Communications Business Partner - Public Affairs and Policy

We are looking for an experienced, forward thinking Communications Business Partner for Public Affairs and Policy to join our Communications team at a pivotal moment. This is a senior, high profile role at the heart of the council’s strategic direction, leading proactive campaigns and behaviour change activity that supports delivery of our priorities as set out in the Strategic Framework.

As one of our senior communications leaders, you will help ensure the council communicates clearly, confidently, and transparently with residents, partners, stakeholders, and colleagues. You will play a central role in amplifying the council’s voice where it matters most, and in shaping awareness, understanding, and action around complex policy priorities and major organisational change, including Local Government Reorganisation and place shaping.

You will act as a trusted adviser to senior leaders and elected members, providing insight into the wider public affairs landscape, and helping shape the organisation’s narrative through high quality, insight led communications. Your work will support effective decision making, good governance, and strong relationships with communities and partners.

This role is ideal for someone who is passionate about proactive campaigning, influencing behaviour, and embedding communications as a core enabler of policy delivery, service improvement, and organisational change.

This is a rare opportunity to:

• Lead campaigns that directly support delivery of the council’s Strategic Framework.
• Influence policy development and place shaping through proactive and purposeful communication.
• Drive meaningful behaviour change that improves outcomes for residents and communities.
• Play a key leadership role during a period of significant organisational change.

If you want a role where your expertise has real strategic impact, we would love to hear from you.

As our Communications Business Partner for Public Affairs and Policy, you will:

• Design and deliver integrated communications and campaigns that support the council’s Strategic Framework and corporate priorities.
• Lead proactive, insight led campaigns that influence behaviour, build trust, and improve outcomes for residents and communities.
• Lead the council’s public affairs activity, including stakeholder engagement, horizon scanning, and support to democratic and governance processes.
• Act as a strategic adviser to senior officers and elected members on complex, sensitive, and reputational matters.
• Support major organisational change and service improvement, ensuring communications plays a critical role in shaping and delivering change.
• Contribute to reputation management, including handling issues, crisis response, and participation in the out of hours rota.
• Build and facilitate cross council communication networks to embed consistent messaging and shared ownership of campaigns.
• Mentor and develop colleagues to create a high performing, innovative, and confident communications function.

This role includes line management responsibilities and leadership of work programmes delivering against a forward communications and campaigns plan.

You will be a confident and resilient communications leader with:

• Extensive experience delivering public affairs communications and behaviour change campaigns in a complex organisational environment.
• Proven ability to work closely with senior leaders and elected members, providing trusted advice and guidance.
• Strong experience of designing and delivering proactive campaigns that support policy priorities and organisational outcomes.
• Excellent writing, editing, and influencing skills, with the ability to simplify complex issues for a range of audiences.
• Experience of leading and developing high performing teams, and building organisational capability in communications.
• Sound judgement, and the ability to operate calmly and effectively under pressure.
• A commitment to equality, diversity, and inclusion, and to supporting the council’s ambition to become a Net Zero organisation by 2030.

Relevant degree level study is essential. Professional communications qualifications or postgraduate study are desirable.

We value our colleagues in Cambridgeshire County Council and have developed a number of benefits in addition to the basics like annual leave, sick pay, pension and mileage:

• A comprehensive wellbeing package to cover all aspects of wellbeing, both in and out of work, which can also be accessed by your family.
• Buy up to 4 weeks additional annual leave (pro-rata) through our salary sacrifice scheme.
• Take your bank holidays flexibly to better suit your personal circumstances.
• Make Additional Voluntary Contributions (Shared AVCs) to your pension with tax and National Insurance savings.
• Access to development opportunities, apprenticeships and qualified coaches to support your personal and professional growth.
• Paid volunteering hours each year so you can make a positive impact on our community during your normal working day.
• Access to Peer Support Groups through our IDEAL staff equality, diversity and inclusion network.
• Opportunities to nominate and receive Employee Recognition Awards.
• An Our Cambs Rewards account, giving you access to in-store and online discounts as well as our Car Lease and Cycle to Work schemes.

Cambridgeshire is a great place to work and live with a diverse population, an urban centre in Cambridge, historic Isle of Ely, Huntingdon and St Ives as well as more rural landscapes.

Our four values are central to our culture, driving everything we do. We are proud to serve the diverse communities of Cambridgeshire and want our workforce to be reflective of this diversity, which we firmly believe benefits our colleagues, the organisation and our communities.

If you don’t meet every single requirement in the job role but think this could be you, please don’t be put off. We are committed to building a workplace that is compassionate and inclusive as well as diverse, so if you think you could be a good candidate for this role please consider applying and speak to the recruiting manager if you have any questions.

Our Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Strategy, along with our employee network 'IDEAL' and self-organised peer support groups help us to foster an inclusive, supportive and safe working environment where people feel valued, respected, and empowered.

We are proud to be a Disability Confident Leader. We fully support providing reasonable adjustments throughout our recruitment process, as well as when you join us, and we encourage candidates to contact the Hiring Manager to discuss any adjustment needs.