OPCC's Press Officer in Maidstone

As the OPCC's Press Officer you'll bring a minimum of four years' hands-on experience of working with the media and have a strong understanding of building relationships and delivering results. You will report to the Head of Communications & Staff Officer to the PCC and be part of a team with the External Engagement Officer and the Communications Officer, working closely with the PCC, Matthew Scott.

You will ensure that effective and creative communications help connect with our communities, building trust and confidence. Your role will centre on enabling the PCC to engage with the public, and showcasing delivery of his Police and Crime Plan. You will manage media enquiries and will have experience of building strong constructive relationships with journalists.

Additionally, you will provide further support to the PCC in his national roles, which focus on workforce, victims, and Blue Light Commercial as well as a leading role on Police Reform. In this you will work alongside colleagues at the Association of Police and Crime Commissioners in delivering portfolio updates and national press releases.

This is an exciting role, where you'll be part of the team supporting policing, criminal justice, and community safety issues, using your skills and knowledge to make a difference to the communities we support. You will have significant autonomy in the role seeking out proactive opportunities to promote the work of the OPCC and PCC, particularly in the current climate of reform impacting upon both the policing and local government landscape.

You'll be responsible for helping deliver the OPCC's strategic communications plan. You will lead on daily engagement with journalists, drafting press releases on behalf of the PCC that will be published via mainstream and digital platforms that will help the PCC to cut crime, support victims and build trust. You will also be required to develop strong working relationships with the Kent Police's own Press Office.

This role is based at Kent Police HQ in Maidstone, and there is the option for hybrid working. You will also be out and about, directly supporting the PCC in his engagements. There will be an expectation of providing short term appropriate cover for the other two roles in the team, but with a greater emphasis on the digital media work in the absence of the Communications Officer.

The Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner is separate to and independent of Kent Police, but we work closely together to make neighbourhoods safer. The Commissioner's role serves approximately 1.8m people including the administrative areas of Kent and Medway. Kent itself is a geographically large and highly diverse county covering approximately 1,500 square miles. It has a mix of urban, rural and coastal communities and pockets of relative affluence and deprivation.

The county's proximity to London and Essex as well as the Channel Tunnel, Port of Dover and other sea-ports present significant policing challenges, but also present great opportunities for collaboration and social and economic development across communities.

This is a full-time post, based at the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner at Kent Police Headquarters in Maidstone. Home-based working is available for several days per week. There will be travel, and occasional weekend and evening work. You will require policing vetting, and the role is politically restricted as per the Local Government Act 1989.