The Communications Officer – Strategic Communications role is responsible for delivering creative, collaborative, and innovative communications that build trust, satisfaction, and confidence among communities, partners, and our workforce. It ensures a 24/7 capability to respond to major incidents and produce hyper-targeted, localised messaging that supports operational priorities. Acting as a trusted expert within the Corporate Communications Department, the postholder leads the development of accessible, inclusive communications that positively influence behaviours and align with force objectives.
Reporting to the Strategic Communications & Engagement Manager, the postholder will plan, lead, and implement effective internal and external communication strategies, producing high-quality written and digital content across all channels. They will monitor trends, assess risks, and evaluate performance to improve engagement. The role includes advising senior stakeholders, managing thematic priorities, and building strong relationships with internal and external partners to deliver outcome-focused communications that cut through a competitive landscape and enhance public confidence.
Key Responsibilities:
- Strategic Planning and Leadership: Lead the end-to-end development and implementation of effective internal and external communication strategies, which will align to organisational priorities, initiatives, projects and campaigns.
- Multi-channel Content Creation and Campaign Delivery: Produce innovative, high-quality content – both written and digital – for a range of digital channels (including the external website, internal platforms and social media channels), as well as physical campaign material. Delivery of communications and engagement for specific initiatives, behaviour and corporate change projects and employee and community-related strategic engagement activity.
- Insight, Evaluation and Risk Management: Proactively monitor media sentiment and social channels to identify potential risks and emerging trends. Provide expert advice to senior leaders to mitigate reputational risk and evaluate the impact of communication activity.
- Stakeholder Engagement and Relationship Management: Develop and maintain robust relationships with key internal and external partners and stakeholders, to offer advice and guidance, shape effective communications and prevent misinformation.
- Brand Advocacy: Help embed the force’s brand and identity through all communications, and ensure content is inclusive and accessible.
Click here to view the full details of the role including the Essential, Desirable and any educational requirements for the role.
Contact: For further information regarding this role, please email Jodie Carpenter on jodie.carpenter@westmidlands.police.uk
Hours of Work and Flexibility:-This is a full-time position working between core hours of 08:00 to 16:00, Monday to Friday. The role is hybrid working with 60% of working days on-site.
Vetting: Successful applicants will be required to pass Management Vetting and Security Clearance scrutiny prior to commencing their role, this will include a full background and financial disclosure as part of the vetting process.
Medical: Appointment to this role will be dependent upon successfully medical checks, which may include a drugs test.
Interviews: will take place week commencing 22nd June 2026.
Benefit Statement
By choosing to join West Midlands Police you will receive an enhanced benefits package including:
• Fair remuneration with progression opportunities and access to a very competitive pension scheme.
• Enhanced annual leave in addition to public holiday entitlements.
• Discounts across travel, parking, daily costs of living and leisure activities.
• A comprehensive wellbeing package including 24/7 support, free eye tests and flu jabs.
Prospective officers and staff must be held to a higher standard of behaviour and accountability than members of the public, and that therefore their right to privacy can be fettered in certain circumstances. This is to ensure that members of the police are fully aware and accountable for the unique powers entrusted to them and the standards of professional behaviour they swear to uphold.
West Midlands Police is a Disability Confident Leader - the highest level an organisation can achieve under the scheme run by the Department of Work and Pensions. As part of our commitment we operate a ‘Disability Confident Interview Scheme’ - all candidates who declare a disability and meet the essential criteria for the role will be offered an interview.
It is important to note that there may be occasions where it is not practicable or appropriate to interview all disabled people who meet the essential criteria for the job. For example: in certain recruitment situations such as high-volume, seasonal and high-peak times, the employer may wish to limit the overall numbers of interviews offered to both disabled people and non-disabled people. In these circumstances, the employer could select the candidates who best meet the essential criteria for the job, as they would do for non-disabled applicants.
"Diversity and Inclusion Vision: Maximise the potential of people from all backgrounds through a culture of fairness and inclusion to deliver the best service for our communities"
