Senior Communications Officer

Chorley Council & South Ribble Council; Leyland; Hybrid; GBP 38,000 - 40,000; Full time

Job summary

A local government authority in Leyland is seeking a Senior Communications Officer to lead innovative communications campaigns. This role involves working across two councils, managing public relations, and contributing to community engagement. The ideal candidate must have strong creative communication skills and a passion for public service, with a focus on both internal and external communication strategies. Good negotiation and problem-solving abilities are essential, along with a keen interest in local governance.

Benefits

25 days annual leave plus bank holidays

Hybrid/agile working

Local Government pension

Healthcare Cash Plan

Cashback website access

Volunteering days

Free parking

Qualifications

• Imaginative with excellent creative communications skills.
• Ability to create and maintain excellent relationships.
• Keen interest in working in public service.

Responsibilities

• Lead communications for major projects across councils.
• Develop and deliver communications plans.
• Advocate for an ‘internal first’ approach to communications.

Skills

Creative communications skills

Problem solving

Negotiation skills

Relationship management

News sense

Innovative approach

Job description

Overview

Role: Senior Communications Officer

Location: South Ribble Borough Council and Chorley Council locations and home working

Contract: Full time (36.5 hours per week) / Permanent

Salary: £38,220 - £39,152

Closing Date: 12 October 2025

Are you a creative storyteller who can deliver high-quality data led communications campaigns? We’re looking for someone to join our creative and talented communications team in a senior position ready to deliver outstanding campaigns across South Ribble Borough Council and Chorley Council.

In a role that works across two organisations, your work will cover multi-million pound investments, grass roots community led projects, award winning events and everything that comes in between to keep our staff, residents, businesses and visitors informed and engaged.

What you’ll be getting up to

• Lead the communications and marketing for major projects across the organisations ensuring it is data led and evaluated effectively.
• Be proactive in seeking out opportunities to publicise the work we are doing and work with colleagues across the organisations to develop and deliver proactive communications plans to deal with complex issues, providing challenge where necessary.
• To be an advocate for our ‘internal first’ approach to communications, working with teams to create a culture where this is seen as everyone’s responsibility.
• Be creative in the development of new communications channels, working with the team to ensure we are communicating with residents in the right place, at the right time.
• To ensure all officers and members are supported and advised on communications and public relations as required.
• To provide wider support to the team through media relations, ensuring websites and intranets are up-to-date and deputising for the Communications Manager where appropriate.
• To be part of an out of hours social media rota to and attend meetings and/or events outside of normal working hours where necessary.

We’re looking for someone who

• Is imaginative with excellent creative communications skills
• Is a great problem solver, adaptable and with brilliant negotiation skills prepared to take on a wide variety of work
• Have a keen news sense – being able to sniff out great stories to showcase the work of both councils
• Is able to create and maintain excellent relationships with external and internal colleagues
• Has a keen interest in working in public service, with a knowledge of how local government works
• Can be innovative and creative in their approach

Other requirements

• This role requires out of normal hours meeting and event attendance from time to time.
• Access to a vehicle is desired.

Our Benefits

• 25 days annual leave plus bank holidays (and Christmas shutdown)
• Hybrid/agile working from day one
• Local Government pension
• Healthcare Cash Plan for cash back on health treatments
• Cashback website access for savings on brands you love
• Volunteering days
• Free parking

Many of our colleagues work flexibly for us. We’re always open to conversations around different working arrangements. If you’re interested in part-time, compressed hours or any other working arrangement, please get in touch with us through the “Contact Us” form on our careers website.

About Us

At South Ribble Council, our mission is to provide a first-class service and improve the quality of life for our communities. Our staff are our greatest resource in helping us achieve this. They’re at the heart of everything we do and are crucial to the delivery of excellent services.

Working Together

We share a number of our services with Chorley Council. This allows for improved resilience across both councils and provides numerous benefits to our operations. Whilst some staff and back-end processes are shared between the Councils, both Councils still retain sovereignty and have separate strategies and corporate plans.

Additional information

Applicants are advised to apply early. We reserve the right to close a vacancy prior to the closing date.

Equal Opportunities

We believe that everyone has the right to be treated with dignity and respect. We are committed to the elimination of unfair and unlawful discrimination and prejudice in all our policies, procedures, and practices. We’re committed to making our recruitment practices barrier-free and accessible to everyone. This includes making adjustments for disabled people, neurodiverse people or people with long-term health conditions. If you would like us to do anything differently during the recruitment process, please contact us via the "Contact Us" page on our website. If you are disabled or your last employer was the armed forces, and you meet all the essential criteria of a post, you will be guaranteed an interview.