Digital Communications Officer

Job Category: Comms & Marketing
Location: Laurence House – First Floor, Lewisham Council
Hours Per Week: 35.00
Start Date: Immediate Start
Start Time: 09:00
End Time: 17:00
Salary: £22.85

Communications and Engagement Officer: Fostering recruitment and children’s social care
At Lewisham Council we’re looking for a brilliant communications and engagement specialist to support our fostering recruitment and children’s social care teams.

You’ll be based in the Council’s corporate communications team and work closely with teams on the ground to plan and coordinate integrated marketing and recruitment campaigns to engage potential foster carers and help us to secure the best social work professionals in the businesses to work with our children and families.

The successful candidate will be an exceptional communicator with experience of engaging with diverse audiences. You will have experience of delivering high quality, integrated campaigns, preferably in a local authority or charity/public sector setting and will understand the challenges and context of working within a local authority.
You will have hands on knowledge of the best ways to reach target audiences, from social media to written communications and media relations, using storytelling to get our message across.

This role is both strategic and operational. For example, you’ll lead the development of strategic marketing plans and be expected to brief senior colleagues, as well as produce communications materials and lead engagement events.
A job well done will see key stakeholders positively engaged; high levels of awareness among our residents and an increase in the number of applications to be a foster carer or work as a social worker in Lewisham.

Summary of Responsibilities and Personal Duties:
• To develop and implement insight-led communications plans, and evaluate their impact
• Develop creative marketing plans that support the Service’s recruitment strategies for the Fostering and Children’s Social Care teams
• To create marketing and engagement materials, including digital media, social media and written communications
• Establish and maintain positive relationships with a range of journalists and media stakeholders
• To provide strategic communications advice to lead members and officers
• Work effectively with a range of Communications colleagues within the team to ensure communications are maximised on all Council channels
• To proactively look for new stakeholders with which to establish and develop effective working arrangements
• To be responsive to news and policy developments that impact the Council, its services and local communities