Senior PR & Digital Officer

Bursting with culture, energy, and opportunity, Waltham Forest is a place where people want to live, raise a family, and start a business. It’s also a fantastic place to work, whereas we do all we can to improve the lives of residents and maintain the borough’s reputation as an attractive place to visit and invest in. We’re looking for candidates with drive, tenacity and creativity to help us build on our successes as the MJ Local Authority of the Year 2019 and the Mayor of London’s first-ever London Borough of Culture and so expectations, confidence and ambitions are high - and we need people to match. 92% of residents feel well-informed about the borough and the communications team sits at the heart of this, delivering award-winning campaigns that have real, measurable impacts alongside expert media and reputation management that delivers investment to drive change and create jobs.

About the Role:

To lead, develop and operationally manage and contribute to the building of the authority’s reputation. To be responsible for improving the council’s use of digital channels and for working with the policy team and campaigns team to help the council achieve its objectives.

To ensure quality and value for money at all times. To ensure the service complies with relevant legislation, regulations and policies.

What we are looking for:

• Experience and knowledge of the use of digital media and familiarity of different digital channels and how to improve them
• Experience of creating content across a series of different platforms
• Experience of proactive and reactive media relations
• Experience of providing direct advice and briefing to senior managers and/or elected members on media and reputation issues
• Experience of working across a wide range of communications projects including media campaigns, marketing, digital channels, public affairs and events
• Experience of working in a highly pressured environment and delivering results to tight deadlines
• Proven ability to find solutions to reputation problems and take necessary action
• A strong understanding and knowledge of national, regional, local and specialist press relevant to local government and Waltham Forest’s communities
• An understanding of local government, the services provided by local councils, and the responsibilities a council has to its residents
• Excellent writing skills with a clear, concise and lively prose style, and the ability to write for a range of different audiences
• Excellent oral communications skills and the ability to maintain effective relationships at every level of an organisation
• Ability to translate complex information into a clear and approachable format for a wide range of audiences
• Good attention to detail, strong organisational skills and the ability to operate to tight deadlines in highly pressured environments
• Degree or equivalent or vocational qualification in relevant subject or area
• Evidence of Continuous Professional Development