HM Inspectorate of Prisons - Communications Officer

We are an independent inspectorate led by HM Chief Inspector of Prisons. We scrutinise the conditions and treatment of prisoners and other detainees and report on our findings. We help to make sure that detention is humane, safe, respectful and helps to prepare people for release ahead of their return to the community. We do that by carrying out independent inspections of prisons, young offender institutions, secure training centres and courts in England and Wales and places of immigration detention across the UK.

We publish reports to let people know about our findings and hold the government, and those running places of detention, to account. We also identify and share examples of good practice to support leaders in learning from other, comparable institutions. Our role is to shine a light on what needs to change, but we cannot enforce it. It is up to prison leaders to consider the best way to respond to our concerns and use their resources and expertise to find solutions.

HM Prison and Probation Service or the Home Office should work with the establishment to support this progress.

This is an exciting opportunity to join a small, busy communications team working with a Head of Communications and a second Communications Officer. As the team is small, the range of work and experience that you will gain is diverse, including opportunities to work across media, digital (including social media), publications, events, stakeholder engagement and internal communications. The Communications Team is responsible for publishing reports from inspections of places of detention, including prisons, immigration removal centres and young offender institutions in England and Wales.

The team is also responsible for managing a programme of strategic communication to enhance the Inspectorate’s reputation and influence on issues relating to the conditions and treatment of detainees. The successful candidate will be expected to take up post in January 2027 but the exact date will depend on the timescales for interviews and security clearance processes.

To support the implementation and development of the Inspectorate communications strategy, and specifically to:

• Answer incoming media enquiries, seeking advice in preparing responses as needed.
• Draft and issue media releases, preparing lists for distribution to appropriate outlets.
• Provide support to the Chief Inspector or other spokespeople, preparing briefings on key issues, attending studio interviews with them, organising transport or setting up Zoom interviews as needed and taking note of issues covered.
• Monitoring media coverage, working with the Head of Communications to identify risks and opportunities, and building an understanding of issues to which different outlets and correspondents respond.

• Create and publish content on the Inspectorate’s website, X, Blue Sky, Linked In and Instagram accounts, including short videos, simple infographics and other content to bring the Inspectorate’s work tolife.
• Work with the other Communications Officer to plan and evaluate our social media activity, including reporting on engagement on different channels.
• Improve our use of web and social media analytics to evaluate our activity and identify opportunities for improvement.
• Working with our research and data team, find ways of presenting data in informative and effective ways, such as through infographics and animations.
• Work with the other Communications Officer, Head of Communications, Chief Inspector and other key staff to produce monthly podcasts, helping to plan episodes, record, edit and publish content, and promote it on social media channels.
• Publish video content to the Inspectorate’s You Tubepage.
• Work with the Head of Communications to evaluate userjourneys on the Inspectorate’s website, and implement improvements in response to feedback.

• With the Head of Communications and other Communications Officer, manage a programme of report production from allocating reports to a team of fee-paid editors through to proofreading, editing and helping to coordinate amendments with internal and external colleagues for final sign-off and publication.
• Send documents for translation into Welsh or other languages as required, and write, design and publish Easy Read versions of reports.
• Help to maintain report tracking spreadsheets and manage processes to ensure all reports are published within agreed timescales and meet quality standards, including…