Senior Digital Strategist - NMU - GCS

What is the New Media Unit?

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 governments delivery. 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 priority campaigns and responding to nation-wide communications. We need people who think differently and who can respond in an agile way 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 peoples lives. This is a rare chance to be part of something truly groundbreaking, where your ideas will directly influence the future of digital communications at the heart of government.

What were looking for.

We're seeking innovative minds and creative talents to help craft our evolving vision. This is a unique opportunity to grow, learn and share your talent with a team of diverse experts with passion and a genuine curiosity to innovate government comms. 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.

About the Government Communication Service

By joining a communications team, you will become a member of the Government Communication Service (GCS) , a profession of around 7000 communicators working in government departments, agencies and arms length bodies. Youll benefit from continuous professional development from our new learning and development curriculum, a network of skilled communicators sharing best practice, mentoring opportunities, and more!

For more information on how becoming a part of the Communications Profession can support your career and development please visit our careers page .

For our top tips on how to write your application, please take a look at our recruitment top tips for candidates guide .

To find out more about how we will use your personal data in managing, registering and preparing for the recruitment event, please follow this link to the Personal information charter for the Cabinet Office and look under Government Communication Service privacy notices.

Digital Strategy

This team uses research, data and behavioural insights to ensure an audience-first approach to all our activity. This team is responsible for setting the direction for the creative and media outputs of the New Media Unit, and for the measurement and evaluation of all our activity.

Job Description overview

As a Senior Digital Strategist within the New Media Unit, you will play an important role in supporting the UK government's long-term goals of increasing public understanding, trust, and confidence in its work.

In this role you will support the development of digital-first programmes to communicate, support and build public confidence in the government delivery. You will do this by using research, data and behavioural insights developed in partnership with GCS and cross-government strategy and insight teams to help identify barriers to audience understanding and action, and how to overcome them.

You will work collaboratively with government departments and 10 Downing Street to align activity, contribute to insight-driven strategies, and help translate complex information into engaging digital content that informs, explains and inspires the public.

In partnership with your Insight colleagues you will support the development of robust measurement and evaluation frameworks to report on campaign performance, identify learnings and insights, and apply them to the next wave of activity.

With a focus on maximising reach and impact, you will help the New Media Unit stay at the forefront of digital engagement by applying best practices and adopting new trends to support effective communication with citizens.

As a Senior Digital Strategist , your key responsibilities will include:

• Contributing to digital communication strategies that support government priorities, focusing on increasing understanding, trust, and public engagement.
• Supporting the setting of campaign goals, target audiences, and measurable outcomes, ensuring alignment with wider government communication objectives.
• Working closely with teams in government departments and 10 Downing Street to align digital plans with broader policy and communication strategies.
• Advising departments on effective use of digital channels and supporting them to produce consistent, citizen-focused messaging.
• Using data insights to shape and optimise digital strategies, ensuring campaigns are tailored to audience needs and deliver measurable results.
• Gathering and synthesising external insight to inform campaign propositions and creative direction, including desk research, marketing trend reports, and cultural landscape monitoring drawn from sources such as GWI, Ofcom, Reuters Institute, and agency partner research
• Interpreting internal audience segmentation and sub-segmentation data, drawing on cross-government research to inform channel selection, messaging priorities and targeting Monitoring key performance indicators, analysing campaign performance metrics, and using findings to inform future strategies.
• Supporting content planning and creation to ensure digital messaging is clear, engaging, and accessible to a wide audience.
• Working with content teams to integrate digital plans across channels, helping ensure consistency and relevance.
• Staying informed of digital trends and emerging technologies to identify new opportunities for public engagement.
• Recommending and supporting the piloting of innovative approaches to enhance digital communication, promoting transparency and inclusivity.

Experience / Ability

• Experience of developing or supporting digital strategies within an organisation, agency, or public sector setting.
• Experience of insight gathering via primary research (qualitative & quantitative) and secondary research.
• Good knowledge of digital communication channels and how to use them to effectively engage target audiences.
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