Communications Officer

The Old Oak and Park Royal Development Corporation (OPDC) is a Mayoral Development Corporation (MDC), established by the Mayor of London to bring forward the regeneration of the Old Oak Opportunity area, spanning land in three London boroughs – Ealing, Brent and Hammersmith & Fulham.

The Old Oak and Park Royal Opportunity Area is one of the most exciting and important regeneration opportunities in the UK – aiming to create an accessible, welcoming and well-connected urban district, centred around the new High Speed 2 station at Old Oak Common, with tens of thousands of new high-quality and affordable homes; good quality, well-paid jobs and shops; facilities, sustainable travel connections and public green space.

Communications and Engagement

The Communications and Engagement Directorate manages OPDC’s communications, marketing, external relations, community engagement and media relations functions.

Communications and Engagement sits at the centre of the organisation, bringing together several teams with organisation-wide remits and mutual collaboration opportunities. The work of the directorate’s teams includes delivering events and launches, designing and leading public affairs and marketing campaigns, providing data, evidence and analysis to inform the OPDC’s work, leading cross-organisational programmes, and making sure we plan for and can respond to emerging events.

About the role

The Communications Officer will work as part of the Communications and Engagement team within OPDC, providing support in all matters relating to communications, including copywriting, digital, internal communications, public liaison, marketing, event organisation and media / stakeholder monitoring, as well as supporting the day-to-day function of the team through undertaking administrative tasks.

Principal accountabilities

1. Assist with the coordination and delivery of communications and marketing activity, using a range of channels and methods both traditional and online, including, but not exclusively: leaflet, poster and flyer creation and distribution, press releases, internal and external email campaigns and website maintenance.
2. Work with the Digital Communications Manager to manage the corporation’s social media and online presence, promoting OPDC by creating and uploading engaging content, including working with designers, videographers, community members and internal teams to prepare posts, podcasts and videos.
3. Work with the Communications & External Relations Manager to support and maintain the internal communications function, liaising with team members to compile internal newsletters, and helping to organise internal events, including lunch and learns, staff briefings and team socials.
4. Carry out the work required to coordinate and complete the corporation’s FOI and Write On processes, as well as the Mayor’s correspondence that is allocated to OPDC, including allocating correspondence to the appropriate team members and providing responses to straightforward letters and emails, measuring OPDC’s response deadlines and monitoring these against the corporation’s Key Performance Indicators (KPIs).
5. Monitor OPDC’s online and media presence, tracking engagement, followers and comments to help inform future Communications and Engagement campaigns and consultations.
6. Act as a first point of contact for enquiries to the Communications and Engagement Team.
7. Realise the benefits of London’s diversity by promoting and enabling equality of opportunities and promoting the diverse needs and aspirations of London’s communities.
8. Realise the benefits of a flexible approach to work in undertaking the duties and responsibilities of this job, and participating in multi-disciplinary, cross- department and cross-organisational groups and project teams.

Skills, knowledge and experience

To be considered for the role you must meet the following essential criteria:

• Knowledge of and experience in using a variety of media (including social media tools) to produce attractive and engaging communications.
  • Experience of writing and editing articles, internal publications, newsletters and press releases.
  • Experience of writing for digital communications and providing advice and support to staff to who are writing their own content.
  • A proven track record of organising staff events and presentations and engaging and coordinating volunteers.
  • Experience of providing training/skills sharing to users.
• Evidence of using innovation and creativity and understanding of current communications best practice to disseminate information and engage people.
• Ability to use a range of standard and specific ICT systems, including:
  • Mailchimp or similar CMS/email system(s).
• Competence in photography, filming and video editing would be desirable.
• Awareness of working in a political context.

How to apply

If you would like to apply for the role you will need to submit the following:

• Up to date CV
• Personal statement with a maximum of 1500 words. Please ensure you address how you demonstrate the essential criteria outlined above in the advert.

Please ensure your CV and Personal Statement have a maximum file size of 1.5MB each and upload your Personal Statement to the ‘CV and Cover Letters’ section of the form, ensuring you address the technical requirements and competencies in your Personal Statement.

Word or PDF format preferred and do not include any photographs or images. Please ensure your CV and Personal Statement are saved with the job reference number as part of the naming convention (E.g., “CV – applicant name - 012345)

As part of OPDC’s continuing commitment to be an inclusive and equal opportunity employer we will be removing personal identifiable information from CVs and Personal Statements that could cause discrimination.

If you have questions about the role

If you wish to talk to someone about the role, the hiring manager Grace Kelly would be happy to speak to you. Please contact them at Grace.Kelly@opdc.london.gov.uk

If you have any questions about the recruitment process, contact the glaopdcrecruitment@tfl.gov.uk who support the OPDC with recruitment.

Assessment process

Once you have submitted an application, your details will be reviewed by a panel.

If shortlisted, you’ll be invited to an interview/assessment.

The interview/assessment date is:W/C 26th May, held in person at OPDC’s offices.

Equity, diversity and inclusion

London's diversity is its biggest asset, and we strive to ensure our workforce reflects London's diversity at all levels. We welcome applications from everyone regardless of age, gender, gender identity, gender expression, ethnicity, sexual orientation, faith or disability.

We particularly encourage applications from Black, Asian and Minority ethnic candidates and disabled candidates who are currently underrepresented in our workforce.

We are committed to being an inclusive employer and we are happy to consider flexible working arrangements. We would welcome applications from candidates who are seeking part-time work as this role is open to job share.

Please note we are a Disability Confident Employer so for candidates who wish to be considered under the scheme and meet the essential criteria, they will automatically be invited to interview. Please note, should you require any adjustments through the process, we will accommodate as much as possible. Please contact the recruitment team for further information if required.

Benefits

OPDC staff are hybrid working up to 3 days a week in our offices and remotely depending on their role. As part of this, you will need to split your time between home working and coming into the office.

In addition to a good salary package, you will be paid every four weeks, providing frequent salary payments. We also offer an attractive range of benefits including 30 days’ annual leave, interest-free season ticket loan, interest-free bicycle loan and a career average pension scheme with the option to add to build up pension benefits with a separate provider alongside your LGPS pension via additional voluntary contributions.

Learning and development

At OPDC we are dedicated to empowering team members through ongoing learning opportunities and professional development initiatives. Our commitment to learning and development means that we will provide you with the resources and support to expand your skills and grow your career.

Additional Information

Please note, all candidates will need to confirm that the information provided in this application form is true and correct. Should a candidate deliberately give false information, including the use of AI software, they understand that this would disqualify them from consideration.

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record (DBS) check but some roles may require additional security screening.

More Support

If you have a disability which makes submitting an online application form difficult, please contact glaopdcrecruitment@tfl.gov.uk.