Head of Communications and Channel in Walthamstow

Organisation: London Borough of Waltham Forest

Salary: PO11 £73,602 to £77,550

Contract Type: Full-time/Permanent

Working hours per week: 36

Application Deadline: 10/06/2026

Proposed Interview Date(s): 22/06/2026

Reference: 2151

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 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 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.

The Council’s preference is for online application. 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. We are a Home Office–licensed sponsor; however, for this specific role we are not able to provide Skilled Worker visa sponsorship. To be considered, you must already hold a form of UK work authorisation that does not require sponsorship.

About the role: This is a pivotal leadership role in our Communications and Campaigns service, responsible for overseeing the development and production of, and implementing, storytelling, content and community strategies across all channels for the whole Council - both internal and externally-facing, and for digital and print. Reporting to the Corporate Director of Communications & Campaigns, the primary purpose of the role is to ensure that our communications output balances responsiveness and accountability with an unwavering proactive emphasis on the Council’s priorities and needs.

The postholder will develop an overarching strategic framework for the production, publication and scheduling of content, and the effective use of channel - for the entirety of the Council’s communications output, including for activity that does not directly sit within the scope of the central team. They will also ensure that effective triage mechanisms guide the team’s use of time and effort, making informed and sensitive calls on prioritisation whenever demands clash. They will ensure audience engagement is underpinned by innovation and excellence in storytelling and presentation, from inspiring imagery to engaging case studies, all of it relevant to the audiences, outlets and platforms we seek to target. The role involves managing a multi-disciplinary team, overseeing budgets, and ensuring effective communication with diverse audiences both within the Council and across the Borough.

Key Responsibilities:

• Lead the development and oversee content and channel strategies for all audience targets, both positioning-based and in direct support of service delivery outcomes.
• To deputise for the Director of Communications and Campaigns and support them in delivering an overall communication strategy and associated frameworks.
• Ensure that all internal communications channels, delivery mechanisms and outputs are effective and appropriate to the audience, keeping staff informed and engaged.
• Oversee the Council’s approach to social media, with channel, community and content audits informing a holistic multi-channel approach.
• Oversee the establishment of an ecosystem covering the Council’s use of social from the individual accounts of our leadership to, where appropriate, accounts targeting specific demographic groups or coalescing around specific thematic areas.
• Develop guidance for growing, and growing the effectiveness of, our key social media platforms.
• Lead, develop and implement an approach to ensure media relations work offers a mixed and balanced approach from day-to-day news management to proactively influencing and shaping the media agenda through features, opinion and leadership profile pieces - using innovative content and a clear narrative about Waltham Forest Council that reflects the priorities, behaviours and understanding of local residents.
• To support and manage the Council’s crisis management efforts through effective communication and use of different channels.

Qualifications and Requirements:

• Clear understanding of communication products, practice and the key drivers for strong and positive reputation management.
• Evidenced understanding of brand strategy and management.
• Very strong understanding of audience segmentation and best practice for various channels and platforms.
• Understanding of how to create, commission and optimise different content types and engagement techniques to maximise impact and response.
• Direct experience of developing and delivering effective strategies in at least three of the following disciplines: digital communications or marketing, campaigns, internal communications, media relations, behaviour change.
• Significant experience of developing and maintaining strategic narratives.
• Ability to work in an agile fashion to respond to internal or external crises.
• Experience of leading a multidisciplinary team, deploying coaching and performance.
• Experience of providing support and training to up skill and develop team.
• Experience of leading high-profile campaigns that have supported the delivery of key strategic objectives.
• Experience/knowledge of different campaign approaches and methods.
• Experience in evaluating and reviewing campaigns.
• Experience of using insight and data to create communications 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.
• Experience and ability to manage a team to deliver high quality campaigns and projects.
• Proven ability to find solutions to public relations 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.

Terms and conditions:

The below terms and conditions apply to this role: Satisfactory employment references and CIFAS identity checks; Satisfactory declaration of interest;

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 here.

Contact Information:

If you have any questions about this vacancy or the application process, please contact Adrian Thomas, Corporate Director of Communications and Campaigns at Adrian.Thomas01@walthamforest.gov.uk or on 07506 112971. 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.

Fraud Awareness Notice:

The London Borough of Waltham Forest only advertises vacancies via our official website and approved recruitment platforms (e.g. Jobsgopublic). We will never ask for payment or request sensitive personal or financial information as part of our recruitment process. If you are contacted by a third party claiming to represent the Council, please verify the vacancy via our official careers website before sharing any information. If you have concerns about a job advert or communication, please report it to: fraud@walthamforest.gov.uk.