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Programme Communications Officer - Waste Transformation

Fixed Term, Full Time

Up to £31,211 per annum

Location: Chelmsford

Working Style: Anywhere worker

Please note that this is a fixed term contract opportunity for a period of 6 months. You will be required to attend County Hall, Chelmsford 1 to 2 day a month.

The Role

Essex County Council (ECC) is one of the largest and most dynamic local authorities in the UK, serving a population of two million residents, and has a very successful track record of delivering transformational change. As part of this, councils in Essex are developing new approaches to waste management and will be engaging with and consulting the public to gather their views.

The Opportunity

Working as part of a multi-disciplinary team delivering the Waste Transformation Programme, the communications officer will produce and share communications and public engagement materials with the public, key internal and external stakeholders, and partners.

The role will include producing content for a variety of channels, including press releases, emails, newsletters, website and social media, face-to face presentations and engagement events, that informs the public and encourages them to respond to the consultation.

Working in a fast paced and high-profile environment, the communications officer will also play a key role in managing and responding to enquiries from members of the public, press and external stakeholders.

Accountabilities

• Deliver communication plans to promote public consultation and engagement activities using a range of communication channels. Engage with internal and external stakeholders to share the plan and secure resources and support.
• Play a key part in the organisation and delivery of stakeholder engagement events including virtual events, venue and catering arrangements, and delegate management using online tools. Attend events and engage with members of the public and stakeholders.
• Be responsible for keeping the content on the relevant website up to date including public engagement event listings.
• Draft accessible content, including press releases and organise arrangements for PR events. Work with corporate communications and marketing team as required.
• Draft responses to Council Member and MP enquiries, prepare template responses and ensure logs of themes are fed into engagement and consultation analysis.
• Monitor engagement, reach and sentiment across a range of channels to identify potential themes that require proactive communications response. Prepare reports on public engagement performance and use data to inform future planning.
• Use Canva and other tools to create visually engaging assets to promote the project.
• Support dissemination of information, good practice and national policy changes to internal/external stakeholders. Engage with internal/external stakeholders to identify topics for research and development.
• Ensure all content adheres to the council’s corporate brand guidelines and content standards. Communicate with the design team and corporate communications and marketing team to ensure compliance.
• Specific individual and shared targets and objectives are defined annually within the performance management framework.

The experience you will bring

• Educated to diploma/degree level or equivalent by experience.
• Experience of working in a political environment and dealing with sensitive issues of public interest.
• Evidence of continuing professional development and expert knowledge in relevant professional area.
• Advanced skills in written and in person communication. Confident in engaging with a broad variety of stakeholders at different levels via a range of channels.
• Microsoft Outlook, TEAMS, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint knowledge and experience of using at an intermediate level. An understanding of other relevant software applications such as image or video editing or mapping software.
• Competent user of social media channels (Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn) and scheduling platforms (e.g. Hootsuite). Experience in analysing data from communication channels.
• Experience of website editing using a content management system. Experience of creating press releases for a range of sectors and publications.
• Experience of working with brand guidelines when creating communications materials. Ability to work creatively and effectively, including the ability to manage a range of complex situations and issues; very organised with good attention to detail.
• Understands how to plan events, including engaging stakeholders, organising venues and liaising with attendees on the day.

To read more about us please visit: Climate, Environment and Customer Services

Why Essex?

Essex County Council has a location to be proud of. Our 1,300 square miles stretch from Constable Country to the Thames Estuary, from the dynamic M11 corridor to the traditional seaside resorts of Clacton and Walton. England’s oldest town, Colchester, and two of its newest – Basildon and Harlow – are right here. Along with the City of Chelmsford, the county town, they form our major population centres. It means real choice and makes Essex the ideal place for your career. Read more about us here.

Essex County Council is proud to be a Disability Confident Leader. We’re committed to interview all disabled applicants who choose to apply under our Job Interview Scheme if they meet the minimum requirements of the job. Please speak to our Recruiters if you require any reasonable adjustments during the process.

We’re also committed to interview all veterans and care leavers, who meet the minimum requirements of the role for which they are applying.

What you should do next

If you are interested in finding out more about this role, we would love to hear from you. Please apply via the Working for Essex website.

As part of employment with Essex County Council (ECC) should your role require a DBS check you will be required to register with the DBS update service. The DBS update service ensures all registered DBS certificates are kept up to date and allows authorised parties to view the status of your certificate. This is an annual subscription, and you will be responsible for ensuring this is maintained. For further information on the DBS update service please go to https://www.gov.uk/dbs-update-service

Essex County Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and vulnerable adults, and expects all employees and volunteers to share this commitment.

If you would like to be kept up to date on other relevant opportunities, blogs, news, events and industry related news at Essex County Council, please join The Essex Talent Community here .

If you have queries on this role or require anything further, please email Laura.O’[email protected]

Follow us on Facebook ,Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn . Further details can be found on our careers page .

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