SYP - Communications Officer - October 2022

Role:                   Communications Officer

Department:     Corporate Communications

Location:            Carbrook HQ, Sheffield

Salary:                £31,425 - £36,231

Hours:                 37hrs per week (plus weekend working)

Contract Type: Permanent

Role Purpose:

Are you a creative communicator with a flair for all things campaigns, social and digital? We’re looking for a new Communications Officer to join our friendly, dynamic and multi-skilled team.

In this role, you’ll be working on our annual campaigns plan – building relationships with officers, staff and partners alike to develop, plan and execute campaigns addressing force priorities and a multitude of crime types. You’ll also have the opportunity to cover the full spectrum of responsibilities which come with being part of a public sector in-house Corporate Communications team – including internal, engagement, social media and media relations.

This is an exciting opportunity for someone with a background in owning campaigns from the initial insight work through to the evaluation. We’re looking for a team player with a strategic mindset who can think on their feet in a fast-paced environment. Experience in police communications would be beneficial but if not, a willingness to learn media law is essential.

Around one week in every seven will be spent covering our reactive news desk, where you’ll be liaising with colleagues across the force and key partners to handle media enquiries and play a crucial role in supporting investigations.

In return, you will receive a generous remuneration package including standby allowance, overtime and time in lieu. The role is based at our Headquarters in Carbrook, Sheffield but agile working is available and encouraged.

The successful candidate will be joining a driven and personable team with colleagues from a range of backgrounds including journalism, design, PR and public sector communications.

Key Responsibilities:

• To promote the work of South Yorkshire Police through a range of channels externally and internally (via the SYP intranet), to enable the public to shape and influence policing services and priorities in South Yorkshire.
• Develop positive and supportive relationships with all stakeholders including OPCC, NPCC, local authorities and other statutory bodies in South Yorkshire, and with the media, charitable and voluntary sectors.
• Receive and manage media enquiries (international, national, regional and local), making decisions about the appropriate response to be given in order to support South Yorkshire Police and to protect and enhance the reputation of the Force – where necessary to receive and manage these enquiries out of normal office hours. This will involve providing Gold level advise and the appropriate response.
• Provide tactical communications advice to the Force including providing media training, where needed, and acting as an advisor to prepare individuals for media interviews.
• Plan, implement and produce material for on-line publication to increase public accessibility and engagement with the Force, uploading information to the Force website and other social and digital platforms.
• In liaison with the Communications Hub Manager, plan and deliver communications strategies, policies and procedures to ensure a corporate, consistent, ethical and effective approach towards media engagement and news management.
• Plan and direct, on a day-to-day basis, communications activity through the media and social media which further develops the Forces interaction with communities and partners to support the strategic priorities of the Force
• Alongside departmental management, help to govern and ensure the consistent application of the Force’s image and brand across all communication platforms.

Skills and experience:

For further information relating to the role and tasks of this position, please refer to the attached role profile.

Benefits:

We offer generous entitlements and supportive policies to enable a better work-life balance, some of which are listed below:

• Generous annual leave allowance
• Flexible and hybrid working
• Generous ‘family’ leave
• Voluntary CPD Events for all staff to allow continuous development
• Mentoring & Coaching Scheme
• Paid Professional Subscriptions when relevant to role
• Access to a range of occupational health facilities
• Generous pension scheme
• Employee assistance service (accessible 24/7)
• Additional benefits for Westfield Health members
• Cycle to work scheme
• Sports and Social Club

Eligibility:

Applicants must meet the minimum requirement checkable history criteria, which must be taken into account for individuals applying to work with South Yorkshire Police in any capacity.  A minimum checkable history of 3 years is required for this role and successfully undergoing recruitment vetting procedure is a pre-requisite of employment with South Yorkshire Police.

Appearance & Standards:

The Force is currently reviewing the Appearance and Standards Policy, with particular focus to Tattoos.  All visible tattoos will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis, pending consultation of the Policy review.  Until such time, please do not be discouraged from applying to the Force as any visible tattoos will be discussed on a case-by-case basis.  Any tattoo which could be deemed inappropriate, or cause offence will not be accepted.  If you have tattoos, you will need to make a declaration at the time of application.

South Yorkshire Police’s Key Values:

Please find attached information sheet on South Yorkshire Police’s Key Values. The force has a particular focus on three areas, Fairness, Integrity and Trust. Under each of these three headings there are key behaviours we expect all employees to adhere to.

Closing Date:

Wednesday 19 October 2022 at 23:55 (Interviews will be w/c 31 October)

Closing dates are not normally extended, other than in exceptional circumstances and agreement is made between the Talent Acquisition Manager and the Line Manager for the role.

Contact point for applicants:

For further information about the role, please contact Fae Halstead on 07769 878036 or email fae.halstead@southyorks.pnn.police.uk.  Please do not contact this number for an application form.

Further Information:

Did you know? You can copy and paste the link currently in your browser and access this vacancy at home.

Diversity & Inclusion:

South Yorkshire Police welcomes applications from under-represented communities.  For further information on diversity and inclusion within South Yorkshire Police, please visit the diversity and inclusion page:

https://www.southyorkshire.police.uk/sign-up/join-team-syp/diversity-in-the-force/

If you are from an underrepresented group and want to find out more about the support we can offer, please contact our dedicated team on positiveaction@southyorks.pnn.police.uk

In addition, we will look to support anyone who requires Part Time/Job share working hours.

Note to candidates:

Please note that, should you be successful at the interview stage, the relevant internal or external pre-employment checks are required.  These include vetting clearance or review, prior to being appointed to the new role and start date being agreed.

Apply for the role:

To apply for the role, please click the ‘Apply’ button.

Internal Secondments:

To apply for this post as a secondment, you must have the support of your current Line Manager. This should be sent via email to the Hiring Line Manager.  Please ensure that the role title and the closing date are stated in the subject of your email.

Without support, your application will not be considered any further.