Senior Communications Officer
Tower Hamlets, EN E1 1BJ
6 Months, Contract
On-site
Job Summary
- Job Title:
- Senior Communications Officer
- Posted Date:
- Jul 8, 2025
- Duration:
- 6 Months, Contract
- Shift(s):
-
09:00 - 17:00
- We care about you! Explore Rangam’s benefits information
Talk to our Recruiter
- Name:
- Imtiyaz Khan
- Email:
- imtiyaz@rangam.com
- Phone:
- 203-608-3318
Description
Main Purpose Of The Job
- To manage communications officer(s) to deliver a wide ranging proactive communications service for the council. To support and develop the communication officer(s).
- To be the Communications lead for a Directorate working closely with the Corporate Director and Divisional Directors in that area.
- To work across all areas of communications including developing excellent content, planning, using and developing channels and building our audiences.
- To provide a professional media and social media service which delivers and measures content and also advises senior officers and members.
- To deliver the council’s communications strategy and an effective campaign, consultation and engagement service. To think strategically about how communications can help achieve goals in the Strategic Plan.
- To oversee a programme of campaigns based on the OASIS model with research and evaluation at their heart.
- To keep up to date with best practice in external communications in the public and private sector and introduce innovation and new ways of working to benefit the council and our audiences.
- To be a key part of the Communications Management Team to deliver the Communications Strategy and council priorities. This includes attending and contributing to key communications infrastructure including the daily huddle, Communications Management meetings and 360 meetings.
- To represent and promote the TOWER values and deliver and encourage high quality work through strong management and leadership skills
- To support the Head of External Communications in managing communications infrastructure to deliver communications activity including planning (grids), campaigns, out of hours service, Our East End, our newsletters, quarterly reports and budgets.
- To ensure excellent engagement and relationship building with services, officers and members inside the council and partners, residents and stakeholders outside the council.
Duties & Responsibilities
- Provide the highest standards of professional communications advice and communications support to the council.
- Ensure the effective management, performance monitoring and development of the communications officers championing digital channel use and best practice.
- Maintain an effective planning grids including annual forward plan, daily grid, campaigns grid, external communications team rota and communications plans that support the delivery of the council’s corporate communications strategy.
- Work as part of the communications management team to deliver a multidisciplinary communications and marketing service to the council.
- Horizon scan, monitor and provide proactive and reactive communication responses and advice on: committee and council forward plans and agendas; national, regional, local and trade news both online and in print; online conversation sentiment, including on social media.
- Support the research, development, implementation and evaluation of multimedia, campaign and consultation strategies and plans for the whole council.
- Publicise the development and implementation of initiatives, policies and successes that improve the council’s image, positively raising the council’s profile.
- Work closely with the corporate and directorate management teams to ensure the successful delivery of agreed campaigns and activities and spot opportunities for positive publicity and engagement or challenges that require communications support.
- Ensure that social media posts by the public and media enquiries are responded to quickly and accurately, while building maintaining good relationships through the right tone and regular contact where appropriate.
- Work with Strategy Policy and Performance to share and use the latest data and research for communications activity including measurement and evaluation of them.
- Work with the head of external communications and the strategy, policy and performance team to develop and manage an effective consultation calendar.
- Support the head of external communications in commissioning and managing a consultation portal for the council.
- To develop our audiences including online through social media and our newsletters.
- Support the head of external communications in working closely with local statutory partners to develop joint media and communications strategies.
- Manage on a day to day basis the out of hours press office duty rota.
Job activities:
- Working with the head of external communications to brief senior officers, the chief executive, the mayor and members on media responses, arranging interviews, press launches and preparing briefing materials.
- Undertake day to day management of the communications officers providing effective leadership, advice, direction and support, setting and achieving high standards in delivering a multimedia service.
- Support the head of external communications in effective planning through management of the external communications team rota, daily and annual grids.
- Support the development and implementation of innovative multimedia campaigns and activities that will include setting objectives, identifying and building target audiences, choosing the right channels and techniques to achieve set targets, establishing cost and measuring results in line with the overall communications strategy.
- Facilitate the delivery of an integrated communications and marketing service to directorates, working with senior managers to both raise and protect the reputation and profile of the council as a whole.
- Keep up to date with all significant policy issues and contribute to the council’s overall response on those that have implications for the council.
- Comply with targets and quality initiatives using the council’s agreed performance monitoring schemes.
- This post will require work outside normal hours attending meetings and events.
General terms
- To promote a positive image of Tower Hamlets and represent the council and other local partners at local and national level, where required, attending and presenting at such conferences, seminars and working parties as may be required.
- To maintain personal and professional development to meet the changing demands of the job and participate in appropriate training/development activities including the council’s performance, development and review scheme. To engage and develop all staff in the team to ensure they have clear personal development plans.
- Ensure that all duties and responsibilities are discharged in accordance with the council’s policies and procedures, code of conduct and relevant regulations and legislation. To comply with the council’s equal opportunities and diversity policies ensuring anti-discriminatory practice within the service area.
- To undertake additional duties that may arise from time to time commensurate with the grade of the post.
Knowledge
- Excellent knowledge of delivering campaigns, ideally using the ROSIE or OASIS model of delivery, research and evaluation methods.
- Excellent understanding of how to create and sell in a story or media package to secure national and regional coverage.
- Excellent knowledge of social media including measurement, audiences, advertising and the creation and use of film.
Qualifications
- & Experience Management experience in communications including championing tools such planning grids and key weekly meetings.
- Experienced in working well with senior staff and partners including Corporate Directors, Divisional Directors (or equivalent), members and partners.
- Experienced in developing excellent content, planning, using and developing channels and building our audiences.
- Experienced of providing a professional media and social media service which delivers and measures content and also advises senior officers and members.
- Excellent writing and editing skills with experience of writing interview briefs and key messages
- Experience of delivering stakeholder engagement including consultation and events
We work TOGETHER across boundaries and with partners to achieve best outcomes for Tower Hamlets.
- Leads and supports positive working relationships across the council and with partners to optimise outcomes.
We are OPEN and transparent
- Strongly facilitates with various stakeholders to deliver the pace of change required for the further success of Tower Hamlets
We are WILLING to challenge, innovate and be accountable
- Leads the way and encourages others, so they achieve continuous improvement with measurable benefits
We empower each other to be EXCELLENT and go the extra mile
- Delegates decision-making where appropriate, whilst supporting and managing organisational risk.
We RESPECT all communities, they are the heart of everything we do
- Ensures that they and others value the diversity of all people they work with and takes this into account in developing the service.