Post ref: COM003
£34,811 to £39,481 per annum plus benefits
Full time, 12 months fixed term contract. Hybrid working, with attendance at council offices three days per week
We are seeking a proactive, creative and enthusiastic Senior Communications Officer
Working as part of a busy and collaborative team, you will help deliver clear, consistent and engaging communications to residents, employees, councillors and stakeholders. Your primary focus will be promoting East Cambridgeshire District Council, celebrating its achievements and demonstrating the positive impact of its services, projects and investment in local communities.
Working across council services, you will identify and communicate achievements, successful initiatives and strong performance, showing how the council improves local people's lives. This will include highlighting its strong financial stewardship, commercial-for-community approach and commitment to delivering high-quality, customer-focused services for residents.
You will play an important role in strengthening understanding of the council's work, building pride in East Cambridgeshire and ensuring residents, employees and stakeholders are informed about the services, opportunities and outcomes the council delivers.
If Local Government Reorganisation progresses, you will also support the Communications Team in preparing residents, employees and stakeholders for the transition to new unitary authorities, while helping to capture and communicate the council's legacy.
This is an exciting opportunity for an experienced communications professional who enjoys creating compelling content, managing multiple projects and building positive relationships.
Key responsibilities
- Produce clear, accurate and engaging content for a range of channels, including websites, newsletters, social media, briefing notes and press releases
- Translate complex, technical and sensitive information into accessible and engaging communications
- Support the development and delivery of communications and engagement plans that promote the council's priorities, services, achievements and positive impact across East Cambridgeshire
- Create and support communications, engagement and promotional campaigns that showcase the council's achievements, services and positive impact on local communities
- Identify and develop case studies, success stories and community outcomes for use across media, digital channels and stakeholder communications
- Capture and promote the council's achievements, successful initiatives and learning, creating a strong record of its contribution to East Cambridgeshire and material that can support any future organisational transition
- Develop content that highlights the council's strong track record in areas such as financial stewardship, community investment, affordable housing delivery, support for vulnerable residents and customer-focused services
- Manage and monitor social media channels, creating engaging content and responding to enquiries where appropriate
- Create, maintain and update website content, ensuring it is accurate, accessible and user-focused
- Support internal communications activities, helping employees stay informed and engaged about council priorities, achievements and any future organisational change
- If Local Government Reorganisation progresses, support the Communications Team in planning and delivering communications for the transition to new unitary authorities
- Assist with public engagement activities, consultations, events and stakeholder communications
- Build effective relationships with colleagues across services, partner councils and external organisations to gather information and develop communications materials
- Build positive relationships with local, regional and specialist media, identifying opportunities to promote council achievements and initiatives
- Monitor media coverage and social media activity, identifying opportunities, emerging issues and reputational risks
- Evaluate the effectiveness of communications campaigns and report on performance metrics
- Ensure all communications comply with accessibility requirements, branding guidelines and corporate standards
- Support media relations activities, including media briefings, spokesperson preparation and crisis communications as required
- Participate in a 24/7 communications on-call rota and work outside normal office hours when necessary
About you
You will be:
- An excellent communicator with strong written and verbal communication skills
- Highly organised, with the ability to manage competing priorities and deadlines
- Experienced in developing and delivering communications campaigns and engagement activities
- Skilled in creating engaging content across digital and traditional channels
- Confident in managing corporate social media platforms and online communities
- Passionate about storytelling and identifying opportunities to showcase positive outcomes for residents and communities
- Able to build productive working relationships with a wide range of stakeholders
- Comfortable working in a fast-paced and evolving environment
- A collaborative team player who is equally confident working independently and using their own initiative
Benefits
- The opportunity to help communicate and celebrate the council's achievements and contribution to local communities as local government transitions to new unitary authorities
- Potential to contribute to a major local government transformation programme
- Flexible and hybrid working arrangements
- Membership of the Local Government Pension Scheme
- Generous annual leave entitlement
- Learning and development opportunities
- A supportive and experienced communications team
This is an excellent opportunity for an experienced communications professional who wants to make a meaningful impact in local government. If you are a confident communicator, skilled content creator and organised project manager who thrives in a collaborative environment, we would love to hear from you.
If you are looking to work for an organisation that prioritises environmental sustainability, the council has made a clear commitment to operate in a responsible and sustainable manner and has recently been awarded the silver accreditation of the Investors in the Environment scheme as well as coming 43rd (out of 164) on the latest national council climate scorecard.
For an informal discussion regarding the post please contact Annalise Lister, Communications Manager on 07796 358144.
Adverts for posts that don’t require a DBS check or a Basic DBS check
This post is covered by the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (as amended 2023) and therefore applicants are required to declare all unspent cautions and/or convictions. You can find more details about our policies for ex-offenders in the Recruitment Policy available on the on the website.
How to apply
Closing date for completed applications is: Sunday 25 October 2026
The selection process will be held: Wednesday 4 and Thursday 5 November 2026
Please note that only candidates selected for interview will be contacted by the HR Department with the confirmation of an interview. If you have not been contacted by that date, please assume your application has not been successful on this occasion.
The council is an equal opportunities employer and operates a no smoking policy.