Vacancy Information
Division / Department - Corporate Communications
Grade - Grade H
Status - Full Time
Contract Type - Permanent
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
1 permanent and 1 fixed term contract (1 year)
Are you a professional communicator looking for a new challenge?
Do you have credible media handling experience and great social media skills? Do you enjoy working in a fast-paced environment where no two days are the same? Do you crave excitement and a job that really makes a difference?
If the answers to the above questions are yes, then we could be the right fit for you.
We have a permanent vacancy for a Lead Communications Officer at Surrey Police based at our Mount Browne HQ building in Guildford.
Key Responsibilities
As a Lead Corporate Communications Officer, you will be expected to be omni-competent across a range of audiences and channels. However it is recognised that you may have a particular communication specialism, and on this occasion we are looking for someone with a strong background in media relations who could supervise and manage a busy newsdesk.
Specifically at a Lead level, you will be expected to create and implement strategies for more high risk programmes of work or external issues that cover the breadth of internal; external and digital channels, as necessary, as well as advising senior stakeholders on the best course of action to meet their communication needs.
Your role will include:
• Leading on the development, management and delivery of high profile reactive or proactive internal and external communications. This may be in relation to planned events, projects and campaigns or may be in response to incidents, and media or public enquiries, with detailed evaluation to demonstrate value added,
• Developing and using key messages and targeted communications to engage and inform audiences, and change audience attitudes and behaviours,
• Identifying potential risk and/or key opportunities that support the organisation's vision and values and using communication to maintain or develop community confidence and engagement,
• Being a communications consultant who advises our internal customers,
• Leading on an identified portfolio area within the field of corporate communications where you will be responsible for developing it and demonstrating where value is being added to Surrey Police and the public,
• Keeping abreast of the local and national news agenda and social media trends, and corporate communications best practice.
The role requires close cooperation with other members of the Communications Department to ensure the material produced is consistent with short and long-term communications plans, Force priorities and key messages. You will be required to manage internal stakeholders and spot opportunities through close liaison, negotiation and influencing.
You will be part of an on-call team that provides 24/7 media relations coverage and you may also be required to provide out of hours cover when there are planned events or critical incidents.
You will also be responsible for quality assuring communications materials of more junior team members to ensure they meet the specification agreed and that the tone, content and style is appropriate to the audience and in line with agreed corporate identity and key messaging. There will also be the opportunity to coach and mentor more junior and less experienced members of the team.
Success in this role is dependent upon producing high quality, accurate and timely content both under time pressure or meeting longer term planning requirements in line with the communication requirement.
Skills & Experience
It is essential that the post holder has experience of working in a communications team, with a strong working knowledge of media relations, but also of internal communications, campaign and project planning, social media and direct to public communications, and crisis 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.
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 strong working knowledge of media law and reporting restrictions is essential.
A full driving licence and access to a car for business purposes is desirable.
Further Information
Please contact Temporary Media Relations Manager Nicola Burress on 01483 639210 or email Nicola.Burress@surrey.pnn.police.uk for more information.
This vacancy will be based at Headquarters, Guildford. Please note that in 2024 Surrey Police Headquarters is due to move to Leatherhead.
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.