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Vacancy Information

Division / Department - Media and Communications
Grade - Grade 10
Status - Full Time or Happy to Talk Flexible Working
Contract Type - Fixed Term Contract
Salary Grade Range - £34,329 - £37,692
Working Hours - 37.0 Hours per Week
Shift Allowance - No
Politically Restricted - Yes
Location - Lewes

The starting salary for this role will usually be at the bottom of the salary range and will be pro-rata if the working hours are less than full time. 

Chief Constables' Message

We really welcome your interest in joining our Police Force. It is a privilege to lead the teams in Surrey Police and Sussex Police who continuously work selflessly and tirelessly in order to keep people in our counties safe.

We are looking for talented and inspirational people who put the needs of the public at the heart of everything that they do and who want to make a difference. If you feel you are that person then we want to hear from you.

We wish you all the very best with your application.

Chief Constable Tim De Meyer & Chief Constable Jo Shiner

The Role & Key Responsibilities

We have a fantastic opportunity for an experienced communications professional to join our multi award-winning Media and Communications Department as a Communications Manager on a 12 month fixed-term-contract.

Our Strategic Communications Team works on a rolling 7-day rota, delivering proactive, insight-led campaigns which aim to reduce serious violence, engage internal teams on technological developments and investments within the force and attract the next generation of police officers to work for us.

As a Communications Manager within our team you will be responsible for delivering an outstanding, informed and effective communications service that builds understanding, trust and confidence in what we do.

Working alongside colleagues in our Media, Social and Digital and Creative Services teams, as well as senior officers and staff across the force, you will use your extensive planning and insight-gathering skills to create multi-channel campaigns which demonstrate the difference effective communication can make to policing outcomes.

Your key responsibilities will include:

  • Providing professional communications advice to develop, drive delivery of, and evaluate communications plans and campaigns to your portfolio of services, in line with the Sussex Police priorities.
  • Managing stakeholder relationships and partnership communications in the department to improve support for, and confidence in, policing in Sussex.
  • Working alongside our Media, Social and Digital and Creative Services teams to protect and enhance the reputation of Sussex Police.
  • Raising standards of communication and engagement across the force, ensuring that quality and consistency is maintained.
  • Taking on specific responsibility to lead and manage force-wide projects and/or themes.
  • Generating creative solutions to initiate and enhance communications with the public and to devise ways of implementing these projects in collaboration with departmental colleagues.
  • Managing internal and media enquiries as required, delivering appeals via news media and digital channels during weekend shifts.
  • Flexing to support the internal and external communications needs of Sussex Police in the event of a major / critical incident.
  • Ensuring consistent demonstration of the Code of Ethics through all communications activity.

Skills & Experience

  • Degree in a communications discipline or recent experience in communications, marketing or media
  • Experience working in a communications team and delivering integrated public information or behavioural communications campaigns across multiple PESO channels
  • Evidence of stakeholder management, mapping, segmentation and targeting
  • Experience of designing and running internal and community engagement activities
  • Excellent communications and interpersonal skills, with experience of liaising and advising people at a senior level and from a range of backgrounds
  • Strong writing skills with the ability to adapt content for different audiences and channels
  • Understanding and experience of using social media channels in a work environment to build awareness, understanding and engagement
  • Ability to balance and manage conflict between short and long-term priorities and reactive/proactive work under pressure
  • Excellent knowledge of Microsoft Office including Word, Excel and PowerPoint

Why Work With Us?

We take pride in looking after our people and offer a variety of benefits:

  • career progression
  • contributory pension scheme (LGPS)
  • generous annual leave allowance
  • discounts for everyday spend
  • on-site gyms and a range of sports clubs
  • generous and supportive parental leave
  • financial and mental wellbeing guidance and support
  • discounted contributory healthcare scheme

Please use the following link for more information on the benefits of working with Sussex Police

 

Further Information

The department operates on a 7 day a week basis and staff are required to work approximately one weekend out of 10.

We support hybrid working with the role able to be undertaken from our Lewes Headquarters (your contractual working location), local police sites and from home. There is an expectation that all team members work from Sussex Police Headquarters in Lewes for a minimum of two days per week.

When working the weekend, you will be given a day off the week before and a day off after the weekend worked. Weekday working times will be agreed by the Head of Strategic Communications and weekend working shifts take place between 10am-6pm.

This is a politically restricted position, to view the Political Restrictions Policy for Police Staff click here

This role requires travel to meetings and locations across Surrey and Sussex.  The post-holder must therefore have the ability to travel to these locations when required to do so.

Interviews will be held in the week commencing 14 October at Sussex Police Headquarters in Lewes.

For more information and an informal discussion about the role, please contact Sophia Travis sophia.travis1@sussex.police.uk or Becky Turner rebecca.turner@sussex.police.uk.

Diversity Statement

We are only as good as our people.  It's important that our officers and staff can be themselves in the workplace and we know that as an organisation we'll grow from the variety of thinking, approach, and the skills that diversity brings; all of which help us to deliver a better policing service. We strive to ensure how we deliver our services, provide information and how we recruit is open and accessible to all.

We have multiple staff support groups who help to improve our understanding of minority issues and ensure they are reflected in our work. We are proud members of Disability Confident, hold Race Equality Matters Trailblazer status, are a signatory of the Race at Work Charter and are aligned with the Armed Forces Covenant and the HeForShe movement.

We are committed to being an anti-racist police service. We promise to challenge injustice, ensure fairness and to uphold anti-racist principles in both our organisation and our communities. For more information, you can read our full anti-racism statement here.

We value the differences that people bring from all backgrounds and communities. Regardless of age, sex, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression, disability, social status, or religious belief, we would love to hear from you.

Please use the following links to find out more on Equality, Diversity and Inclusion at Surrey Police and Sussex Police

Additional Information

Following submission of your application you will receive a confirmation email with a copy of your application attached. Occasionally emails from this address can fall into spam/junk folders so please ensure this is checked regularly.  You may wish to consider adding noreply@surreysussexpolice.as.recruitmail.com to your address/contact list to ensure you receive all communications.

This post is being advertised in parallel with Force redeployment processes.  Any redeployees who are identified will be given preference.  This may result in the post being withdrawn at any point during the recruitment process.

Please note that not all jobs are available for internal candidates across both Forces, the current agreed recruitment principles are;

  • vacancies in collaborated units are available to all officers and staff across both Forces
  • vacancies in non-collaborated units are only available to officers and staff within the Force with the vacancy unless it is advertised externally
  • if the vacancy is advertised externally and an officer or member of staff from the other Force is successful it will result in a transfer of employment

Surrey Police and Sussex Police Special Constables, Volunteers and Agency Staff (excluding self employed workers) covered under the Agency Worker Regulations (AWR) are eligible to apply for internal advertised posts.