About Us
GCHQ is an intelligence, cyber and security agency with a mission to keep the UK safe. We use cutting-edge technology, ingenuity, and partnerships to identify, analyse, and disrupt threats. Working with our intelligence partners MI5 and MI6, we protect the UK from terrorism, cyber-attacks, and espionage.
At GCHQ you’ll do varied and fascinating work in a supportive and inclusive environment that puts the emphasis on teamwork.
The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), part of GCHQ, is the UK Government’s lead authority on cyber security. The organisation is at the heart of the Government’s cyber security strategy aims to make the UK the safest place to live and work online.
This is an exciting opportunity to join the NCSC’s external communications team as a Senior Communications Officer. We’re looking for a motivated and experienced communications professional to join our creative, collaborative, and supportive team.
The role
At the heart of a dynamic, fast-paced team, you’ll work across both the press office and social media functions to deliver proactive announcements, as well as manage emerging stories and media enquiries.
This is a unique opportunity to inform the media and the public about the NCSC’s priorities, encourage people to follow our practical cyber security advice, and help shape the public conversation on cyber-related issues.
We will ask you to lead the planning and delivery of communications strategies relating to some of our biggest challenges, such as protecting the UK’s critical national infrastructure and countering the cyber threats posed by other states.
Working closely with counterparts across the organisation and Whitehall, you’ll help maximise effectiveness and manage risks. This will include crafting punchy press releases and reactive statements, as well as confidently briefing journalists on breaking news stories, including high-profile cyber incidents.
We’re looking for someone whose communications skills, both written and verbal, are exemplary.
Some travel to our other UK sites, as well as occasional international travel, will be required. You’ll also be part of our press duty rota, which operates outside of core business hours, and attracts additional allowances.
About you
We’re looking for someone who can bring fresh, creative ideas to audience engagement, while providing strategic direction for our social media channels. This position offers you the opportunity to bring fresh ideas to life and develop content that truly captures and connects with our audience.
Excellent persuasive and communication skills are essential, as the role involves frequent engagement with communications counterparts, internal stakeholders, and the media, helping to communicate the department’s objectives clearly and effectively.
You’ll thrive as part of a collaborative, high-performing team that prides itself on delivering exceptional results. Our culture is important to us, and you’ll enjoy a positive and supportive working environment where morale is prioritised and there is regular engagement with senior leadership.
Prior experience in government communications, journalism or public relations is essential, along with excellent written skills and the ability to present technical information in a clear, compelling, and accessible way.
Highly organised, you can manage multiple projects to tight deadlines without compromising attention to detail. You stay calm under pressure, maintaining high standards in a fast-paced environment.
You’ll have a keen interest in the news, with the ability to spot relevant stories, emerging issues, and trends, supported by sound judgement and political awareness when identifying communications opportunities and risks.
GCHQ Competencies
As part of the selection process, the NCSC will assess you using competencies aligned with those used across the UK Intelligence Community. These are closely based on the Civil Service Behaviours, so if you’re familiar with those, you’re already on the right track.
At Level 3, we’ll be looking at how you demonstrate the following:
- Seeing the Big Picture (Civil Service Behaviour Equivalent: Seeing the Big Picture)
- Communicating and Influencing (Civil Service Behaviour Equivalent: Communicating and Influencing)
- Working Collaboratively (Civil Service Behaviour Equivalent: Working Together)
- Making Effective Decisions (Civil Service Behaviour Equivalent: Making Effective Decisions)
Further information on Civil Service Behaviours
Training and development
At NCSC and GCHQ, we are proud of our inclusive and supportive working environment, which is designed to encourage open minds and attitudes. As an organisation that values and nurtures talent, we’re committed to helping you fulfil your potential. With comprehensive training and development opportunities tailored to your needs and the requirements of your work, we’ll enable you to flourish in your role and perform to the very best of your abilities.
Rewards and benefits
You’ll receive a starting salary of £55,758, which includes a concessionary payment of £2,758.
For roles based in London, you’ll receive an additional £6,250 London Allowance.
Other benefits include:
- 25 days’ annual leave, rising automatically to 30 days after 5 years' service, and an additional 10.5 days’ of public and privilege holidays
- opportunities to be recognised through our employee performance scheme
- an interest-free season ticket loan
- a cycle to work scheme
- facilities such as a gym, restaurant, and on-site coffee bars; availability varies by location
- paid parental and adoption leave
- an excellent pension scheme - Civil Service pension
Equal opportunities
At GCHQ, diversity and inclusion are critical to our mission. To protect the UK, we need a truly diverse workforce that reflects the society we serve. This includes diversity in every sense of the word: those with different backgrounds, ages, ethnicities, gender identities, sexual orientations, ways of thinking, and those with disabilities or neurodivergent conditions. We therefore welcome and encourage applications from everyone, including those from groups that are under-represented in our workforce, such as women, those from ethnic minority backgrounds, people with disabilities, and those from low socio-economic backgrounds.
Find out more about our culture, working environment and diversity on our website.
We’re Disability Confident
GCHQ is proud to have achieved Leader status within the Department for Work and Pensions’ Disibility scheme. This is aimed at encouraging employers to think differently about disability and take action to improve how they recruit, retain, and develop disabled people. As a Disability Confident Leader, we aim to ensure that a fair and proportionate number of disabled applicants who best meet the essential minimum criteria for this position will be offered an interview, if it is practical for us to do so. This is known as the Offer of an Interview.
To secure an interview for this role, the minimum criteria (in order of application process) are:
1. You’ll be required to reach the minimum pass mark for the online Situational Judgement Test (SJT), which assesses criteria important for all roles in our organisation
2. Demonstrate experience as a communications professional, with a proven record of effective written work
3. Demonstrate experience in delivering effective social media content to support wider organisational and brand objectives
4. Demonstrate the ability to collaborate effectively with a range of stakeholders, confidently communicating insights and recommendations
5. Demonstrate evidence of successfully delivering projects on time while balancing competing priorities and working under pressure
There is a wide range of extra support available throughout the recruitment process to enable you to do your best. Please see our website for information about reasonable adjustments we can offer.
What to expect
Our recruitment process is fair, transparent, and based on merit. Here is a brief overview of each stage, in order:
1. Online Situational Judgement Test (SJT) in which you rate the appropriateness of responses to a series of short scenarios.
2. Application sift, where we look at what you have submitted to ascertain suitability and motivation for the role.
3. Online interview
4. If successful, you’ll receive a conditional offer of employment.
Please note, you must successfully pass each stage of the process to progress to the next. Your application may take around 6 to 9 months to process, including vetting, so we advise you to continue any current employment until you have received your final job offer.
Before you apply
To work at NCSC, you need to be a British citizen or hold dual British nationality. You can read our full eligibility criteria here.
This role requires the highest security clearance, known as Developed Vetting (DV). It’s something everyone in the UK Intelligence Community undertakes. You can find out more about the vetting process here.
Please note we have a strict drugs policy, so once you start your application, you can’t take any recreational drugs, and you’ll need to declare your previous drug usage at the relevant stage.
Before you apply, we recommend setting up a separate email address for your contact with us, to ensure your personal and application correspondence remain separate. Try to avoid having identifying features in your email address, such as your first or surname or date of birth. This is good practice and will help you manage your application with us more securely.
The role is based in London, Manchester, or Cheltenham, so you’ll need to live within a commutable distance. Please consider any financial implications and practicalities before submitting an application, as we do not offer relocation costs.
We offer reasonable reimbursement of travel costs for candidates attending in-person appointments during the recruitment and vetting process. Full details will be provided with your interview or assessment invitation.
Reimbursement is discretionary and will only be made in line with the Candidate Expenses Policy, as amended from time to time. Candidates must book their own travel, using the most economical option, and provide original hard-copy receipts for reimbursement.
Please note, you should only launch your application from within the UK. If you are based overseas, you should wait until you visit the UK to launch an application. Applying from outside the UK will impact on our ability to progress your application. You should not discuss your application, other than with your partner or a close family member.
The closing date for this role is: 24/06/2026 at 23:55
Right to withdraw statement:
Please be aware that we reserve the right to bring forward the closing date for this role from the original closing date once a certain number of applications have been received. Please be mindful of this and submit your application at your earliest convenience to avoid disappointment.
