Communications Officer

TfGM; Manchester; On-site; GBP 36,000 - 41,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Generous annual leave

Free travel

Local Government pension

Flexible & hybrid working

Family-friendly leave

Job summary

TfGM in Manchester is advertising a permanent communications role focused on producing high-quality social and video content to promote the Bee Network and growth plans.

You will tell great stories, shoot and edit content, and translate complex transport information for diverse audiences, while coordinating with the Communications Manager and GMCA.

This busy team values creativity, collaboration and the ability to work under pressure in a fast-paced public sector environment.

Qualifications

• Experience delivering communications campaigns for organisations.
• Ability to draft copy and scripts for multiple channels.
• Skilled in turning complex data into accessible information.
• Experience filming and editing content yourself.
• Strong collaboration across teams and external partners.

Responsibilities

• Develop compelling content concepts from storyboard to publish.
• Produce social and video content for TfGM and Bee Network.
• Manage media engagement and crisis comms when needed.
• Advise colleagues on communication plans and activity.

Skills

Storytelling

Social media management

Video editing

Copywriting

Crisis communications

Media relations

Job description

Do you want to play a key role in supporting the delivery of high-impact transport communications for Greater Manchester – one of the most ambitious, exciting and high-profile areas in the UK?

Your Role

We’re looking for a communications professional who can tell a great story and has experience of producing high-quality social and video content. You’ll help promote the Bee Network and the exciting plans for its growth.

This is a brilliant opportunity to join a respected communications team, helping to drive forward Greater Manchester’s pioneering approach to public transport.

You’ll join a busy and talented team, bringing knowledge and experience of storytelling and social media – and explaining what we’re doing in engaging, easily-understood and creative ways that resonate with our customers and the public. You’ll have a particular focus on creating compelling broadcast-quality content.

If you thrive on pace and variety and are comfortable developing stories and shot lists, shooting and editing video, we want to hear from you.

Reporting to the Communications Manager and working closely with the Social Media & Digital Marketing Manager, you will play a pivotal role in the communications team. You’ll build and maintain trusted relationships with different teams and functions within TfGM and GMCA and help shape and support the delivery of communication plans, campaigns and online content to support the city-region’s transport vision.

You’ll come up with creative and imaginative concepts for content, and be confident in delivering ideas from the initial storyboard through to them being published externally.

For more info see Job Profile below.

Who are we?

You’ll be working in the Communications team at Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM), the organisation which runs the Bee Network, Greater Manchester’s joined-up public transport system, which including buses and trams, walking, wheeling and cycling.

Each and every journey is important, linking people and places, people to jobs, skills, schools, education and opportunity, helping family and friends get together and stay in touch, and supporting enterprise by opening up the job market to more candidates and helping more customers get to shops and businesses.

You will also be working closely with Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA), ensuring the communications activity we deliver is coordinated with their own activity and the elected Mayor of Greater Manchester.

It’s a key role in the team and a great opportunity to learn, develop and grow.

What you’ll bring

What you do and how you do it is important – whatever type of role you work in at TfGM – and even small behaviours and actions can have a really big impact. At TfGM, our behaviours bring to life our values of Deliver, Care and Adapt.

We’re looking for a positive, proactive, creative and pragmatic communicator. Someone who has experience of supporting the development and delivery of communications campaigns for businesses and organisations, is comfortable creating content and drafting copy for use across multiple channels.

You should have the ability to spot a good story, draft copy and develop scripts - and have the ability to translate complex data into easy-to-understand information suitable for the audience.

You should also have significant experience of using social media and digital communications channels to support the delivery of multi-channel communications plans – including the ability to film and edit content yourself.

Strong verbal and written skills are key along with a proven ability to work with a wide cross section of people and teams both internally and at partner organisations. We need someone efficient and organised, with experience of maintaining client relationships and demonstrable influencing skills, including advising colleagues about communications plans and activity.

You’ll be part of an on-call team so some experience of media engagement and crisis comms would be beneficial, along with the ability to draft copy for media releases and statements as required.

Ideally you might also have experience of working with or for a public transport provider or organisation and have some knowledge of local government and working with elected members and other elected officials.

TfGM operates in a space where commercial activities – running a transport network - have to be balanced with our public sector duties, making it a unique, fast-paced and exciting environment to work in.

You’ll need to have a keen eye for detail, excellent organisational skills, the ability to flex and effectively prioritise workloads, the ability to balance competing demands and remain calm under pressure.

What we can offer you

This is a permanent role and comes with a salary of £36,198 - £41,161 per annum depending on experience.

At TfGM we encourage candidates to discuss flexible working options at any stage of the recruitment process. We are happy to #talkflexibleworking to help colleagues maintain a healthy work life balance.

Our benefits include:

• Generous annual leave starting at 28 days (plus bank holidays), increasing with service, with options to buy more.
• Free travel on buses across Greater Manchester, plus rail or Metrolink travel for your commute, and access to our Electric Vehicle salary sacrifice scheme.
• Local Government defined pension scheme with life cover of 3x salary and options to boost your contributions.
• Enhanced family-friendly leave policies, including those supporting fertility treatment, alongside flexible and hybrid working and a special leave policy to support a range of unexpected events. Please note that qualification criteria may apply, including a requirement to have been employed with the organisation for a minimum specified period of time.
• Discover more benefits including wellbeing support, Personal and Career Development, Flexible working, financial support and more on our website