Vacancy Information
Division / Department - Corporate Communications
Grade - Grade H
Status - Full Time
Contract Type - Fixed Term Contract
Salary Grade Range - £31,004 - £37,042
Working Hours - 36.0 Hours per Week
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.
The Role
Are you a professional Change Communicator looking for a new challenge?
Do you have demonstrable experience in the area of Property Communications? Do you have excellent stakeholder engagement skills and experience of briefing industry media?
If the answers to the above questions are yes, then we could be the right fit for you.
We have an up to four year contract for a Lead Communications Officer at Surrey Police based at our Mount Browne HQ building in Guildford. The role leads the long term internal and external communications plans for our “Building the Future” programme.
Building the Future is a transformational programme focused on the development of Surrey Police’s estate, including the building and relocating of a new headquarters at Leatherhead, but is also about working with the wider organisation in adapting the ways in which we work.
Through the modernisation of working environments and new ways of working, supported by the right technology and a culture of trust, we will transform the experience of working for Surrey Police.
Key Responsibilities
As a Lead Communications Officer for the Building the Future programme, you should be competent and have demonstrable experience with the development and implementation of communication strategies across a range of transformation programmes. This may include experience in relation to Commercial Change and Property transformation programmes, encompassing a range of audiences and channels.
Engaging with and influencing stakeholders – both internal and external – will be key to your success in this role.
Your role will include:
• Leading on the development, management and delivery of the Building the Future internal and external communications strategy. The communications activity will vary throughout the programme but is expected to include events, PR, media relations (both industry-specific and more general), digital/social media and Surrey Police’s range of internal communications channels including the intranet.
• Developing and using key messages and targeted communications to engage with and inform identified audiences with the aim of ensuring a ‘one voice’ approach with all parties involved
• Identifying potential risks and/or key opportunities that support the programme, using communications to maintain or develop community confidence and engagement
• Being a communications consultant who advises our internal customers
• Building strong relationships with internal and external stakeholders.
• Identifying both internal and external community concerns and tensions and, where relevant, working to address these through communications tactics
• Harnessing communications tactics and techniques to play a part in driving significant cultural change at Surrey Police.
The role requires close cooperation with other members of the Surrey Police Communications Department, but will work alongside the resident Building the Future programme team.
All materials produced will be clearly aligned to programme priorities, key messages and sensitive to the current climate. You will be required to manage internal stakeholders and spot opportunities through close liaison, negotiation and influencing.
Success in this role is dependent upon building strong relationships across the force and with external stakeholders.
Skills & Experience
It is essential that the post holder has experience of working in either Change or Property Comms, with a strong working knowledge of media relations, internal communications, events planning; campaign and project planning, social media and direct to public communications.
You will have a keen interest in online communication channels and the way in which they could transform stakeholder relationships (both internal and external) in the future.
You will have extensive experience of stakeholder management and engagement.
As well as having excellent written and verbal communications skills, you will also have a broad knowledge of communications issues and challenges in a policing context.
You will have good general IT literacy including Microsoft Office skills, as well as strong organisational skills and the ability to manage a varying workload, competing priorities, and managing budgets or resources for maximum effectiveness.
You will have experience of producing good results with limited supervision, limited direct instructions and limited time to meet deadlines.
You will have the ability to build and maintain cross-functional working relationships within the department and the wider organisation.
A full driving licence and access to a car for business purposes is essential.
Further Information
Please contact Helen Wilson for more information: Helen.wilson@surrey.pnn.police.uk
This vacancy will be based at Headquarters, Guildford but will require frequent travel to our new Leatherhead site and other police properties.
Salary will be negotiated based on knowledge, skills and experience and has an additional £3,000 market supplement.
Diversity Statement
We are only as good as our people. It's really important to us that our officers and staff can be themselves in the workplace and we believe that as an organisation we'll benefit from the variety of thinking, approach and skills that diversity can bring; all of which helps us to deliver a better policing service.
We have worked really hard to create a safe, open and inclusive culture. We have a range of staff networking groups to provide specific support and advice and we are proud to be members of Stonewall and Disability Confident, and to be aligned with the Armed Forces Covenant and the HeForShe movement.
We value the differences that people bring from all backgrounds and communities so, regardless of age, gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression, disability, social status or religious beliefs, we would love to hear from you.
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.
If you are an internal candidate looking to apply for this role, please ensure that you discuss your application with your line manager before submitting an application. If you are conditionally offered the role your attendance record and any reasonable adjustments already in place will be discussed with yourself and your current line manager.
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 success 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.
Applications will only be accepted by clicking the 'Apply Now' button. CVs are not accepted as part of our recruitment process.