location: Old Police House, Hyde Park, London

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Grade and Salary: Grade III - £32,430 to £39,191 plus 10% on-call allowance

Background:

The Royal Parks (TRP) is an Executive Agency of the Department for Culture, Media and Sport. It is responsible for managing and preserving over 5,000 acres of listed parkland across London, including valuable conservation areas, built assets, historic features, memorials, and important habitats for wildlife. Our eight Royal Parks are among the most visited attractions in the UK, with over 77m visitors in 2014, and a 98% visitor satisfaction rate.

We have a long tradition of hosting events, including those of an historic or national significance. We seek to host a balanced programme of events across our parks, providing cultural, social and sporting activities in the open space for public enjoyment, social inclusion and health benefits. Events provide a vital source of income to The Royal Parks; without our event income we could not continue to maintain the parks to high standards against a backdrop of declining government funding. We currently self-generate over 65% of our income, and this is likely to increase in future years; around 40% is through events and filming. Events also benefit the wider London economy, in particular the hospitality, tourism and retail sectors, which benefit from spending from those attending events.

As custodians of these unique spaces, we seek to balance the enjoyment and inclusion that events in open spaces can bring to the communities and visitors we serve locally, nationally and internationally, with the provision of spaces for quiet enjoyment and relaxation. In 2014 we published Hosting Major Events in the Royal Parks to give clarity to stakeholders and event organisers about why we host events, the guiding principles by which we prioritise events, and our approach to hosting events.

The Royal Parks and the Royal Parks Foundation (the charity that fundraises for the eight Royal Parks) are coming together by the end of the year to create a new charitable public corporation. This will have increased freedoms, with controls similar to a charity rather than a government department. This means the parks can be managed more efficiently while maintaining visitor satisfaction. Placing fundraising and managing the parks under one organisation will also attract stronger funding support.

Overview of job role:

This role is 12-month maternity cover with at least the first six months working as the Events Communication Manager (although this could be extended to the full 12 months) and the remaining time spent working within the wider communications team.

The Royal Parks’ communications team covers a range of channels including media relations, stakeholder engagement, event communication, digital (website and intranet) and social media including Twitter and Facebook. It gets involved in a wide range of communications issues from the day-to-day running of the parks to some of the country’s highest profile events such as Barclaycard presents British Summer Time Hyde Park and Hyde Park Winter Wonderland, as well as large ceremonial and national events like Trooping the Colour.

As well as meeting the criteria below, you should have excellent written, oral and presentational skills with a good level of media relations and stakeholder engagement

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experience. Also desirable is your ability to use a wide range of digital channels including social media and uploading and updating websites (although training will be provided on our specific systems).

There will also be some out-of-hours work required, especially during events, and you will join the on-call media rota, which involves dealing with out-of-hours media enquiries during one week in three. The post-holder will share this responsibility with the Media Relations Officer and the Head of Communications and Media.

Main job role:

Event Communication Manager (at least first six months)

To lead on the communications and PR for all major events across the Royal Parks. Work with TRP’s event organisers to develop branding, communication and crisis communication plans, and devise Q&As, key messaging and briefing with the aim of protecting TRP’s reputation at all times. You will be responsible for all stakeholder management in relation to events and work with the event team to ensure compliance and protect TRP’s premises licence. This will also include leading a team on-site at major events to respond to stakeholder questions and concerns including sound management issues.

You will be required to produce lessons learnt documents from previous events, sound management plans and liaise with key media titles as well as ensuring TRP is represented to the highest level at all major events, and making the most of commercial/promotional opportunities.

Main Duties/Responsibilities:

Day-to-day activity

Respond to event-related media enquiries and devise proactive media opportunities.

Be the main point of contact for all major event media and marcomms teams. Approve all major event media and marketing/branding activity, collateral and

literature. Work with event and park teams to achieve the best possible exposure and

media outcome for TRP. Represent TRP at all major event marcomms meetings, press conferences and

media events to ensure event organisers, agencies and partners are aware of messages, branding, challenges, priorities and procedures.

Promote TRP’s involvement in major events and successes via all media channels and commercial arena.

Provide expert advice and briefings, including the creation of key messaging, lines to take and Q&As for senior executives and colleagues on individual events.

Respond in an effective and timely manner to all event enquires, including media, Freedom of Information (FOI), correspondence and wider public, political and parliamentary scrutiny.

Line manage and support the Stakeholder Communications Officer. Work with event organisers to produce crisis communication plans.

Working with partners and stakeholders

Build relationships with local media and partner organisations including GLA, TfL, local councils and London & Partners in order to use communication

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channels, joint promotion of events, offers for local people and to provide essential operational information such as park and road closures.

Work with event and park teams, partners and local councils to ensure licences and consents are protected and secured as necessary to host events – including the annual issue of concert licence letter.

Work with event partners to establish relationships with influential stakeholders in order to communicate essential event plans and information and prevent negativity towards major events in the local community.

Be the first point of contact for local community regarding major events and in conjunction with event partners develop and agree a procedure to log and respond to all event complaints and feedback

In partnership with event and park teams, event organisers, their sound consultants and Westminster City Council, support the production and delivery of sound management plans and protocol for summer concerts and BBC events. Using the information gathered to work with park and event team to devise plans to improve for future years

Review and improve

Post event, review all marcomms elements with event partners and then work with event and park teams to discuss areas of improvement and develop plans which seek to address those for the following year.

Additional job role:

Communication Manager (remaining period of maternity cover)

While the events communication role could be extended to the full 12 months, where it is not, you will be required to hand over to the permanent Events Communications Manager and then support the rest of the communications team on a range of projects focusing on stakeholder, media, events and/or digital communication channels.

Relationships:

Responsible to Head of Communications and Media

Important Functional Relationships:

Director of Commercial, Communications and Events

Head of Events and Filming

Events team

Filming team

Park Management teams

Communications and Commercial teams

Important External Relationships:

Public sector: a wide variety of relationships up to Director level within national and local Government, the Greater London Authority, Transport for London, Metropolitan Police Service and similar.

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Commercial: a wide variety of relationships up to and including CEO/Director level in live event production companies and their agencies, commercial brands and similar.

Other: residents groups and a large variety of different stakeholder groups, especially residents in and around the parks.

Health and Safety

To be aware of responsibilities as described in the H&S Manual and summarised in the H&S handbook

This role will also involve some evening and weekend work, especially during events, and you will be included on the on-call rota, which involves dealing with out-of-hours media enquiries during one week in three. The post-holder will share this responsibility with the Media Relations Officer and the Head of Communications and Media.

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Person Specification:

(Please refer to the competency framework)

Competencies/Selection Criteria

Essential/

Desirable

STRATEGIC CLUSTER – SETTING DIRECTIONSeeing the Big PictureDemonstrates an understanding of strategic priorities and delivers event communications in line with corporate objectives. DActively shares knowledge and experience to support the development of event strategies and tender processes. D

Making Effective DecisionsDemonstrates sound judgement, invites challenge where appropriate and involves others in decision making to help build engagement and present robust recommendations.

EMakes decisions when they are needed, even if they prove difficult or unpopular. D

PEOPLE CLUSTER – ENGAGING PEOPLELeading and CommunicatingTakes opportunities to regularly communicate and interact with staff, helping to clarify goals and activities and the links between these and organisational strategy.

DCommunicates clearly and in a succinct, engaging manner, using appropriate styles, methods and timing, including digital channels, to maximise understanding and impact.

E

Collaborating and PartneringEstablishes relationships with a range of stakeholders, understands their views and puts measures in place to address any issues or concerns.

EEncourages collaborative team working and actively seeks input from a diverse range of people. D

PERFORMANCE CLUSTER – DELIVERING RESULTSAchieving Commercial OutcomesWorks effectively with different groups such as public and private sector organisations and delivery partners, to develop solutions and achieve organisational goals.

EMotivates improved performance by suppliers, particularly external PR contractors.

DManaging a Quality ServiceAnticipates risks involving a range of groups including partners, stakeholders, public and media and develops plans to address these. E

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Develops proposals to improve the quality of service with involvement from a diverse range of staff, stakeholders or delivery partners. D

Delivering at PacePlans and prioritises own time effectively and efficiently and anticipates and adjusts for problems, risks or changing requirements to keep delivery on track.

D

See the Civil Service competency framework for further information on civil service competencies.

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