Job info	Job info details
Job title	Senior Engagement and Communications Officer
Strategic team/Directorate	Chief Executive Support
Service	Policy, Performance and Community Engagement
Business unit	Policy, Performance and Community Engagement
Responsible to (day to day issues)	Head of Policy, Performance and Community Engagement
Accountable to (line manager)	Head of Policy, Performance and Community Engagement
Salary grade	36 - 39
JE ref	BUSP58

1. Key purpose of job

• To work with the Head of Policy, Performance and Community Engagement to support and
  challenge services across the Council to ensure that there is clarity about how it will
  communicate with, engage with and empower the communities across Torbay to deliver
  services differently in the future and achieve the ambitions of the Council.

2. Anticipated outcomes of post

• A Council which positively communicates with, engages with and empowers its
  communities to deliver its ambitions, with all communities feeling able to influence decisions
  made by the Council and its partners.
  
  
• Decisions taken by the Council and its partners are safe and informed by a strong evidence
  base and feedback from engagement, empowerment, consultation and equality impact
  assessments are fully considered as part of the decision making process.

3. List key duties and accountabilities of the post

• To develop the annual programme of communication, consultation, engagement and
  empowerment across the entirety of the Council that promotes the Council positively for
  residents, visitors and partners, meets the statutory consultation requirements of the
  Council, supports the policy and service development needs of the Council and its partners,
  and provides value for money.
  
  
• To ensure the delivery of the annual programme of communication, consultation,
  engagement and empowerment in an effective and efficient manner.
  
  
• To develop and implement innovative campaigns with key messages to deliver creative,
  targeted and effective marketing, engagement and communications across multiple
  channels to ensure optimum visibility.
  
  
• To ensure the Council is consulting effectively on policy and service change and that
  communities feel able to influence decisions through open and maintained dialogue that
  empowers the community to aid the Council in delivering services and its ambitions.
  
  
• Working with the Head of Policy, Performance and Community Engagement, to support and
  challenge across the organisation ensuring the Council’s Community Engagement and
  Empowerment Strategy achieves the aim of increasing the impact and effectiveness of our
  engagement and empowerment with the community and key stakeholders. This includes
  working with colleagues across the Council to embed the principles of the Strategy.
  
  
• To ensure that effective consultation supports proposals for service change, income
  generation and efficiencies which inform the Council’s Budget.
  
  
• To develop and implement clear Communication and Engagement Plans for specific
  projects in conjunction with Directors, Heads of Service and, where appropriate, partner
  organisations and undertake evaluation of the impact of the Plan in order to maximise
  results and inform future activity, and ensure that the team does the same.
  
  
• To prepare and present regular evaluation reports to show the impact of the team and to
  make recommendations to the Head of Policy, Performance and Community Engagement
  on changes in working practices and approach as a result of the evaluation.
  
  
• To support the implementation of integrated programmes of communication, consultation,
  engagement, empowerment and equalities impact assessments to ensure that community
  and partner’s views and offers can be taken into account on all key decisions.
  
  
• To provide guidance to determine which decisions require consultation (and the level of that
  consultation) and equality impact assessments and advise the Senior Leadership Team
  accordingly; and to review and provide critical challenge to impact assessments to ensure
  that the decisions made by the Council are informed by evidence, engagement and
  consultation.
  
  
• To ensure the team responds appropriately to media enquiries, identifies emerging issues
  and addresses them in an appropriate and timely way and to advise on high-level,
  contentious and sensitive media issues.
  
  
• To support the Head of Policy, Performance and Community Engagement to prepare and
  maintain major incident media plans.

4. Budgetary/Financial Responsibilities of the post

• Responsibility for ensuring that communication, consultation, engagement and
  empowerment activities are carried out within agreed budgets.

5. Supervision/Line Management Responsibilities of the post

• Line management responsibility for:
  ▪ 5 x Communications and Engagement Officers
  ▪ 1 x Communications and Engagement Support Officer

6. Working environment and conditions of the post

• Normal working environment and conditions, with occasional requirement to:
  ▪ Support engagement and consultation events at outside venues
  ▪ Work outside normal office hours to support engagement and consultation events

7. Physical demands of the post

• Normal

8. Specific resources used by the post

• Normal

9. Key contacts and relationships

• External: Members of the public, Community and Voluntary Sector, Private Sector, other
  Public Sector organisations and media outlets and providers.
  
  
• Internal: Leader of the Council and the Cabinet, all Councillors, Chief Executive and Senior
  Leadership Team, Service Managers and other Council officers.

10. Other duties

• To undertake additional duties as required, commensurate with the level of the job.

Other Information

• All staff must commit to Equal Opportunities and Anti-Discriminatory Practice.
  
  
• The Council operates a Smoke-Free Policy and the post-holder is prohibited from smoking in
  any of the Council's buildings (including Council owned and Council leased buildings, but
  excluding designated areas in residential schemes), enclosed spaces within the curtilage of
  buildings, and Council vehicles. The Council does not permit smoking breaks within work time,
  however, in services where the flexi-scheme is in operation, employees may take reasonable
  break times outside of core hours, in accordance with flexi-time arrangements. Employees
  should follow the flexi-scheme procedure for agreeing time away from their duties in the normal
  manner with their immediate colleagues and line manager, with break start and finish times
  being recorded, as with any other break-time arrangement.
  
  
• The post-holder is expected to familiarise themselves with and adhere to all relevant Council
  Policies and Procedures.
  
  
• The post-holder must comply with the Council’s Health and Safety requirements as outlined in
  the H&S policy appropriate to the role.
  
  
• The post is eligible for both hybrid and permanent home working.
  
  
• The post-holder must be committed to the Council’s Core Values for employees – “Torbay
  Council employees are committed to being forward thinking, people orientated and adaptable -
  always with integrity”. Evidence will be sought during the probation and appraisal processes.
  
  
• You will be asked to complete a Criminal Records Self Declaration Form. Criminal convictions
  will only be taken into account when they are relevant to the post. You will only be asked to
  disclose ‘unspent’ convictions.
  
  
• Torbay Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and
  applicants must be willing to undergo the checks appropriate to the post applied for.

Person Specification

Note for Candidate

All Candidates

The supporting statement on your application form will be used to assess ability to meet the essential requirements of the role, so you should explain how you meet each of the numbered essential requirements within your supporting statement. In a competitive situation, the desirable criteria may be taken into consideration, so you are encouraged to show how you also meet each of the desirable criteria.

Candidates who consider that they have a disability

Reasonable adjustments will be made to the job, job requirements or recruitment process for candidates with a disability.

If you consider yourself to have a disability you should indicate this on your application form, providing any information you would like us to take into account with regard to your disability in order to offer a fair selection interview.

Where ever possible and reasonable we will make adjustments and offer alternatives to help you through the application and selection process.

If you have indicated that you have a disability on your application form you will be guaranteed an interview if you clearly demonstrate in your supporting evidence how you broadly meet the essential requirements of the role.

Job info	Job info details
Job Title	Senior Engagement and Communications Officer
Strategic team/Directorate	Chief Executive Support
Service	Policy, Performance and Community Engagement
Business unit	Policy, Performance and Community Engagement

Skills and effectiveness

Essential skills and effectiveness

• Ability to work effectively in a complex political environment building and sustaining
  effective working relations with Councillors, Directors, Service Managers, across
  organisation and operational boundaries, including external organisations and individuals
  within the community.
• Strong interpersonal skills and the ability to display sensitivity, tact and diplomacy in all
  situations, recognising the need for and having regard to confidentiality.
• An enquiring mind and the skills to identify positive activity and emerging issues, to gather
  the relevant information required and to capture it in brief, clear and descriptive ways.
• Excellent communication skills and the ability to communicate with a wide range of
  audiences across the organisation and partners.
• Ability to plan, manage and deliver projects within a changing environment in agreed
  timescales and budgets.
• Problem solving and an ability to see the wider picture and apply an imaginative and
  creative approach to work.
• Ability to work to independently and flexibly on their own initiative, whilst programme
  managing the work of the team.
• Ability to prioritise and balance a varied workload, with competing demands and multiple
  priorities, whilst maintaining a high level of accuracy and attention to detail.
• Proven ability in gathering, interpreting, explaining and applying information to meet internal
  and external customer needs.
• Ability to use IT systems effectively (including Microsoft Word, Outlook, Excel and
  PowerPoint) as well as social media platforms.
• Ability to evaluate information, using statistical analysis and research methodology, to make
  appropriate decisions.
• Effective leadership, management, and team building skills.

Desirable skills and effectiveness

N/A

Knowledge

Essential knowledge

• Thorough understanding and working knowledge of engagement, consultation and
  marketing techniques and methodology.
• Up to date knowledge of equalities legislation.
• Up to date knowledge of case law relating to fair decision making.
• Understanding of the key principles and practice of social media.
• Up to date knowledge of the Code of Recommended Practice on Local Authority Publicity.
• Understanding of copyright infringement and consumer privacy on digital platforms.

Desirable knowledge

• Knowledge of local area.
• Understanding of local authority processes and systems.

Experience and achievements

Essential experience and achievements

• Public sector experience (preferably in local government).
• Designing, facilitating and undertaking engagement and consultation activity.
• A commitment to working in a way which promotes equal opportunity.
• Proven experience in the development and delivery of projects.
• Working in partnership across a range of seniority levels.
• Evaluation of communication initiatives and programmes.
• Partnership working with a wide range of agencies, organisations, third sector groups, etc.
• Experience of preparing clear and concise reports and presentations.
• Experience of supervising and managing staff and performance.

Desirable experience and achievements

• Experience of promoting a service with internal and external stakeholders, including the
  community.
• Experience of identifying alternative or revised methods of working to improve efficiency
  and engagement.
• Budget management.
• Working with elective members of local government.

Qualifications/professional memberships

Essential qualifications/professional memberships

• Educated to degree level standard (including HND, professional/enhanced skill
  qualification) or equivalent or demonstratable work-related experience in appropriate areas.

Desirable qualifications/professional memberships

• Prince 2 qualification or equivalent experience.
• Evidence of continued professional development.

Other requirements

Other requirements of the job role

• Ability to travel efficiently around Torbay and the South West in order to carry out duties.
• The post will involve some out of hours working including occasional weekend activity.
  Compensatory leave of absence must be authorised and will be granted at the convenience of
  the Directorate.