Work with us

As a Council Communications and Community Engagement Manager, you will play a vital role in supporting local councils with their communication and engagement strategies.

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The councils we support are mainly parish and town councils across England. They vary hugely in terms of size and resource, but all our council customers have one thing in common - they want to communicate more effectively with their communities, but need support to achieve it.

 

Your purpose will be to support our council customers to help them improve their internal and external communication approaches, ensuring they communicate more effectively and help them to promote constructive, sustainable community engagement.

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Every day will be a little bit different. Some days you'll be advising councils who are facing a communications crisis and need urgent support delivered in a cool and calm way, other days you'll be providing support on communications strategies or more tactical communication techniques.

You'll help councils understand how to listen to the communities and to report back on the work they're doing. You'll also help councils build their confidence in communicating.

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Crucially, you'll understand how to take complex subject matters and create engaging messages that resonate with the wider community, using a range of digital and traditional communications channels and techniques.

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You'll also play a key role in helping us create training content, resources, templates and community engagement action packs for councils, to help them save time and effort.
 

Key Responsibilities:

• Provide strategic and tactical communications and community engagement advice to our council customers on both internal and external communications

• Collaborate with our councils to develop engagement initiatives that strengthen relationships with their communities and improve response to public feedback.

• Support councils in implementing effective communication practices, offering guidance on key topics such as message clarity, communication plans and grids, dealing with the media and digital engagement.

• Support the delivery of training sessions and workshops for council teams on communication skills, public engagement, and managing public perception.

• Provide insights into best practices and innovative approaches to help councils proactively address community needs and build lasting trust.

• Create resources, toolkits, and templates to assist councils in managing their communication and engagement efforts effectively.

• Stay informed about trends in public sector communication and community engagement to provide up-to-date recommendations.

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Essential Skills and Experience:

• Previous experience in communications, public relations, or community engagement, whether it's within a public sector, local government or campaigning/non-profit context.

• Knowledge or awareness of the local government landscape and the unique challenges faced by councils.

• Proven ability to develop and execute effective communication strategies that build public trust and enhance engagement.

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to convey complex ideas clearly and persuasively to diverse audiences.

• Strong interpersonal skills, including experience working collaboratively with stakeholders and providing consultative support.

• A proactive, creative mindset with the ability to adapt communication strategies to different council needs and community contexts.

• Familiarity with digital communication channels, including social media platforms, and an understanding of how they can be leveraged to enhance engagement.

 

Desirable Skills and Experience:

• Experience in training or workshop facilitation, particularly in communications or community engagement topics.

• Understanding of communication tools and software, such as Canva, Mailchimp, social media platforms and tools, or other relevant platforms.

• Previous experience as a Clerk, Council Officer or Councillor