Job Title: Communications and Marketing Specialist

Location: Flexible Hybrid role - WFH and Kettering Office

Rate of Pay: £25 per hour pay Umbrella OR £19.23 per hour PAYE

Working Hours: Full Time - 37 hours

Type: Temporary Role - 3 Months

Opus People Solutions are working with North Northamptonshire Council to recruit for a Communications and Marketing Specialist.

Purpose of the job

To manage and provide external and internal communications services including corporate communications, marketing, publications, advertising promotional campaigns and the cost-effective employment of all media for such purposes.

Principal responsibilities

1. Provide corporate advice and implementation for senior managers, service areas and elected members on three or more of the specialist areas of communications (list in responsibility applicable to this role).
2. Take a lead in their areas of specialist knowledge, operating across services with minimal supervision and management.
3. Challenge existing established and proposed approaches to marketing and communications activities and, working with the Senior Communications Managers and service directors and managers, produce inventive and cost-effective strategies, ideas and actions for campaigns and one-off communications projects using appropriate media.
4. Persuade stakeholders of the validity and cost effectiveness of those recommendations and manage those ideas into projects within specified timescales and budgets.
5. Assist in the creation and maintenance of effective systems for the improved internal communications throughout the Council through the co-ordination of external and internal communications activity.

Responsibilities applicable to this role

1. Provide corporate advice and implementation for senior managers, service areas and elected members on three or more of the following areas:
2. Advertising, campaigns and evaluation
3. Service marketing management (e.g. Place & economy, Adult Social Care, Children's Services,
4. Copywriting and web and intranet content production
5. Digital design and branding
6. Internal Communications content production and management
7. Livestreaming and digital engagement

2. Under the direction of the Senior Communications Managers, take a corporate lead on three or more specialist areas of communications as set out above.

3. Develop new, more efficient and effective approaches to communications within services and council-wide.

4. Manage relations with senior managers in directorates, attending meetings and supporting the workplans with accurate, reliable and timely communications initiatives.

5. Deliver communications projects on time, within budget and that meet the objectives set out and agreed.

6. Write clear concise copy for a variety of purposes and media and gain clearance for it within tight timescales so that messages are easily accessible and relevant. To monitor photography, design and print projects on behalf of council services.

7. Ensure that accurate financial and performance information is maintained and reported to directorates / officers in respect of individual projects and overall in respect of marketing and communications services so that value for money is monitored and evidenced. Manage the marketing budgets of individual projects.

8. Manage and develop the Council's corporate visual identity and design standards for consistency and in support of the Council's 'One Organisation' ethos.

9. Review and monitor the Council's advertising arrangements and contracts for recruitment, statutory and promotional advertising and to secure tangible improvements in the appearance and effectiveness of the County Council's advertising agency to make sure that recruitment is carried out with consistency and professionalism.

10. Co-ordinate the training of staff across the Council in relation to the communications team's activities and associated corporate processes so people are aware of the processes they should go through in relations to communications.

Essential Criteria

• Suitable level of experience in a relevant communications role.
• Demonstrable knowledge and understanding of the principles of communications and marketing gained through previous work experience or through training such as the Certificate in Marketing validated by the Chartered Institute of Marketing.
• Previous experience of writing communication plans and strategies
• Good interpersonal skills and able to communicate well with clients from all levels across the organisation and interact competently with the staff, members, public, the media and external agencies.
• Able to stay calm in difficult situations and work accurately to tight deadlines and under pressure.
• Able to self-motivate and organise own workload with minimal day-to-day supervision.
• Proficiency in IT packages - Outlook, MS Teams, Word, Excel, Power Point, MS Teams
• Adobe design packages to advanced level (for specialist Digital Design roles)

For more information or to process your application for this role, please apply online now.