OPCC Communications and Public Engagement Manager

Communications and Public Engagement Manager, OPCC

What is the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner?

The Police and Crime Commissioner is an elected position, whose role is to be the voice of the people in policing, and to hold the Chief Constable to account for how they discharge their functions. We work with the largest geographical police force area in the country to make our area safer for the 1.8 million residents of Devon and Cornwall who the Commissioner represents.

The Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner (OPCC) works with numerous partners including central government, local authorities and the charity sector. Our people have gone on to hold significant and influential national roles and we support our staff with training and guidance to achieve their career aspirations.

Recently customer service and communications functions were merged to ensure both incoming and outgoing messages were consistent and accurate.

What is the role?

The Communications and Customer Engagement team at the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner manages incoming and outgoing messaging from the office. We seek to provide a high level of customer service and engage and communicate creatively to reach significant audiences in our force area and beyond, assisting the Commissioner in discharging her obligations to seek views of the residents of the force area.

Our public engagement enables residents of the force area to influence strategy and budget setting.

In recent years this small team has won awards for its campaigns to make Devon, Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly safer places to live, communicating everything from the campaign for more funding for Devon & Cornwall Police to the programme to reopen 18 police enquiry offices.

The office is looking for a Communications and Public Engagement Manager who will be responsible for the day-to-day management of all media, communications, public engagement, branding and customer service functions.

The manager will lead a small team to commission and create multi-media communications assets to assist people accessing public services and enhance public understanding of our work. This could be a video on our pioneering Prisoners Building Homes programme or a response to a media enquiry about the Commissioner.

They will lead the team to ensure that incoming correspondence is dealt with effectively and with compassion and our office values at the fore.

Who are we looking for:

We are looking for someone with a proven track record in delivering creative communications material which grabs people’s attention and encourages behaviour change or action. You will be able to work efficiently and have the focus to deliver in what are sometimes tight timeframes.

We work with the police and other critical public services, so no day is the same. You will be calm under pressure and able to respond to breaking news with an understanding of how strategy and political leadership shape frontline services.

You will exemplify our office values and ensure that members of the public who contact our office get the help, support and advice that they need.

Our work brings us into contact with senior police officers, politicians and the public we serve. With a background in journalism or communications leadership, you will be confident in managing a small team and representing the office in a wide range of settings.

You will have excellent communication skills, with an in-depth knowledge of video production, media law, photography, design, and the methods used to ensure our work can reach an audience. You will have a thorough understanding of digital metrics and be able to tailor campaigns to reach specific audiences.

To apply for this role please click the ‘APPLY’ button below, you will then be taken to a registration page. Once registered, please submit via the e-recruitment portal a personal statement of no more than 1,000 words showing how you meet the criteria along with your CV. Multimedia applications welcomed. 

Please ensure that CV’s and Personal Statements are completed ‘anonymously’ with no personal data included, such as name, address, DOB, contact numbers.