Public Health Strategic Communications Officer
JOB DESCRIPTION
Organisation: London Borough of Waltham Forest
Salary: £46,041 - £49,083
Contract Type: Full-time, Permanent
Working hours per week: 36
Application Deadline: Thursday 25 April, 11:55 am.
Proposed Interview Date(s): Tuesday 30 April, Wednesday 1 May, Thursday 2 May
Reference:1170
About Us:
Bursting with culture, energy, and opportunity, the London Borough of Waltham Forest is a fantastic and exciting place to work.
We are a highly ambitious borough. Driven by culture and the innate creativity of our residents, we have developed new and innovative ways to build our communities. Our Council is relentlessly resident-focused, insight-led, digitally driven and commercially minded; a Council focused on meeting the needs of our existing and future residents.
London Borough of Waltham Forest is one of the Mayor of London's Good Work Standard employers. This accreditation is a proof of our commitment to creating a healthy, fair and inclusive workplace. This includes fair pay and conditions, workplace well-being, skills and progression and diversity and recruitment.
About the role:
The Public Health Senior Communications Officer will play a key role in a team which communicates public health benefits to the London Borough of Waltham Forest. Waltham Forest Council is the first London borough to have worked with Professor Michael Marmot and the Institute of Health Equity to help shape the long-term direction of the borough. This means we're committed to reducing health-related inequality and its causes in the borough.
The Communications Officer will be one of the key drivers of this work, creating communications material which cuts through to audiences, running awareness and behaviour change campaigns which tackle inequality at its root, and constantly searching for new ways to reach audiences who would benefit most from Council support.
The successful candidate will work across public health departments, from immunisations to mental health and much beyond. They will be able to juggle several competing priorities ranging in urgency, from content creation to campaign planning. They will support the Public Health Communications Manager on priority campaigns and will have responsibility for their own strategic areas.
The Communications Officer will be data-driven, making sure all projects are focused towards (and track success of) resident outcomes. They will work productively and professionally with a wide variety of people, building relationships with key stakeholders within and outside the council and work with wider services to help the council achieve its objectives. They will have experience experience working with print and digital communications, and some press/media experience.
They will also play a role within the Communications Team itself, contributing skills and experience to the wider team to help grow the followings of corporate digital channels.
>> Click here to download the Role Profile <<
Key Responsibilities:
Qualifications and Requirements:
To be considered for this position, you should meet the following requirements:
Terms and conditions:
The below terms and conditions apply to this role:
Satisfactory employment references and CIFAS identity checks;
Satisfactory declaration of interest;
This post is politically restricted therefore the post holder is disqualified from undertaking certain political activities under the Local Government Officers (Political Restrictions) Regulations 1990.
As a public authority, we must ensure that members of staff in public-facing roles are able to speak fluent English. This means that they must have a command of spoken English, with confidence and accuracy, sufficient for the effective performance of their role. This requirement does not refer to any particular English language qualifications, regional or international accents, dialects, speech impediments or the tone of conversations. It does not require staff to speak only in English.
How to Apply:
Interested candidates are invited to submit their applications online by pressing the 'Apply' button below. This includes a supporting statement that outlines to us how your skills and experience make you a good candidate for this vacancy.
We reserve the right to close this vacancy early if we receive sufficient applications for the role. Therefore, if you are interested, please submit your application as early as possible.
Equal Opportunity Employer:
Waltham Forest is a diverse borough where diversity is valued and is integral to both, service delivery and employment of its staff. The Council is proud of its rich mix of communities and as the largest employer in the area, it works hard to respond to the changing needs of its population. We use our statutory duties on race, gender and disability equality and best practice in respect of age, faith and sexual orientation to ensure equality of opportunity in the workplace. The Council is committed to meeting its 4 equality objectives: - Promoting equality of opportunity - Opposing all forms of discrimination, intolerance and disadvantage - Ensuring our workforce reflects the diverse communities of Waltham Forest at all levels. - Providing fair, appropriate, accessible and excellent Services to all. Respecting Diversity is a core Council value.
To support the above and reduce the risk of bias in its recruitment activities, the council is operating an anonymous shortlisting process, which hides personal information that can identify individuals until their application has been considered for shortlisting. The council also operates a scheme whereby, for jobs graded up to and including scale SO2, internal candidates are considered first. This includes those candidates who self-identify as having a disability for the purposes of the Disability Confident scheme. For more information, please refer to our recruitment and selection policy.
We are keen to support employees to balance their working life with other commitments. Therefore, wherever possible, we will consider working arrangements that suit an individual's personal circumstances whilst still meeting the needs of the Council. If you would like to discuss the possible flexible working options that might be applicable to this role, please contact the person named below or feel free to discuss this during your interview.
For more information on the benefits of working for the Council, please visit https://www.walthamforest.gov.uk/jobs-and-training/find-jobs-and-other-opportunities/working-us.
Contact Information:
If you have any questions about this vacancy or the application process, please contact Will Haydon, Strategic Communications Manager for Public Health at william.haydon@walthamforest.gov.uk
If you have any technical issues when trying to apply for this post, please contact our Recruitment Team via email at recruitment@walthamforest.gov.uk.
The Council's preference is for online applications. However, if you have a disability and are unable to complete an online application, please email recruitment@walthamforest.gov.uk so we can arrange an alternative application method.
Click here for further information on the Human Resources recruitment privacy notice.
Organisation: London Borough of Waltham Forest
Salary: £46,041 - £49,083
Contract Type: Full-time, Permanent
Working hours per week: 36
Application Deadline: Thursday 25 April, 11:55 am.
Proposed Interview Date(s): Tuesday 30 April, Wednesday 1 May, Thursday 2 May
Reference:1170
About Us:
Bursting with culture, energy, and opportunity, the London Borough of Waltham Forest is a fantastic and exciting place to work.
We are a highly ambitious borough. Driven by culture and the innate creativity of our residents, we have developed new and innovative ways to build our communities. Our Council is relentlessly resident-focused, insight-led, digitally driven and commercially minded; a Council focused on meeting the needs of our existing and future residents.
London Borough of Waltham Forest is one of the Mayor of London's Good Work Standard employers. This accreditation is a proof of our commitment to creating a healthy, fair and inclusive workplace. This includes fair pay and conditions, workplace well-being, skills and progression and diversity and recruitment.
About the role:
The Public Health Senior Communications Officer will play a key role in a team which communicates public health benefits to the London Borough of Waltham Forest. Waltham Forest Council is the first London borough to have worked with Professor Michael Marmot and the Institute of Health Equity to help shape the long-term direction of the borough. This means we're committed to reducing health-related inequality and its causes in the borough.
The Communications Officer will be one of the key drivers of this work, creating communications material which cuts through to audiences, running awareness and behaviour change campaigns which tackle inequality at its root, and constantly searching for new ways to reach audiences who would benefit most from Council support.
The successful candidate will work across public health departments, from immunisations to mental health and much beyond. They will be able to juggle several competing priorities ranging in urgency, from content creation to campaign planning. They will support the Public Health Communications Manager on priority campaigns and will have responsibility for their own strategic areas.
The Communications Officer will be data-driven, making sure all projects are focused towards (and track success of) resident outcomes. They will work productively and professionally with a wide variety of people, building relationships with key stakeholders within and outside the council and work with wider services to help the council achieve its objectives. They will have experience experience working with print and digital communications, and some press/media experience.
They will also play a role within the Communications Team itself, contributing skills and experience to the wider team to help grow the followings of corporate digital channels.
>> Click here to download the Role Profile <<
Key Responsibilities:
- To report to the Public Health Communications Manager and support them in delivering an overall communication strategy and annual plan including high quality, award winning campaigns that enable the Council to deliver key corporate priorities
- Oversee standard of communications plans and ensure that have clarity on any budgetary implications.
- To ensure public health campaigns make use of the best available channels across the wide spectrum of communications disciplines.
- Ensure campaign reflect Waltham Forest Council's brand.
- To support and manage the Council's crisis management efforts and campaigns through effective communication and use of different channels
- To have good experience of the core professional disciplines of marketing, media, internal and digital communications
- To be responsible to public health campaigns ensuring they are effectively monitored and evaluated and deliver value for money
- To generate positive stories that support the delivery of the Council's strategic narrative and priorities
- To keep abreast of the latest news and developments in the public sector and ensure that the forward planning grid is up to date.
Qualifications and Requirements:
To be considered for this position, you should meet the following requirements:
- Experience/knowledge of developing and implementing successful behavioural change campaigns from concept through to delivery
- Experience of leading high-profile campaigns that support the delivery of key strategic objectives
- Experience/knowledge of different campaign approaches and methods
- Experience in evaluating and reviewing campaigns against agreed KPIs and outputs
- Experience of using insight and data to create audience centric evidence led communication plans.
- Experience of crisis management
- Experience in planning and delivery of communications strategies and activities
- 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 and events
- Experience of working in a highly pressured environment and delivering results to tight deadlines
- 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 develop and 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
- Excellent attention to detail, strong organisational skills, and the ability to operate to tight deadlines in highly pressured environments
- Able to demonstrate a genuine interest in the climate emergency.
Terms and conditions:
The below terms and conditions apply to this role:
Satisfactory employment references and CIFAS identity checks;
Satisfactory declaration of interest;
This post is politically restricted therefore the post holder is disqualified from undertaking certain political activities under the Local Government Officers (Political Restrictions) Regulations 1990.
As a public authority, we must ensure that members of staff in public-facing roles are able to speak fluent English. This means that they must have a command of spoken English, with confidence and accuracy, sufficient for the effective performance of their role. This requirement does not refer to any particular English language qualifications, regional or international accents, dialects, speech impediments or the tone of conversations. It does not require staff to speak only in English.
How to Apply:
Interested candidates are invited to submit their applications online by pressing the 'Apply' button below. This includes a supporting statement that outlines to us how your skills and experience make you a good candidate for this vacancy.
We reserve the right to close this vacancy early if we receive sufficient applications for the role. Therefore, if you are interested, please submit your application as early as possible.
Equal Opportunity Employer:
Waltham Forest is a diverse borough where diversity is valued and is integral to both, service delivery and employment of its staff. The Council is proud of its rich mix of communities and as the largest employer in the area, it works hard to respond to the changing needs of its population. We use our statutory duties on race, gender and disability equality and best practice in respect of age, faith and sexual orientation to ensure equality of opportunity in the workplace. The Council is committed to meeting its 4 equality objectives: - Promoting equality of opportunity - Opposing all forms of discrimination, intolerance and disadvantage - Ensuring our workforce reflects the diverse communities of Waltham Forest at all levels. - Providing fair, appropriate, accessible and excellent Services to all. Respecting Diversity is a core Council value.
To support the above and reduce the risk of bias in its recruitment activities, the council is operating an anonymous shortlisting process, which hides personal information that can identify individuals until their application has been considered for shortlisting. The council also operates a scheme whereby, for jobs graded up to and including scale SO2, internal candidates are considered first. This includes those candidates who self-identify as having a disability for the purposes of the Disability Confident scheme. For more information, please refer to our recruitment and selection policy.
We are keen to support employees to balance their working life with other commitments. Therefore, wherever possible, we will consider working arrangements that suit an individual's personal circumstances whilst still meeting the needs of the Council. If you would like to discuss the possible flexible working options that might be applicable to this role, please contact the person named below or feel free to discuss this during your interview.
For more information on the benefits of working for the Council, please visit https://www.walthamforest.gov.uk/jobs-and-training/find-jobs-and-other-opportunities/working-us.
Contact Information:
If you have any questions about this vacancy or the application process, please contact Will Haydon, Strategic Communications Manager for Public Health at william.haydon@walthamforest.gov.uk
If you have any technical issues when trying to apply for this post, please contact our Recruitment Team via email at recruitment@walthamforest.gov.uk.
The Council's preference is for online applications. However, if you have a disability and are unable to complete an online application, please email recruitment@walthamforest.gov.uk so we can arrange an alternative application method.
Click here for further information on the Human Resources recruitment privacy notice.
Equal Opportunities
Waltham Forest is a diverse borough where diversity is valued and is integral to both, service delivery and employment of its staff. The Council is proud of its rich mix of communities and as the largest employer in the area, it works hard to respond to the changing needs of its population. We use our statutory duties on race, gender and disability equality and best practice in respect of age, faith and sexual orientation to ensure equality of opportunity in the workplace. The Council is committed to meeting its 4 equality objectives: - Promoting equality of opportunity - Opposing all forms of discrimination, intolerance and disadvantage - Ensuring our workforce reflects the diverse communities of Waltham Forest at all levels. - Providing fair, appropriate, accessible and excellent Services to all. Respecting Diversity is a core Council value. To support the above and reduce the risk of bias in its recruitment activities, the council is operating an anonymous shortlisting process, which hides personal information that can identify individuals until their application has been considered for shortlisting. The council also operates a scheme whereby, for jobs graded up to and including scale SO2, internal candidates are considered first. This includes those candidates who self-identify as having a disability for the purposes of the Disability Confident scheme. For more information, please refer to our recruitment and selection policy