communications associate West Midlands
Job description
Salary: £32,409-£37,953 Grade 6 plus weekend and on call allowance
Closing Date: 31 July 2023
Location – Birmingham and various locations across West Midlands
Full time-Perm
West Midlands Police is the second largest police force in England and we are recruiting into our busy newsdesk which fields thousands of enquiries every year.
We are looking for an experienced candidate to join our highly skilled, dynamic team - one that sets the news agenda on a daily basis.
As a communications officer, you are part of a team but you will also be required to work on your own at times, including weekends and as part of a 24/7 on call rota, and you’ll have the confidence and skills to deal with any incident that comes your way.
Whether it’s breaking news about a murder investigation in the early hours of the morning, or taking the first call about a critical incident that is unfolding as you speak, you’ll need to be prepared for anything. Your role will also include supporting police officers as they give media interviews, handling high profile court cases and dealing with issues around misconduct and standards. It’s fast-paced and challenging but incredibly rewarding - our work makes a difference.
You will help produce and distribute content that tells the story of what WMP is doing to keep communities safe, how they can protect themselves and how we are fighting crime. This will include the planning, organisation and implementation of clear, timely and two-way communication through print, digital and face-to-face channels.
You will be part of a supportive team working on a rota and dealing closely with all sections of the organisation, alongside talented colleagues from across Corporate Communications.
We offer a blended working approach, so you will spend some time at Sandwell/Dudley on a local policing area as well as at our headquarters in Birmingham. You will also be expected to deploy across the West Midlands as you facilitate communication activity. There will also be the opportunity to work from home some of the time.
We are an award-winning team with access to strong professional development opportunities.
You will receive an excellent pension, a generous annual leave allocation, free access to staff support services, and you will qualify for a Blue Light Discount card and be able to access sport and social club facilities.
Responsibilities:
- Produce creative, engaging and innovative content, both written and digital, for a variety of external channels on a proactive and reactive basis
- Identify new and emerging opportunities and trends to engage with communities, media and stakeholders around priority areas.
- Proactively monitor media and social channels, assess risk and opportunities, and evaluate the effectiveness of different approaches and activity
- Support spokespeople with media engagement and briefings
- Engage with journalists proactively and produce high-quality communications plans that include press notices, technical journalist briefings and Q&A packs
- Develop and maintain effective relationships with media organisations, influencers and key stakeholders, seeking opportunities and managing issues
- Help with coaching and developing staff, including social media training, video editing and filming
- Work with communications colleagues from all disciplines to develop integrated communications activity that delivers successful outcomes.
- View and assess sensitive material for external release
- Establish effective monitoring and evaluation processes
Skills and Competencies
Essentials:
- Degree or equivalent experience in similar role with a recognised professional qualification
- Up to date knowledge of best practice in media and communications and media law
- Must be able to write clearly and concisely and to adapt tone and style to circumstances and diverse audiences
- Experience of designing and implementing communication plans and campaigns and measuring the outcomes
- Ability to work as an effective part of a team demonstrating awareness of individual differences and providing support to colleagues as required
- The ability to work calmly and accurately under pressure, managing multiple deadlines and deliver results through effective planning and organising of work
- Filming and editing experience for real-time visual content
- Proven experience of using social media and other digital based engagement effectively
- Display high levels of emotional resilience and awareness on account of the distressing nature of the material which the role involves being exposed to
Desirable
- Experience working in a busy communications / marketing environment
- Effective project management skills
- An understanding of working to budget
- Able to analyse and use qualitative, quantitative data effectively
Essentials:
- Degree or equivalent experience in similar role with a recognised professional qualification
- Up to date knowledge of best practice in media and communications and media law
- Must be able to write clearly and concisely and to adapt tone and style to circumstances and diverse audiences
- Experience of designing and implementing communication plans and campaigns and measuring the outcomes
- Ability to work as an effective part of a team demonstrating awareness of individual differences and providing support to colleagues as required
- The ability to work calmly and accurately under pressure, managing multiple deadlines and deliver results through effective planning and organising of work
- Filming and editing experience for real-time visual content
- Proven experience of using social media and other digital based engagement effectively
- Display high levels of emotional resilience and awareness on account of the distressing nature of the material which the role involves being exposed to
Desirable
- Experience working in a busy communications / marketing environment
- Effective project management skills
- An understanding of working to budget
- Able to analyse and use qualitative, quantitative data effectively
Hours:
Mon-Sun 0730-1830 as part of a fixed working pattern – however you will not work seven days consecutively and there are fixed rest days to compensate weekend working
Vetting:
Successful applicants will be required to pass Recruitment Vetting and Counter Terrorism Clearance scrutiny prior to commencing their role, this will include a full background & financial disclosure as part of the vetting process.
Medical: (Operational)
Appointment to this role will be dependent upon successful medical checks, which may include a drugs test.
Interviews:
Week Commencing 24 July 2023
Contact:
For further information please contact Gina Lycett [email protected] or Craig Hughes [email protected]
West Midlands Police is a Disability Confident Leader - the highest level an organisation can achieve under the scheme run by the Department of Work and Pensions. As part of our commitment we operate a ‘Disability Confident Interview Scheme’ - all candidates who declare a disability and meet the essential criteria for the role will be offered an interview.
It is important to note that there may be occasions where it is not practicable or appropriate to interview all disabled people who meet the essential criteria for the job. For example: in certain recruitment situations such as high-volume, seasonal and high-peak times, the employer may wish to limit the overall numbers of interviews offered to both disabled people and non-disabled people. In these circumstances, the employer could select the candidates who best meet the essential criteria for the job, as they would do for non-disabled applicants.
"Diversity and Inclusion Vision: Maximise the potential of people from all backgrounds through a culture of fairness and inclusion to deliver the best service for our communities"
