Communications Business Partner

Job Overview
To partner and support internal clients to ensure that the council's reputation is protected and key business objectives supported, through excellent marketing communications activity. Providing advice to directors, elected members and senior officers on issues management, reputation management, and campaign proposals, sourcing full-service professional support from within the communications team and externally as appropriate.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop and implement communications and marketing strategies and plans for directorates, to include creative and innovative communication activity in line with the council's corporate objectives
• Ensure all activity is audience focused and linked to strategic priorities and outcomes, with commercial acumen applied in terms of measuring results and return on investment
• To provide and co-ordinate effective media relations and to lead on responses to high level and contentious media enquiries
• Create / commission engaging content to support communications, campaigns and reputational issues suitable for a mix of audiences and channels
• Support strategic plans and make professional recommendations to senior management on campaign development and the marketing mix
• Keep abreast of professional and public sector developments which have implications for service delivery and present threats or opportunities
• Ensure that all communications activity is in line with national best practice and in keeping with the latest developments in technology.
• Must prioritise discharging the council's warning and informing duties, as part of the team's incident response requirements

Specific Qualifications and Experience

• Relevant degree (or equivalent experience)
• Advanced relevant professional qualification (or equivalent experience)
• Experience of finding positive solutions to complex communication challenges
• Strong track record of campaign planning including preparing costed proposals, creative brief development, campaign management and delivery
• Strong track record of successfully managing and advising on contentious issues with the potential to damage the organisation's reputation
• Experience of client relationship and internal account management

Personal Qualities & Attributes

• Strong customer focus with associated interpersonal skills
• Ability to work to tight deadlines and respond to a changing pattern of demand and priorities
• Able to influence at the highest level, establishing credibility easily with key stakeholders
• Ability to work on own initiative but also to collaborate as part of a broader team
• Politically astute
• Commercial acumen and ability to identify income generation opportunities for the team

Job Requirements

• Must hold a valid UK driving licence and have access to either their own car or a pool car in order to undertake the duties of the role, unless other forms of transport are available and viable to perform the role.