12-month maternity cover or 12-month secondment opportunity for internal staff We are looking for a dedicated Communications and Marketing Officer with a passion for engaging with our community and staff, managing reputational risk and crises and working effectively under tight deadlines. About the team Our directorates have lots of good news to share both with residents and staff. We need someone to help spread their story amongst our community. We’re a small and supportive team who work well together. We’re always looking at better, more modern and smarter ways of communicating with our residents. We don’t do fluffy PR, we do important, real time communications and marketing that have an impact on our residents’ and community’s day-to-day life. We communicate about the things that matter, everything from major roadworks to royal visits, to pioneering projects to improving our borough. These are just some of the things you could be looking at when you join us. 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 You will continually monitor, assess and manage the reputation of the organisation. You will provide high quality and effective communication and marketing strategies; lead and evaluate this work across a range of audiences and channels on key business strategies, transformation projects/corporate priorities. You will ensure accurate, positive and widespread coverage in the media of the council’s work and role in the borough. You will provide a professional lead on the council’s digital media; including video and animation, in support of communication and marketing strategies. You will work with and provide professional development and support to those communications, marketing and publicity colleagues based in other teams. Our benefits 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) Sports and social club. Enhanced maternity, paternity, adoption and fostering leave. 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. 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 Wednesday, 15 January 2025. Interviews will be conducted in person, providing candidates with the chance to personally meet the interviewers and see our office environment. 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: Name: Michelle Palmer Job Title: Deputy Head of Communications and Marketing Phone Number: 01344 352173 Name: Alayna Razzell Job Title: Head of Communications and Marketing Phone number: 01344 352171 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. 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. 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.