Communications Lead

Sellick Partnership; England; Hybrid; GBP 60,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

Sellick Partnership is recruiting for an Interim Strategic Lead - Communications, Policy & Performance for a six-month hybrid role with a Local Authority in Oxfordshire. The post requires senior leadership to shape communications, engage stakeholders and safeguard organisational reputation.

The role also covers policy, performance insight and risk, demanding experience in complex environments, political sensitivity, and the ability to advise elected members and senior leaders effectively.

Qualifications

• Significant experience leading communications, engagement or corporate affairs.
• Advising senior leaders on complex comms and stakeholder issues.
• Strong experience in reputation management and engagement delivery.
• Excellent leadership and influencing skills across diverse stakeholders.
• Experience in politically sensitive or complex organisational environments.
• Balance strategic comms leadership with performance/policy responsibilities.

Responsibilities

• Lead the council's communications and engagement function with a clear strategic approach.
• Advise on communications, media relations, stakeholder engagement and reputation.
• Develop and deliver comms strategies aligned to corporate priorities.
• Counsel senior leadership and elected members on high-profile matters.
• Lead proactive engagement with residents, partners and businesses.
• Oversee crisis communications and reputational risk management.
• Provide strategic oversight of policy, performance insight and risk management.

Skills

Strategic leadership

Crisis communications

Stakeholder engagement

Reputation management

Public affairs

Influencing skills

Education

CIPR member

CMI/ILM member

Job description

Interim Strategic Lead - Communications, Policy & Performance

6-Month Interim Contract | Hybrid Working | Local Authority | Oxfordshire

Sellick Partnership are partnering with a forward-thinking local authority to appoint an experienced Interim Strategic Lead - Communications, Policy & Performance on an initial six-month contract.

This is a senior leadership opportunity with a strong emphasis on communications, engagement and reputation management. Our client is looking for an individual who can provide strategic leadership to its communications function, acting as a trusted adviser to senior leadership and elected members while driving proactive stakeholder engagement and organisational messaging.

Whilst the role also holds responsibility for policy, performance, insight and risk management, these areas are secondary to the core communications remit. As such, we're particularly interested in speaking with experienced communications leaders who have operated at a strategic level within complex organisations.

Key Responsibilities of the Strategic Lead - Communications, Policy & Performance:

• Lead the council's communications and engagement function, ensuring a clear and consistent strategic approach across the organisation.
• Act as the principal adviser on communications, media relations, stakeholder engagement and reputation management.
• Develop and deliver communications strategies that support corporate priorities, transformation programmes and organisational change.
• Provide communications support and counsel to senior leadership and elected members on high-profile and politically sensitive matters.
• Lead proactive engagement with residents, partners, businesses and key stakeholders.
• Oversee crisis communications and reputational risk management activity.
• Provide strategic oversight of corporate policy, performance, insight and risk management arrangements.
• Support the use of organisational performance data and insight to inform decision-making and continuous improvement.

The Strategic Lead - Communications, Policy & Performance will have:

• Significant experience leading communications, engagement, public affairs, media or corporate affairs functions.
• A track record of advising senior leaders on complex communications and stakeholder management issues.
• Strong experience in reputation management, strategic communications planning and engagement delivery.
• Excellent leadership and influencing skills, with the ability to build credibility quickly across a range of stakeholders.
• Experience operating within a politically sensitive or complex organisational environment.
• The ability to balance strategic communications leadership with broader corporate responsibilities including performance, policy or organisational improvement.
• Local government or wider public sector experience.
• Experience supporting transformation, organisational change or service redesign programmes.
• Relevant professional qualifications or memberships such as CIPR, CMI or ILM.

This assignment offers the chance to take ownership of a high-profile communications portfolio at a pivotal time for the organisation. The successful candidate will play a key role in shaping how the council communicates, engages and builds confidence with its stakeholders, whilst also contributing to wider corporate leadership priorities.