*JOB OF THE WEEK* communications officer, ashfield district council

Communications Officer (Maternity Cover of up to one year)

Ashfield District Council

Salary: £31,067 - £33,366 per annum

Contractual hours - 37

Basis: Fixed Term

Region: East Midlands

Closing date: 8 January 2025

Are you an experienced Communications professional who is passionate about creative and effective communications? Can you craft compelling and balanced communications for a variety of audiences internally and externally, including the media? If so, this is the role for you. Join us and help us tell our stories in a wide range of internal and external communications.

Ashfield District Council’s ambition is to be ‘Great’ across all our services. Our focus is to look forwards and make positive change. As a result, there are so many great things happening and stories to tell our residents, staff and stakeholders - from our ambitious events programme, to realising the delivery of huge levels of investment in regeneration of Ashfield.

This exciting role will play a key role in delivering our communications strategies and communicating our vision and ambitions across our various channels. Whilst the emphasis of the role is media, it also covers a wide variety of tasks to drive proactive communications and stakeholder engagement.

We’re raising our sights, looking to the stars – are you ambitious like us?

For full requirements of the role, please see the job description and person specification.

Please ensure you cover all points of the person specification when submitting your supporting statement.

For an informal chat about the role please contact Sarah Curtiss at sarah.curtiss@ashfield.gov.uk on 01623 457570.

To apply, please visit: www.ashfield.gov.uk

Canvassing of Members of the Council (directly or indirectly) for any appointment shall disqualify the candidate for that appointment. Applicants should disclose if they are related to a Member or Officer of the Authority.

Closing date: 8 January 2025
Interview date: 23 January 2025

Ashfield District Council is an Equal Opportunities employer

and welcomes applications from all sections of the Community.

senior communications officer, gravesham borough council

Senior Communications Officer

Gravesham Borough Council

Salary Package: £30,949 - £33,044 inclusive of allowances

Full time

Hours: 37

Location: Gravesend Civic Centre

Closing date: Friday 10 January

About the Role

We are looking for an experienced communications/PR professional or journalist to join our communications team.

Reporting to and deputising for the Communications Manager, you will be skilled at producing accurate, punchy news releases, eye-catching social media posts, and video and photography content on a range of subjects, from how much this year’s council tax bill will be to who is topping the bill at our summer Riverside Festival.

You will be equally at home working with and briefing the media, council members, and senior colleagues, and with keeping our staff up to date with what is happening in our fast-moving working environment.

You’ll be busy. Gravesham is an innovative and progressive organisation with a lot to shout about, so much so that in 2024 we were shortlisted for Council of the Year and Local Authority of the Year in the national LGC and MJ awards respectively. And we’re an IIP Gold employer.

This is a rare opportunity to develop your skills in an environment where effective communications are deeply ingrained in the corporate approach.

About You

You will have excellent written and verbal communication skills, the ability to think strategically and work creatively and under pressure, a strong portfolio of stills photography and videography, and the ability to lead and motivate others.

You will also have knowledge and understanding of marketing and digital media, adobe and Microsoft products and, of course, social media platforms.

Our Organisation

Gravesham Borough Council is committed to delivering to the community and working with us means you are part of delivering the level of growth and improvement our community needs and deserves.

Centrally located in the Thames Gateway, Gravesham Borough Council provides a range of services to over 106,000 people and 4,000 businesses.

The Borough of Gravesham, situated in the northwest corner of Kent, covers 25,000 acres of the most varied countryside in southeast England.

Bordered by the River Thames to the north, it is at the heart of Thames Gateway and has a significant role to play in the regeneration of a major government growth area.

To find out more detailed information about Gravesham Borough Council please visit us via the following link - www.gravesham.gov.uk

Our Offer:

·  A minimum of 23 Days Annual Leave, plus paid bank holidays.

·  Membership to Local Government Pension Scheme - Local Government Pension Scheme

·  Access to over 1000+ instant discounts from favourite retailers, restaurants, food delivery services and attractions via our benefits portal VivUp.

·  Career development, training opportunities and access to e-learning

·  Access to eye care vouchers and VDU Glasses

·  External Occupational Health service

·  Cycle to Work Scheme

·  Access to an employee assistance programme 24/7

·  Hybrid Working (minimum two days in the office per week)

·  Free parking

·  Octopus Electric Vehicles Salary Sacrifice Scheme

If you would like to have an informal discussion with the recruiting manager, please call Andy Rayfield on 07909 933164.

Important Information -

Applicants must be able to demonstrate all essential requirements as listed in the job description.

Equal Opportunities Commitment Statement

Gravesham Borough Council is committed to creating an inclusive work environment with a diverse workforce. All appropriately qualified candidates will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, disability or age.

Please be advised that if you are not contacted within 3 weeks of the advert closing date then you have not been shortlisted.  All recruitment correspondence, including interview letters and contracts of employment will usually be sent out via email.

We reserve the right to close this vacancy at any time prior to the closing date.

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head of communications and engagement, city of york council

Head of Communications and Engagement

City of York Council

Job reference: GOVN004971

Application closing date: 5 January 2025

Location: York

Salary: Grade 12, Levels 1-4 (£56,903 - £64,035)

Hybrid working

Contractual hours: 37

Full time

Closing date for applications: Sunday 5 January 2025

Job Profile.docxPolitically restricted info for applicants.pdf

WANTED: A storyteller, with a calm head, an open heart, at ease with complexity, excited by strategy and willing to listen and learn from lived experience.  Our world’s changing, our city’s evolving.  Are you ready for the best communications role you’ll ever have?

If you are a Communications and Engagement leader who wants to get under the skin of what it means to live in York, who is keen to understand the issues that matter to the whole community and who has the empathy and humility to listen and learn from all our residents, businesses, and partners, we want to hear from you. 

No two days are the same working for the most desirable city in the UK, and the least affordable outside of London.  You will speak up for those who can’t always speak for themselves, reduce complex information into relatable content, share successes, prepare residents for the changes ahead and find better ways to have meaningful conversations with residents, businesses, and partners, whilst balancing immediate communications priorities with longer term strategies to improve the lives of the communities we serve.

This role will appeal to an ambitious, strategic, and forward-thinking Communications leader who is familiar with forming collaborative partnerships with many different stakeholders and who understands how to navigate within a political landscape that invites scrutiny.

As Head of Communications and Engagement you will be outward facing, have a real grasp on the issues we face locally, regionally, and nationally, and who also appreciates the importance of internal relationships and is able to deftly and persuasively negotiate and encourage others to think differently. You will be resilient, hardworking, and able to juggle and prioritise on a daily basis.

York has a very ambitious agenda, operating locally, contributing to the regional economic growth, and building a national reputation.  This means the role is extremely varied and fast paced, so it is vital to be able to act decisively and pivot quickly when required.  The issues facing York are wide ranging and they all have equal importance to its’ residents, whether it be local flooding, the importance of Pride, or the need to build more sustainable affordable housing.

York also has a huge regeneration programme which will bring about significant transformation and structural change.

By truly understanding these issues, and by tapping into what really matters to our residents, this role will enable you to act as our conscience and to help bring about change with credibility and authority. At the same time, while the agenda may be large the team is relatively compact, you will get involved in technical delivery and work alongside others, leading the team by example and inspiring them to flourish. Technically sound, you will embrace ever-changing modern marketing and communication, enhancing the reputation of York, the place, and the council on a regional, national and international stage.

In short, you will find this role will provide you with the kind of professional challenge and complexity you will naturally aspire to as an ambitious leader - our size means that we are large enough to provide the rich mix of complexities facing local government, but at the same time we are small enough to get things done. This role will provide you with the opportunity to make a significant difference as well as a platform to enhance your career. Finally, we are a stable authority, our resources and finances are well managed, and you will be welcomed by an experienced and hardworking team.

For further information or an informal discussion please contact Claire Foale, interim director of City Development at claire.foale@york.gov.uk  or on 01904 552057

Closing date for applications: Sunday 5 January 2025

1st stage technical assessment day:  22 January 2025

2nd stage interviews: 31 January 2025

Information for applicants

Council Plan – City of York Council 

York 2032 Home – York 2032

News centre – City of York Council

Welcome to York Central - York Central

Home | YorEnergy

York Hungry Minds – City of York Council

Hybrid working arrangements are available for this role. Each role at CYC is different and your working arrangements will be determined based on the requirements of the role and in collaboration with you and your needs as part of the recruitment process. Your contractual location will be the designated council office for your team.

Please note, we do not have a sponsorship licence to sponsor individuals for visas to work in the UK, therefore we are unable to offer sponsorship for this role.

This post is deemed as politically restricted. As designated politically restricted officers, employees will not be allowed to undertake certain activities. Please refer to the guidance attached for further information.

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