Principal Policy Officer (Engagement and Consultation)

Medirest Signature; Canterbury; Hybrid; GBP 47,000 - 54,000; Full time

Job summary

An exciting opportunity at Canterbury City Council for a Principal Policy Officer to lead engagement initiatives across the organization. The role focuses on enhancing community involvement and refining consultation strategies, supported by competitive remuneration and robust employee benefits like flexible working, training opportunities, and wellness programs.

Benefits

Flexible, hybrid working arrangements

Generous annual leave entitlement

Local government pension scheme

Employee discounts

Access to free counselling and health support

Qualifications

• Considerable experience with consultation and engagement.
• Ability to coordinate high-profile projects.
• Expertise in creating tailored consultation approaches.

Responsibilities

• Lead the implementation of the Consultation and Engagement Strategy.
• Provide advice and coordinate high-quality consultation activities.
• Ensure tenant engagement mechanisms align with regulatory standards.

Skills

Project Management

Stakeholder Mapping

Communication

Education

Experience in local authority consultation

Job description

An exciting job opportunity at Canterbury City Council within the Corporate Policy and Strategy Team.

We are looking for a talented and highly-motivated Principal Policy Officer (Engagement and Consultation) to lead the implementation of the council’s Consultation and Engagement Strategy and deliver best practice engagement with our communities and stakeholders also with our social housing tenants.

What’s in it for you?

• Salary of £47,307.91 - £53,187.22
• Cost of living pay award negotiated annually as a salary increase
• Flexible, hybrid working - we understand the importance of a good work-life balance.
• We offer a generous annual leave entitlement! You’ll receive 23 days annual leave which increase with service, plus bank holidays, PLUS 3 given days which are usually used over the Christmas period when our main offices are closed. You’ll also have the option to buy more annual leave.
• We do not work on Bank Holidays.
• A fantastic local government pension scheme.
• We’ll support and encourage your career by providing excellent opportunities for training and development, as well as cover your Professional Body Membership fees where essential to the role.
• Employee perks, including multiple retailer and lifestyle discounts to help you get the most out of your money and enjoy your free time.
• An easier commute: free use of Canterbury’s Park and Ride, flexi bus tickets, and a cycle to work scheme.
• Stay healthy: Access to free counselling, advice and webinars through our employee assistance programme, as well as contributions to the cost of Flu Jabs.
  
  

About this Principal Policy Officer job:

Becoming Canterbury City Council’s strategic lead for engagement, you’ll work closely with senior management, councillors and project leads to shape and deliver best practice engagement which enables our communities and external stakeholders to influence the council’s decision making effectively.

Here’s what you’ll get up to:

• You will drive forward the council’s Consultation and Engagement Strategy (under development) to embed best practice engagement principles across the organisation and lead on key projects and initiatives to improve outcomes.
• You will provide best practice advice and work with colleagues across the whole council to coordinate and deliver high quality, meaningful consultation and engagement activities and produce evidence-based reports to inform policy and service delivery.
• You will play an important role in the delivery of the council’s tenant engagement function; ensuring our social housing tenants have effective mechanisms to influence policies and scrutinise our performance, in line with the Regulator of Social Housing’s standards.
• You will also contribute to a range of corporate policies and strategies across the team’s activities, including the Corporate Plan, Local Plan and Climate Change Action Plan.

About you, the ideal candidate for the job:

• You will have considerable experience applying the current framework and best practice for consultation and engagement activities at a local authority or similar setting, and an understanding of the standards for tenant engagement set by the Regulator and how these apply to the council.
• You will have the expertise to design and deliver tailored approaches to consultation and engagement activities, and the ability to coordinate a variety of high-profile projects concurrently using excellent project management, stakeholder mapping, analysis and communication skills.
• You will have confidence pioneering new and innovative initiatives and the ability to build effective relationships with a wide range of internal and external partners and stakeholders to drive effective engagement and continuous improvements.

Working pattern:

• Monday to Friday, excluding bank holidays
• Flexible working arrangements, including working from home / remote working
• Permanent contract, 37 hours per week

So, if this Principal Policy Officer job opportunity at Canterbury City Council looks right for you, please apply today! Simply click the “Apply Online” button and create your account to begin your application form.

For an informal chat to find out more about the role please contact Andrew Thompson (Corporate Policy and Strategy Manager) on 07542266735 or by email at [e-mail], or Leo Whitlock (Head of Policy and Communications) on 01227 862354 or by email at [e-mail]

Equality, Diversity & Inclusion Statement

We are committed to promoting equality and diversity in everything we do. We provide a safe and welcoming environment where everyone is valued, included and respected. Our diversity strengthens our ability to serve the diverse communities we support through our work. To demonstrate this through our actions, all applications are anonymised for the shortlisting panel, allowing all applicants to be assessed on merit alone.