Senior Communications Officer East Cambs District Council

Spotted in Ely; Ely; Hybrid; GBP 35,000 - 39,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Flexible hybrid working

LGPS

Generous annual leave

Development opportunities

Supportive team

Job summary

East Cambridgeshire District Council is seeking a proactive Senior Communications Officer on a 12‑month fixed‑term contract. Hybrid working, with attendance at council offices three days per week.

You will deliver clear, engaging communications to residents, employees, councillors and stakeholders, promoting the council and its achievements, and supporting the transition to new unitary authorities if Local Government Reorganisation progresses.

Qualifications

• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to develop and deliver communications campaigns.
• Experience creating engaging content across channels.

Responsibilities

• Produce clear, engaging content for websites, newsletters, social media, and press releases.
• Translate complex information into accessible communications.
• Develop and deliver engagement plans promoting council priorities and services.
• Create campaigns highlighting achievements and positive community impact.
• Identify case studies and communicate outcomes across media and stakeholders.
• Coordinate internal communications and prepare for organisational change.
• Manage social media and respond to inquiries.
• Support media relations and crisis communications as required.
• Participate in the 24/7 on‑call rota and work outside normal hours when needed.

Skills

Excellent communicator

Highly organized

Content creation

Campaign delivery

Stakeholder management

Job description

Post reference: COM003

£34,811 to £39,481 per annum plus benefits

Full time, 12 months fixed term contract. Hybrid working, with attendance at council offices three days per week

We are seeking a proactive, creative and enthusiastic Senior Communications Officer

Working as part of a busy and collaborative team, you will help deliver clear, consistent, and engaging communications to residents, employees, councillors and stakeholders. Your primary focus will be promoting East Cambridgeshire District Council, celebrating its achievements, and demonstrating the positive impact of its services, projects and investment in local communities.

Working across council services, you will identify and communicate achievements, successful initiatives, and strong performance, showing how the council improves local people's lives. This will include highlighting its strong financial stewardship, commercial-for-community approach and commitment to delivering high-quality, customer-focused services for residents.

You will play an important role in strengthening understanding of the council's work, building pride in East Cambridgeshire, and ensuring residents, employees and stakeholders are informed about the services, opportunities, and outcomes the council delivers.

If Local Government Reorganisation progresses, you will also support the Communications Team in preparing residents, employees, and stakeholders for the transition to new unitary authorities, while helping to capture and communicate the council's legacy.

This is an exciting opportunity for an experienced communications professional who enjoys creating compelling content, managing multiple projects, and building positive relationships.

Key responsibilities

• Produce clear, accurate and engaging content for a range of channels, including websites, newsletters, social media, briefing notes, and press releases
• Translate complex, technical, and sensitive information into accessible and engaging communications
• Support the development and delivery of communications and engagement plans that promote the council's priorities, services, achievements, and positive impact across East Cambridgeshire
• Create and support communications, engagement and promotional campaigns that showcase the council's achievements, services, and positive impact on local communities
• Identify and develop case studies, success stories and community outcomes for use across media, digital channels, and stakeholder communications
• Capture and promote the council's achievements, successful initiatives, and learning, creating a strong record of its contribution to East Cambridgeshire and material that can support any future organisational transition
• Develop content that highlights the council's strong track record in areas such as financial stewardship, community investment, affordable housing delivery, support for vulnerable residents and customer-focused services
• Manage and monitor social media channels, creating engaging content and responding to enquiries where appropriate
• Create, maintain and update website content, ensuring it is accurate, accessible and user-focused
• Support internal communications activities, helping employees stay informed and engaged about council priorities, achievements, and any future organisational change
• If Local Government Reorganisation progresses, support the Communications Team in planning and delivering communications for the transition to new unitary authorities
• Assist with public engagement activities, consultations, events, and stakeholder communications
• Build effective relationships with colleagues across services, partner councils, and external organisations to gather information and develop communications materials
• Build positive relationships with local, regional and specialist media, identifying opportunities to promote council achievements and initiatives
• Monitor media coverage and social media activity, identifying opportunities, emerging issues, and reputational risks
• Evaluate the effectiveness of communications campaigns and report on performance metrics
• Ensure all communications comply with accessibility requirements, branding guidelines, and corporate standards
• Support media relations activities, including media briefings, spokesperson preparation and crisis communications as required
• Participate in a 24/7 communications on-call rota and work outside normal office hours when necessary

About you

You will be:

• An excellent communicator with strong written and verbal communication skills
• Highly organised, with the ability to manage competing priorities and deadlines
• Experienced in developing and delivering communications campaigns and engagement activities
• Skilled in creating engaging content across digital and traditional channels
• Confident in managing corporate social media platforms and online communities
• Passionate about storytelling and identifying opportunities to showcase positive outcomes for residents and communities
• Able to build productive working relationships with a wide range of stakeholders
• Comfortable working in a fast-paced and evolving environment
• A collaborative team player who is equally confident working independently and using their own initiative

Benefits

• The opportunity to help communicate and celebrate the council's achievements and contribution to local communities as local government transitions to new unitary authorities
• Potential to contribute to a major local government transformation programme
• Flexible and hybrid working arrangements
• Membership of the Local Government Pension Scheme
• Generous annual leave entitlement
• Learning and development opportunities
• A supportive and experienced communications team

This is an excellent opportunity for an experienced communications professional who wants to make a meaningful impact in local government. If you are a confident communicator, skilled content creator and organised project manager who thrives in a collaborative environment, we would love to hear from you.

If you are looking to work for an organisation that prioritises environmental sustainability, the council has made a clear commitment to operate in a responsible and sustainable manner and has recently been awarded the silver accreditation of the Investors in the Environment scheme as well as coming 43rd (out of 164) on the latest national council climate scorecard.

Adverts for posts that don't require a DBS check or a Basic DBS check

This post is covered by the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (as amended 2023) and therefore applicants are required to declare all unspent cautions and/or convictions. You can find more details about our policies for ex-offenders in the Recruitment Policy available on the on the website.

Closing date for completed applications is: Sunday 25 October 2026

The selection process will be held: Wednesday 4 and Thursday 5 November 2026

The council is an equal opportunities employer and operates a no smoking policy.