Communications Advisor

Christchurch City Council; Christchurch; On-site; NZD 88,000 - 98,000; Full time

Job summary

Christchurch City Council is seeking a Communications Advisor in Christchurch to shape stories and conversations that connect communities with the Council. You will develop and implement communications plans to reach Christchurch's diverse communities and keep residents informed.

You'll collaborate across teams, provide timely advice, identify reputational risks, manage communications channels, and write and edit content for a range of audiences.

Qualifications

• Have more than two years' experience as a communications advisor, or a similar role.
• Hold a tertiary qualification in a relevant area.
• Be an excellent writer, with good attention to detail and the ability to turn information into easy-to-read content.
• Be a great communicator with the ability to build strong relationships.
• Be able to work under pressure to tight deadlines.

Responsibilities

• Developing and implementing effective communications plans to reach and communicate with Christchurch's diverse communities.
• Working alongside teams from across the organisation to keep residents, stakeholders and staff informed and engaged about Council's services, facilities, events and decision making.
• Providing clear, timely and effective communications advice to teams to support their projects and initiatives.
• Helping to identify and respond to reputational risks, escalating issues where appropriate and supporting mitigation efforts.
• Coordinating and maintaining communications channels – these are the ways we reach our residents.
• Writing and editing content and repurposing for diverse audiences.

Skills

Excellent writing

Strong relationship building

Stakeholder engagement

Communications planning

Ability to work under pressure

Education

Tertiary qualification in a relevant area

Job description

Christchurch City Council – Christchurch, South Island

Join our Communications and Engagement Unit as a Communications Advisor and help shape the stories, messages and conversations that connect our community with Christchurch City Council.

About the team | Ko te rōpū nei

We keep our communities in the loop with accurate, clear and timely information about the Council's services, facilities, events and decision making – and how they can get involved.

We're the voice of the Council, communicating a trusted identity, creating helpful content and building confidence within the community.

We aim to understand what information people are seeking, how they want to receive it, and how we can reach them effectively, while advocating for transparency in everything we do.

About the role | Ko te mahi nei

Reporting to, and working closely with, the Manager Strategic Communications the role of Communications Advisor takes responsibility for:

• Developing and implementing effective communications plans to reach and communicate with Christchurch's diverse communities.
• Working alongside teams from across the organisation to help keep residents, stakeholders and staff informed and engaged about Council's services, facilities, events and decision making.
• Providing clear, timely and effective communications advice to teams to support their projects and initiatives.
• Helping to identify and respond to reputational risks, escalating issues where appropriate and supporting mitigation efforts.
• Coordinating and maintaining communications channels – these are the ways we reach our residents.
• Writing and editing content and repurposing for diverse audiences.

As a Communications Advisor, you'll be an initiative-taking, solutions focused communicator, confident in building relationships with a wide range of stakeholders. You'll approach challenges with a positive mindset and look for ways to deliver impactful communications

To be successful you will also:

• Have more than two years' experience as a communications advisor, or a similar role.
• Hold a tertiary qualification in a relevant area.
• Be an excellent writer, with good attention to detail and the ability to turn information into easy-to-read content.
• Be a great communicator with the ability to build strong relationships.
• Be able to work under pressure to tight deadlines.

What's in it for you? He aha ngā hua ki a koe?

Want to be involved in shaping your City? Here at the Council we know our strength comes from our people, working together as one team to create results. When you join us, you're getting involved first hand, and contributing to crafting the Christchurch community. You will also benefit from:

• Access to training programmes, workshops, and development opportunities
• Flexible working arrangements - WFH, adjustable start and finish times, option to purchase extra leave.
• Collaboration - exposure to wider areas of the organisation
• Benefits- a variety of benefits for Council staff from health schemes to retail discounts.

We understand that recruitment processes can be challenging. If you require any accessibility support to apply for this role, please reach out to us at****@ccc.govt.nz

• Hours of work - Monday to Friday
• Position - Full-time, permanent
• Start Date - November 2026
• Location - This position is primarily based at Te Hononga Civic Office, 53 Hereford Street
• Salary-The salary band for this position goes from$88,003 to $97,781 per annum based on a 40 hour week. Starting salaries will be based on knowledge, skills and experience the successful candidate brings to the role, and relativities both, within the immediate team and in the broader organisation for the same or similar roles.
• Closing Date - Monday 14 September 2026, 12pm

Applications will be reviewed as they are received, and interviews may take place prior to the close date. This means we reserve the right to close a job ad before the advertised close date.