You will be passionate about communicating with our community and staff; managing reputational risk and crises and working to tight deadlines. Any successful internal candidate will be offered the position as a secondment and, in line with Section 8.1 of the Secondment Policy, must consult with their manager before applying. About the team… We’re a small, friendly, hard-working and dedicated team of communications, marketing and media officers and graphic designers. We get to work with hundreds of staff across the council, often at very senior levels, as well as other groups and councillors. We also deal with a range of journalists daily, often on sensitive or urgent issues. We often have to think on our feet within short deadlines; no day is ever the same. You’re going to have a big impact on what we do, so you’ll be trusted to take ownership of your work, your time and managing councillors and key senior leaders. Key responsibilities Responding to approximately 300 media enquiries per year about services across the council. To be achieved through providing expert advice, drafting responses, facilitating interviews and briefings, securing appropriate senior officer / councillor input and sign off, in a timely and appropriate way. Providing expert media advice to team members, senior officers and councillors on prioritising highly sensitive or confidential reputational risks. Work with communications and service-based staff to define key messages for these. Providing a professional lead on the council’s social media and digital activities; working with communications officers to develop, deliver and review innovative and target driven social media campaigns. Lead and manage production of our resident and staff publications. Lead and manage the Leader’s column to ensure positive promotion of, and effective engagement in, the council’s work and its strategic themes in action. Participate in the out-of-hours duty rota, which provides emergency communications support 24/7 365 days a year, for which additional payment is made. Our benefits… This role is for 30 hours per week. This will be across four days per week - Mon, Tues, Wed, and Fri, 9am - 5pm. 28 days increasing to 33 days after 3 years’ continuous service. The opportunity to buy up to 10 additional days annual leave per year and sell 5 days. Hybrid working opportunities to support your wellbeing and work-life balance. An inclusive and social working environment with a variety of staff networks. Local government pension scheme. Life insurance cover (linked to the pension scheme) Enhanced maternity, paternity, adoption and fostering leave. Recognition of continuous service attained within the NHS and UKHSA when calculating some benefits such as annual leave entitlements, occupational maternity/paternity leave, and more. (Terms and Conditions apply – please refer to candidate pack for more information.) Career development through internal and external training opportunities. A great office location next to travel links and Bracknell Forest’s thriving town centre. Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) to support your health and wellbeing. Sports and Social Club. Staff dental and health plans. Discounted leisure centre and gym membership. Supermarket discount. (pro rata for part time) Our Values At Bracknell Forest Council our values define who we are and what is important to us. Our core values are inclusive, ambitious, and always learning. These values influence the way we work with each other and the way we serve our residents and engage with our communities. We make our values real by demonstrating them in how we behave every day. If you’re excited about joining a diverse team that celebrates learning and strives for excellence, we’d love to hear from you. We are committed to ensuring an inclusive recruitment process for all applicants. If you require any reasonable adjustments to support your application or interview, please let us know by contacting recruitmentbracknell-forest.gov.uk. We will work with you to support you throughout the process. Interview date Interviews will be held on Monday, 3 March 2025. Interviews will be conducted in person. We will be reviewing applications regularly and reserve the right to close the advert early if suitable candidates are identified. To avoid disappointment, you are advised to submit your application as soon as possible. Please note AI is prohibited during the interview, any candidate using AI will be withdrawn from consideration. Want to ask us a question? For an informal discussion or to ask any questions about this role, please contact: Michelle Palmer, Deputy Head of Communications and Marketing: 01344 352173 At Bracknell Forest we champion equality, diversity and inclusion. At Bracknell Forest Council, we are always learning, ambition and inclusive. Please see our candidate pack for more details. Bracknell Forest Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults. We expect everyone employed with us to share this commitment. We can only accept applications from candidates currently residing in the UK. Candidates currently residing in the UK who require sponsorship to work are encouraged to assess their eligibility for a Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS) based on the relevant criteria. Please be aware that sponsorship availability varies and is subject to eligibility requirements and budget limitations. As a result, we cannot guarantee sponsorship for all roles and will evaluate sponsorship requests on a case-by-case basis. No agencies please.