Communications Officer

Braintree District Council has an exciting opportunity for a Communications Officer to join the team.

Location: Braintree, Essex, CM7 9HB

Salary: £35,545 to £38,965 per annum

Job Type: Full-Time, Fixed-term

About Us: Braintree District Council is an ambitious and forward-thinking authority with a vision of creating a great place for our residents and businesses. As a Council, our role is as a guardian of the place and its people; where residents live well in healthy and resilient communities; a well-connected district with high-quality homes delivered with the infrastructure and a place which attracts and provides good employment opportunities. We are becoming one of the fastest growing Districts in the East of England with three growing towns, London just 45 minutes away and the district located directly between the international transport centres of Stansted Airport and Harwich and Felixstowe International Ports. We have a deserved track record for delivering and a strong reputation within the business community. Braintree District Council is a great place to work. We pride ourselves on our creative and innovative approach which is led by our staff. We are committed to having an engaged workforce who understand our strategy and how they can help deliver it.

Communications Officer – The Role: We have an exciting opportunity for a Communications Officer to join our Marketing and Communications team in Braintree, Essex, for a fixed term period of one year. Taking a lead on the implementation of communication strategies that engage, excite, inform and inspire, you will be responsible for communicating key corporate announcements. Braintree District Council is undergoing an enormous amount of change and the Communications team plays an important role in ensuring everyone is kept informed and engaged.

Communications Officer – Key Responsibilities:

• Develop and implement comprehensive communication activities to effectively engage with residents, communities and stakeholders developing key messages, identifying target audiences and selecting appropriate communication channels.
• Create engaging and informative content for various communication channels, including our website, social media platforms, newsletters and reports ensuring all content is accurate and suitable for the target audience.
• Act as the primary point of contact for media enquiries, in relation to specific projects, including proactive and reactive media activity, developing strong relationships with journalists and media outlets to ensure accurate and balanced reporting.
• Monitor media coverage and share relevant information with internal stakeholders to ensure effective communications within the Council.

Communications Officer – You:

• Significant experience of multi-channel communications.
• Relevant qualification in media and/or communications or equivalent extensive experience working within communications.
• Extensive experience of advising senior managers and members regarding media approaches to complex situations.
• Significant experience of stakeholder engagement and building successful relationships.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Significant ability to summarise complex information in lively and compelling ways for different channels and audiences.
• Excellent interpersonal skills and ability to communicate with diverse groups.
• Excellent administrative and organisational skills with the ability to deal with deadlines and conflicting priorities.

Communications Officer – Benefits:

• Flexible working.
• Hybrid working arrangements are available in this role (home/office based) subject to business need.
• Free parking.
• Local government pension scheme.
• Learning and development for all staff.
• Staff recognition schemes.
• Extensive health and wellbeing programme including discounted gym membership.

Closing date for receipt of completed applications: Midnight on Monday 7th April 2025. Interviews will be held on 15th and 16th April 2025. This is an exciting and key new role to support the delivery of some of Braintree District Council's key projects. If you’re an expert in communication and want to work for a dynamic and innovative local authority, we would love to hear from you. To submit your CV for this Communications Officer opportunity, please click ‘Apply’ now.