communications associate Taunton, England
Job description
Rate: £18.07 per hour Umbrella
Term: 6 months
Hours per week: 37
Location: Taunton
What you'll work on
Working within the Internal Communications function, primarily be working to an internal audience. Working with internal services to produce articles for the intranet, creating manager’s briefings, supporting the staff Q&A sessions which is run through Teams and helping to develop the use of Viva Engage across the Council
What you'll achieve
The Communications Team has a flexible structure to meet the ongoing needs of the organisation. The post-holder is expected to work across a wide range of Communications disciplines, including Public Relations and Marketing, as required by a Service Manager - Communications.
1. Proactive Public Relations work with the media – writing and distributing/publishing press releases and other articles; ensuring that content is easily understandable, accurate and agreed by appropriate officers and Councillors. Organising media briefings/press conferences, coordinating launches, developing good relationships with media, and proactively seeking opportunities to promote the Council.
2. Reactive Public Relations work with the media – receiving, logging and responding to media enquiries; making sure responses are consistent, concise and approved by appropriate officers, councillors and partners. Arranging and advising on statements and interviews, helping to monitor media coverage.
3. Communications Plans and Campaigns - – researching, developing and implementing communications plans and campaigns with agreed objectives and thorough evaluation. May include developing materials, planning advertising/marketing and stakeholder engagement.
4. Media Support for Senior Officers and Councillors – providing advice and support for officers and councillors when they are working with the media. Includes written briefs, establishing key messages, attending interviews and assisting with training.
5. General communications support for Senior Officers and Councillors – For all staff and councillors to help embed and maintain corporate standards, for example around appropriate branding and Plain English.
6. Supporting the authorities Programmes and Projects – with advice, guidance and activities.
7. Generating written content – writing and, where appropriate publishing, content for a variety of purposes, including the website and social media platforms, in appropriate styles and to the required length.
8. Social media – monitoring and writing material for the Council’s Twitter and Facebook accounts and any other social media platforms, reactively and proactively.
9. Staff engagement – developing, implementing and supporting staff engagement activities.
10. Events – devising, planning, delivering and supporting Council events for the public, partners and staff.
11. Publications – helping develop, deliver and distribute a variety of publications and materials for public, partners and staff. Includes quality assurance, liaising with designers, printers and distributors.
12. Branding – contributing to the team oversight of the Council’s branding, identifying and addressing any branding issues and providing guidance on the use of branding guidelines.
13. Multi-media work – such as taking and sourcing photographs and creating and editing videos and infographics.
14. Support the Information Request Team in responding to FOIs, DSARs and EIRs at peak times.
15. Improving communications – proactively seeking and suggesting ways of improving the way that the Council communications with the public, partners and its staff.
16. Understand, uphold and promote the aims of the council’s equality, diversity and inclusion policies; health, safety and wellbeing of self and others; and Organisational values in everything you do. Equality and Diversity practice covers both interaction with staff, service users and communities and includes challenging discrimination and promoting equality of opportunity for all.
Contacts & Relationships
- The postholder will develop and maintain contacts and relationships with key senior officers and councillors, notably the Chief Executive, Directors, Cabinet Members and other members to advise on communications-related matters.
- The postholder will also develop good working relationships with other County Council officers, key partners as well as local, national and specialist interest media contacts in order to protect and enhance the County Council’s reputation.
- Public engagement – represent the authority at public and other stakeholder events and meetings as part of the authority’s engagement work.
Resources
- The Council is one of Somerset’s biggest employers in a county with a population of more than 500,000.
- The postholder assists Communications Service Managers as part of the overall Communications Team which includes Digital Media Officers and Freedom of Information Officers.
- The Communications Team produces the Your Somerset residents' newspaper on a quarterly basis and a weekly online staff e-newsletter (Our Somerset), as well as the website and Social Media platforms including Twitter and Facebook.
- The postholder is expected to be competent in the use of Microsoft Office Software and develop their skills in other IT as required.
Who we're looking for
Good written skills for a variety of different audiences and platforms is essential.
Skills you'll need to bring
Education and Experience: A bachelor’s degree in communications, marketing, public relations, journalism, or a related field. Prior experience in a similar role or environment is essential.
Written Communication: Excellent writing skills are essential, with the ability to adapt style and tone for a variety of audiences and platforms.
Media Relations: Experience in both proactive and reactive public relations work, with established relationships with the media or the ability to develop them.
Campaign Management: Proven ability to research, develop, and implement communications plans and campaigns, including the development of relevant materials, advertising/marketing planning, and stakeholder engagement.
Content Creation: Ability to generate written content for various purposes, including websites and social media platforms. Experience in multimedia work such as photo sourcing, video editing, and infographics creation would be advantageous.
Social Media Management: Familiarity with managing and writing material for various social media platforms.
Staff Engagement and Events: Experience in developing, implementing, and supporting staff engagement activities and planning and delivering events.
Publications and Branding: Experience in contributing to the development and distribution of various publications and materials, and in managing branding guidelines and issues.
Microsoft Office Software: Competence in the use of Microsoft Office Software is essential, along with the willingness to develop skills in other IT tools as required.
Customer Service: Exceptional interpersonal and customer service skills, with experience interacting with senior officers and councillors, and representing the organization at public and stakeholder events.
Teamwork: Ability to work as part of a team, supporting other team members and collaborating across different disciplines.
Problem-Solving and Innovation: Proactive in seeking and suggesting ways of improving the organization's communications with the public, partners, and staff.
Understanding and Upholding Policies: A thorough understanding and commitment to uphold the council’s equality, diversity, and inclusion policies, as well as health, safety and wellbeing policies.
Equal Opportunities
Business Smart Solutions are a Recruitment Agency - We hire talented and passionate people from a variety of backgrounds because we want our global worker base to represent the wide diversity of our clients. If you’re excited about a role but your past experience doesn’t align perfectly with every bullet point listed in the job description, we still encourage you to apply. If you're passionate about working for a role in local government and share our company values, we encourage you to apply.
BSS is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. We do not discriminate in hiring or any employment decision based on race, color, religion, national origin, age, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions), marital status, ancestry, physical or mental disability, genetic information, veteran status, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, or other applicable legally protected characteristic. BSS considers qualified applicants with criminal histories, consistent with applicable UK law. If you need assistance or an accommodation made due to a disability, please let your recruiter know.
Job Types: Full-time, Temporary contract
Contract length: 6 months
Salary: £18.07 per hour
Schedule:
- Flexitime
Application question(s):
- Do you have good written skills for a variety of different audiences and platforms?
- Do you have bachelor’s degree in communications, marketing, public relations, journalism, or a related field or prior experience in a similar role or environment?
- Do you have experience in both proactive and reactive public relations work, with established relationships with the media or the ability to develop them?
Experience:
- Local Government: 1 year (required)
Work Location: In person
