Senior Communications & Engagement Officer (Regeneration & Inward Invest

Grade/Salary: ME14 - £51,138 - £55,323 per annum

Advert Text

There is no better time to join Merton Council.

We are investing in our town centres, building new council homes and taking forward one of the most significant regeneration opportunities in south London.

We are looking for an experienced communications and engagement professional to help us tell that story, involve our communities and build Merton’s profile as a place to live, work and invest.

At the centre of the role will be ‘Remaking Morden’, our ambitious plans to transform one of south London’s best-connected town centres. We want to create a thriving new neighbourhood, with new homes, a revitalised high street, better public spaces, while attracting new businesses and investment. As London’s Borough of Sport, we want to weave sport and leisure into the very fabric of the regeneration.

Work is also underway on Merton’s first new council homes in a generation, part of a much bigger ambition to increase the supply of genuinely affordable homes in the borough.

We need someone who can communicate these ambitions brilliantly and take residents, businesses, partners and stakeholders with us.

The role

• Working across our Communications and Engagement and Regeneration teams, you will be embedded in major regeneration and housing programmes and work closely with programme directors and senior leads.
• You will help shape how we position Merton to residents, businesses, investors, developers and partners, leading communications and engagement around major milestones and developing compelling campaigns about how the borough is changing.
• You will also make sure local people are part of that change, designing engagement that gives residents and businesses meaningful opportunities to understand proposals, contribute their ideas and help shape what happens next.
• You will work with developers, investors and business networks to promote Merton as a place for investment and growth.
• The role combines strategic communications, place marketing, engagement, media relations and reputation management, with scope to commission creative work and manage programme communications and engagement budgets.

Who we're looking for

• You will have substantial communications experience and be able to turn complex programmes into clear, engaging stories for different audiences.
• You will understand good engagement and why regeneration needs to be shaped with communities rather than simply communicated to them.
• You will be confident advising senior leaders and elected members and building relationships with residents, businesses, developers, investors and partners.
• You will also have the judgement to spot opportunities, anticipate issues and provide clear advice in a complex, high-profile environment.
• Experience of regeneration, housing, economic development and/or place-making would be particularly valuable.