Communications Business Partner

Job Introduction

BCP Council’s Corporate Communications team is undergoing some exciting changes.  

We’re looking for some seriously creative and solutions focussed Communications Business Partners to help us lead and drive this exciting change.

Confident and adept in campaign planning and delivery, you will inspire the work of the wider team. The use of audience and data insights will be second nature in your planning, as will the use of behavioural science to inform your creative briefs. Continuous improvement will be an intrinsic part of your approach.

You will pride yourself on building long term, productive and professional relationships as much as on your ability to produce impactful work; and above all, your work will help us to improve how we engage with our key audiences – especially our residents.   No two days will likely be the same.   

We are looking for someone with experience in managing complex communication challenges and who can advise senior leaders on contentious issues.  

If you thrive in a fast-paced environment; have an ability to work to tight deadlines, respond to changing priorities and can establish credibility easily with key stakeholders then we’d love to hear from you.

This is a fantastic opportunity to be part of a passionate and high-performing communications team at an exciting time for BCP Council. We operate in a fascinating politically nuanced environment. Our Three Towns Alliance is just over a year in post with a recently published Corporate Strategy; there’s been a seismic shift in our MP representation and we continue to transform after local government reorganisation.  We navigate this political environment with great care and use our expertise to advise, manage and deliver communications on issues that have real impact on the people, communities, place and environment we serve.

We find our work exciting and professionally stimulating: the challenges are real, but so are the opportunities and our determination to succeed. We aim to be the best Communications Team in the country, and we have a plan to improve the way we work to help us get there. If you share our enthusiasm for the dynamic issues we juggle, our passion for thinking differently, innovating and putting our audiences first, then we want you to join us on our journey.

You’ll be based in the vibrant coastal towns of Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole and have access to all the area has to offer – from beautiful beaches to cultural highlights and a thriving urban social scene. We’re open to flexible working arrangements and operate a hybrid working environment, with an office at Bournemouth Civic Centre.

You will support colleagues across the team which means there will be a requirement to work some weekends and evenings as part of the team’s out of hours rota. You may also have to cover the occasional evening council meeting.

Role Purpose

To partner and support internal clients to ensure that the council’s reputation is protected and key business objectives supported, through excellent marketing communications activity. Providing advice to directors, elected members and senior officers on issues management, reputation management, and campaign proposals, sourcing full-service professional support from within the communications team and externally as appropriate. 

Main Responsibilities

• Develop and implement communications and marketing strategies and plans for directorates, to include creative and innovative communication activity in line with the council’s corporate objectives
• Ensure all activity is audience focused and linked to strategic priorities and outcomes, with commercial acumen applied in terms of measuring results and return on investment
• To provide and co-ordinate effective media relations and to lead on responses to high level and contentious media enquiries
• Create / commission engaging content to support communications, campaigns and reputational issues suitable for a mix of audiences and channels
• Support strategic plans and make professional recommendations to senior management on campaign development and the marketing mix
• Keep abreast of professional and public sector developments which have implications for service delivery and present threats or opportunities
• Ensure that all communications activity is in line with national best practice and in keeping with the latest developments in technology.
• Responsible for identifying and maximising income opportunities for the team and making contributions towards our income target
• Must prioritise discharging the council’s warning and informing duties, as part of the team’s incident response requirements

The Ideal Candidate

Specific Qualifications and Experience 

• Relevant degree (or equivalent experience) 
• Advanced relevant professional qualification (or equivalent experience) 
• Experience of finding positive solutions to complex communication challenges
• Strong track record of campaign planning including preparing costed proposals, creative brief development, campaign management and delivery
• Strong track record of successfully managing and advising on contentious issues with the potential to damage the organisation’s reputation
• Experience of client relationship and internal account management 

Personal Qualities & Attributes 

• Strong customer focus with associated interpersonal skills 
• Ability to work to tight deadlines and respond to a changing pattern of demand and priorities
• Able to influence at the highest level, establishing credibility easily with key stakeholders
• Ability to work on own initiative but also to collaborate as part of a broader team
• Politically astute 
• Commercial acumen and ability to identify income generation opportunities for the team

Job Requirements 

• Must hold a valid UK driving licence and have access to either their own car or a pool car in order to undertake the duties of the role, unless other forms of transport are available and viable to perform the role.

For an informal discussion about this post please contact Julia Bullas Senior Communications Manager julia.bullas@bcpcouncil.gov.uk

About BCP Council

BCP Council provides services to a diverse community of 400,000 residents and employs more than 5,000 people. Our area includes over 15 miles of beautiful world-renowned coastline. We can offer career defining roles to transform and improve services. By working with us, you can help deliver a vision of a thriving, word-class, prosperous and inclusive place for generations to come.

Our Benefits

We offer an excellent benefits package to colleagues. Find out more onsupport.aspx" target="_blank" style="text-decoration:none;" rel="noreferrer noopener"> our website

As a result of the creation of BCP Council in 2019, we are working on simplifying our terms and conditions of service and will be creating a single pay structure which is to be applicable for all employees. It is important to us that we offer benefits that our colleagues value as part of their total employment package and we are reviewing these to make sure we have it right. We are in the process of establishing a timescale for implementation and colleagues joining us will be included in these changes. This is expected to be in place in 2024 or early 2025.