Communications Manager (Environment)

Why Southwark?

Southwark Council works proactively with the media to ensure residents receive clear and accurate information about council services and priorities.

The Communications team, within Strategy and Communities, leads the council’s approach to communications, campaigns, media relations and digital content. The team works across the organisation to ensure that council priorities are communicated clearly, residents can access information about services and initiatives, and communications activity supports meaningful engagement and impact.

We are looking for a Communications Manager to lead on communications from Southwark Council and its partners on Environment
including strategy and planning, managing communication staff and covering all
communications disciplines including campaigns, digital, marketing and media.

What You'll Be Doing

Lead on communications across all disciplines for Environment services including Streets for People, street cleansing, waste and recycling, community safety, climate, regulatory services and leisure; including investment in major local projects like health centres and leisure centres, and town centres).

Lead on strategic planning and strategic relationships for both areas internally with Cabinet, Directors and service heads, and external stakeholders eg with Veolia, Metropolitan Police.

Lead and manage teams of dedicated communications officers to deliver excellent communications to local people and stakeholders across all communications disciplines.

Work closely with the wider communications team including the Media and Communications manager and the Content Communications manager to ensure accurate and consistent messaging across all channels including digital and media.

Use data and insight to inform strategic planning for all communications and to evaluate campaign results.

Play a key role in the council’s out-of-hours service in the evenings and weekends on a rota basis, and initiating the council’s emergency communications plan when required.

Lead on and deliver other projects and duties as directed in line with the overall communications objectives and needs of local people and the council.

To understand and provide expert advice on how all communications can be tailored and directed to the diverse community that lives, works in or visits Southwark.

What We're Looking For

• Experience in leading a communications team across all disciplines
• Significant experience of digital and social media content creation and knowledge of how to tailor content for different social media platforms
• Significant experience of providing direct advice and briefing to senior managers and/or elected members on communications
• Significant experience of working in a highly pressured environment and delivering results to tight deadlines
• Experience of leadership, line management and supporting, mentoring and developing staff
• Experience of working with the media, both proactively pitching stories and managing inquiries and issues
• Experience of using insight and data to create communications plans and evaluate results
• Experience and understanding of how to handle communications for a business, organisation, public sector or third sector body in a crisis
• Proven ability to find solutions to communications problems and to take necessary action, using all available channels including digital, media and internal communications
• A good understanding of local government, the services provided by local councils, and the responsibilities a council has to its residents
• Excellent writing skills with a clear, concise and lively prose style, and the ability to write clearly for a range of different audiences
• Excellent oral communications skills and the ability to maintain effective relationships at every level of an organisation

Recruitment Timetable

Advert close date: 11:59pm on 26th April 2026

Guaranteed Interview Scheme:

As part of our commitment to inclusion, we offer guaranteed interviews for specific groups of people. To qualify, you'll need to meet the minimum requirements for the role, and identify with one of the below criteria:

• Members of the Armed Forces and veterans
• Are currently in care, or have previously been in care
• If you consider yourself to be disabled or if you have a long-term health condition

SWCINT

We are an organisation who is passionate about our people and understands that richness of diversity is a requirement to provide the best possible services to our communities. This is demonstrated through our council-wide ambitious commitment to tackle racial inequality in our communities and workforce through our Southwark Stands Together programme. We particularly welcome applications from members of the Black, Asian and ethnic minority communities to increase representation at senior management level in the Council.

Attachments

• Communications Manager (Environment) G12.pdf