Who we are
We are a bright, leading communications consultancy with a wealth of experience, lots of energy and a focus on social good.
Our clients include local authorities and organisations from all tiers and all corners of the UK as well as central government, the third sector and the private sector.
Our work is carefully planned and implemented with innovation, speed and efficiency.
Our approach is to provide the best possible advice and service delivered by the best people in the business. Based on insight, evidence and an understanding of clients business and audiences, our approach is to coach and train a leading edge team, dedicated to supporting clients from project inception to the evaluation of outcomes.
Job description
Twickenham, London
Salary: £31k Initially fixed term until 31 December 2019 – however dependent on performance and Westco contract with Richmond Council, could be extended after this date.
Deadline for applications: 30th August 2019.
Start Date: ASAP
Full Time: 5 Days per Week
Please send CV and covering letter to: elinor.firth@richmondandwandsworth.gov.uk
As part of our contract with Richmond Council (based in Twickenham) we are looking for an enthusiastic, creative PR professional. We are looking for someone who also is enthusiastic about digital media, to join the small but busy team, managing dynamic results-driven campaigns.
Purpose of the job
• Design and deliver an innovative PR strategy for Richmond Council – targeting community / local / regional / national and specialist media outlets.
• To create and maintain a ‘Digital Press Office,’ working alongside the Digital Marketing Officer to deliver effective, digital communications via social media, video, social media advertising, podcasts and the Council e-newsletters.
Key duties and responsibilities of the role:
To deliver an effective strategic, proactive media and public relations service for Richmond Council. Not only should you understand print media, but you need to show a detailed understanding of TV/ Radio and specifically digital communication channels (e.g. social media / online communities / blogs and podcasts). This includes:
• Design and deliver up to eight strategic PR and digital campaigns throughout the first year, including liaising with the client to understand what the most effective strategy is to deliver the objectives, including understanding audience segmentation.
• To maintain an ongoing forward plan of Council news and community stories
• To deal with reactive enquiries from print, broadcast and online media and ensure that the council’s position is credible and effectively communicated.
• To research and write proactive press releases/briefing notes and fact sheets on Council services and initiatives.
• To arrange and attend photo opportunities
• To arrange / film and edit weekly videos
• To create regular social media content
• To organise, write and edit, a monthly ‘podcast’
• To build and maintain close links with national, regional, trade and local media and develop PR contacts within specialist area of activity.
• To provide advice and support to officers and elected Members
• To write copy for a range of Council publications and digital channels, such as online community news web pages and the new Council e-newsletter
• Assist with the organisation of Council events e.g. exhibitions / workshops etc, in line with various campaign activity.
• To undertake other duties as directed in line with the overall communications objectives of the Council
Other responsibilities and activities include:
• Providing an out of hour’s service in the evenings and at weekends on a rota basis. News can break at any hour and Richmond can be big news – you should be as comfortable dealing with an unexpected call from a national newspaper on Friday evening as dealing with weeklies on a Monday.
• Provision of an emergency media / social media service
• Contributing to the evaluation of the effectiveness of media work through the media monitor and creating a morning media summary
• Considering the media implications of national policy and committee decisions and advising accordingly.
Work across the team
• Contribute to the work of the team by undertaking team-wide activity e.g. by writing articles for Council publications and company blog.
• Attending and participating in team training seminars.
• Attending daily morning meetings and weekly full team and section meetings.
• Provide cover for colleagues as directed by the Head of Communications.
• To undertake work to agreed standards and targets as set out in team annual Work Plan.
Supervision
The post holder reports to the Communications Manager who will allocate their work and set deadlines and priorities which they will be expected to meet autonomously.
Financial Accountability/Influence
The post holder holds no direct budgetary responsibilities, but is expected to have regard for delivering value for money at all times.
Education
• Educated to degree level or equivalent
• Related professional qualification desirable e.g. NCTJ or other PR / journalism or marketing degree
• Experience of working in a communications role
Essential Experience Skills
• Previous experience working for a local authority (Essential)
• A solid understanding of how media works (Essential)
• Extensive experience of using social media – specifically Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram & Pinterest (Essential)
• Experience of creating podcasts (Essential)
• Experience of creating video content and editing. (Essential)
• Experience of working with minimum supervision and project management. (Essential)
Personal Skills
• Excellent writing skills.
• Computer literacy.
• Good project management skills to drive project forward, keep accurate records and project plans up to date.
• Good negotiator, can persuade and liaise at a high level within the organisation, and with external bodies. Displays sensitivity, tact and diplomacy in all situations.
• Imagination and flair to think laterally about campaigns and the use of communications tools displaying flexibility in responding to rapidly changing circumstances.
• Flexibility: can evaluate situations quickly, foresee problems and select effective solutions. Think quickly, analytically, logically and proactively.
• Demonstrate an understanding of the communication needs of different audiences and how this can be expressed in a written or web-based publication. Ensures all publicity is accurate before printing, grammar, spelling, visuals, layout and sense. Checking, double-checking and triple checking all printed material.
