Communications Coordinator

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

We are advertising for a Band 5 Assistant Communications Officer / Communications Coordinator.

You will support in the planning and delivery of campaigns that seek to improve the health and well-being of the population of Wales.

Your main duties will include:

• Supporting the Communications Manager in the planning and delivery of public health communications campaigns
• Providing expert communications advice and support to staff from across the organisation
• Supporting colleagues in the delivery of stakeholder communications and engagement activities
• Supporting the Senior Communications Manager in the administration of communications activities
• Writing and editing copy for a range of channels
• Working with the Digital Communications team in the development and delivery of digital and print assets

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Communication and Relationship skills

• Provide and receive complex information; provide advice, instruction or training to groups
• Have good verbal and written communication skills, preferably in both English and Welsh
• Receive complex information for use in Public Health Wales campaigns, on websites and in public, system and staff-facing communications
• Work with and provide support to the Campaigns and Planning team and wider Communications Team

Knowledge, Training and Experience

• Expertise within a specialism or discipline, underpinned by theory
• Knowledge of communications, public relations, journalism and marketing communications techniques, approaches, procedures: acquired through training to relevant degree level or equivalent, and experience

Analytical and Judgemental Skills

• Range of facts or situations requiring analysis
• Make judgements that involve a range of options about suitability of resources to meet users’ needs
• As appropriate collect, analyse and present statistics on campaigns, media, digital and use of relevant platforms

Planning and Organisational Skills

 Plan and organise complex activities or programmes, requiring formulation, adjustment

• Formulate and adjust operational plans when situations require it, often at short notice
• Arranges meetings, events, press conferences, photocalls / coordinates communications campaigns

 Physical Skills  

• Advanced keyboard and computer skills for inputting data/conducting searches
• Some travel may be required.

Responsibility for Patient/Client Care

• Assist patients, service users and the public with incidental and general public health advice

Responsibility for Policy and Service Development

• Analyse the communication implications of policy proposals (from within Public Health Wales and stakeholders) and provide advice on managing the implications

Responsibility for Financial and Physical Resources

• Order and purchase printing, translation, design and similar services
• Take responsibility for managing nominated project budgets

Responsibility for Human Resources

• Allocate and share tasks while working as a member of a number of teams
• May demonstrate duties to new starters or other staff

Responsibility for Information Resources

• Regular requirement to use software to create reports; maintain one or more information systems, significant job responsibility.
• Develops press releases, publications, presentations using desk-top publishing, website software; if systems are developed to maintain press cuttings, photo library, and similar departmental databases as required.

Responsibility for Research and Development

• Undertake surveys and audits as necessary for communications work
• Provide a knowledge base on key communications initiatives to inform research and implementation of effective practice

Freedom to Act

• Expected to work largely autonomously to plan and deliver the work of the communications team, guided by professional and industry standards but making own decisions on how best to interpret these for Public Health Wales.
• Work will be managed not supervised. Need to determine own work schedule and make own decisions about prioritisation.
• Develop appropriate partnerships in communications and across Public Health Wales divisions

Physical Effort

• Frequent sitting in restricted position; light effort for several short periods
• Desk based work using keyboard, mouse and monitor for prolonged periods on a daily basis.
• Occasional travel around Wales for meetings.

Mental Effort

• Frequent requirement for concentration where work pattern is predictable/frequent concentration, work pattern unpredictable.
• Concentration required for writing copy, data inputting, checking information and answering enquiries.
• Frequently required to change tasks to offer assistance to other colleagues, internal clients, agencies and other stakeholders as appropriate.

Emotional Effort

• Occasional/frequent indirect distressing or emotional circumstances
• Handles materials with graphic images of medical conditions or written case studies recording distressing information e.g. childhood diseases
• Responds to difficult organisational situations

Working Conditions

• Undertake communications and related work activity at home and in a modern office environment. During each working day there will be a frequent requirement to use a computer and related IT and equipment.

You will be able to find a full Job description and Person Specification attached within the supporting documents or please click “Apply now” to view in Trac.

The ability to speak Welsh is desirable for this post; Welsh and/or English speakers are equally welcome to apply.