Senior Communications Officer (NPCC/Home-Based Working)

Title of Role: Senior Communications Officer, NPCC ESN and Airwave Team (NEAT)

Location of Role: Home Working, with travel to London as required

Advert Closing Date: Monday 24th March 2025

Part/Full Time: Full Time

Contract Type: Secondment or Fixed Term Contract for 24 Months with possibility of extension (this will be negotiated with the successful candidate upon appointment)

An exciting opportunity has arisen with the National Police Chief's Council (NPCC) for an individual to undertake the role of Senior Communications Officer on secondment with the NPCC ESN and Airwave Team (NEAT). This role is pivotal in developing and implementing communication strategies that support national policing objectives and the ESMCP Home Office programme. Please be advised that this advertisement is being hosted by Kent Police and remains an NPCC role.

The Senior Communications Officer will be a proactive, strategic thinker and communicator who can effectively manage internal and external communications, ensuring clear and effective communication and alignment with NPCC, national policies and Home Office initiatives.

The role is ideally suited to a seasoned communications professional who is passionate about public service and has a keen understanding of the complexities of national policing and Home Office programmes.

Necessary Experience:

Bachelor's degree in Communications, Public Relations, Journalism, or a related field.
Minimum of 5 years of experience in a senior communications role, preferably within a governmental or law enforcement context.
Proven ability to develop and execute comprehensive communication strategies.
Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
Strong interpersonal skills and the ability to build relationships with diverse stakeholders.
Experience in building confidence through communication and media relations.
Knowledge of national policing policies and Home Office programmes is highly desirable.

Key Competencies:

Strategic Thinking
Relationship Management
Ability to build Confidence.
Media Savvy
Content Creation
Analytical Skills
Policy Knowledge

Key Responsibilities:

Strategic Communication: Develop and implement communication strategies that align with national policing objectives and the ESMCP Home Office programme.
Stakeholder Engagement: Act as the primary liaison between national policing bodies and Home Office representatives, fostering strong relationships and ensuring clear, consistent communication.
Stakeholder Relations: Manage internal messaging to national police audiences, respond to inquiries, and coordinate stakeholder engagements to promote transparency, trust, and confidence in ESN delivery.
Content Creation: Produce high-quality content for various platforms, including social media, websites, and internal communications, to highlight key initiatives and achievements.
Media Handling: Develop media handling strategies, act as the key media advisor to senior officers, and serve as the first point of contact for media inquiries about the programme.
Policy Alignment: Ensure all communications are in line with NPCC, national policies, and Home Office guidelines.
Monitoring and Evaluation: Track and analyse communication content to assess the effectiveness of strategies and make data-driven improvements.
Risk Management: Develop and review risk management strategies, considering the high-profile and strategic challenges of ESN delivery.

About You:

The ideal candidate will be a seasoned communications professional passionate about public service with a keen understanding of the complexities of national policing and Home Office programmes.

You will be a strategic thinker and communicator who can effectively manage internal and external communications, ensuring alignment with NPCC, national policies, and Home Office initiatives.

We would encourage anyone considering applying to contact ACC Nottage 46009700 (07989 992328) or by email: mark.nottage@kent.pnn.police.uk, who will be happy to discuss the role and the training requirements and answer any questions that you may have.

For the full job description please contact Corporate Recruitment on Recruitment@kent.police.uk

Your application for this role will be shortlisted on the content you provide within the “reason for application” question, within the application form itself. CV’s, covering letters or attachments are not included in the shortlist. Within your “reason for application” answer, please refer to any experience, skills, and abilities you feel you have that will make you suitable for this role, based on the role criteria stated in the job advert or job description. Please provide as much detail as possible as insufficient content may mean you do not meet the shortlisting criteria, however please note this question is limited to 9000 characters and this system will count spaces and blank lines as characters. This count may differ from the Microsoft Word word count function therefore you may wish to use a different online character counter to check the characters used.

All of our posts require a level of vetting and security clearance. During the recruitment process you will be sent vetting information forms to complete.

Kent Police and Essex Police welcomes applications regardless of age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage or civil partnership status, pregnancy or maternity, race, religion or belief, sexual orientation, sex, or employment status.

Please let us know if you require extra support at any stage of the application process, or for further information regarding this position, please email us at recruitment.business.services@ecis.police.uk stating ‘Application Support and Adjustments’ in the title of your email. Alternatively, you can call us on 01245 452833.

Where appropriate we will make adjustments to the selection process, working arrangements and/or the working environment provided it is reasonable in all the circumstances to do so.

This post is open to:

British Citizens
Members of a European Economic Area (EEA) state who hold settled or pre-settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme.
Commonwealth citizens or foreign nationals (who are not British citizens or European Economic Area (EEA) state members) who have leave to enter or remain in the United Kingdom for an indefinite period that is free from restrictions.

All applicants (except those who have been serving abroad with the British Armed Forces) must have lived in the UK continuously for the past three years.

Essex Police and Kent Police are an equal opportunities employer. Communications may be recorded for monitoring purposes.