Public Relations Manager

Full Time, Permanent

This is an excellent opportunity for a passionate, creative and driven communicator seeking to develop their professional and personal skills and contribute directly to the management of the Policy, Strategy and Communications team.

As a Public Relations Manager you will have the opportunity to bring your vast experience of public and media relations to support the delivery of the Public Relation team’s strategic goals and those of the wider service.

You will provide direct management of the Public Relations team, providing people management, advice and guidance for the council’s Newsdesk function.

You will also support the Service Manager - Public Relations to meet operational and strategic goals, to maintain an effective media relations function and take leadership on communications activities on issues critical to the local authority.

Working with local authority leadership, both political and corporate, and with essential external stakeholders such as partners, local and national journalists and media outlets, you will enhance the local authority’s reputation and relationships. In doing so you will be identified as a key contact for all council media engagement and be a person able to provide high quality professional advice and guidance to a range of stakeholders.

You will have excellent verbal communication and writing skills and the ability to produce content for online and offline audiences, demonstrating a high degree of accuracy and attention to detail.

You’ll also be well-organised and flexible, working on multiple projects with competing demands.

We also need to know what works well and you will lead on delivering the regular monitoring and evaluation of our campaigns, media coverage and engagement activities.

With excellent interpersonal skills, you will be able to communicate professionally, and build and maintain strong relationships, with senior internal and external stakeholders to meet objectives. You will also be able to engage with colleagues and provide personal support and direction for a team of communications professionals who you will line manage.

Working within a fast-paced, supportive, collaborative environment, this is an exciting opportunity for someone looking to take the next steps of a career in communications and engagement and step into a management role.

Why Bristol City Council?

At Bristol City Council, we go that extra mile for our people; we offer a work environment which is fast moving and supportive, giving you the chance to use your skills and develop new ones within a high-profile organisation. For the majority of our roles hybrid working arrangements are available, giving teams the opportunity to work in a way that suits them, balancing service need and individual choice - mixing both home and office working.

Join us and you’ll receive an excellent rewards package including flexible working and flexitime, membership of the Local Government Pension scheme, and a generous annual leave allowance. In addition, you’ll be working in a supportive environment where you’ll have the chance to make Bristol a better place and contribute to its future.

How do I apply?

If you share our values and are ready to be part of our exciting journey please select the apply button below.

To be shortlisted for interview you’ll need to demonstrate how you meet each of the essential criteria in the Person Specification within the Further Information section of your application. On occasion we will receive high numbers of applications, we may then shortlist against the desirable criteria along with the essential criteria, please demonstrate how you meet these criteria in your application.

We're a Disability Confident employer which means we value recruiting and retaining disabled people. Any job applicants who consider themselves to be disabled and meet the essential criteria in the Person Specification are guaranteed an interview. We'll make reasonable adjustments throughout the interview process and provide continued workplace support throughout your career.

For further information, please refer to the Job Description and Person Specification or alternatively, please contact John Smith, Service Manager - Public Relations on john.smith@bristol.gov.uk.

At Bristol City Council, we value having a workforce as diverse as the city we serve. We therefore welcome, develop and promote people from all sections of the community. Appointments will be made on merit.

The personal information section (including your name) you’ll complete as part of the application form will not be visible to hiring managers, but is used confidentially to make sure that everyone is treated fairly.