Digital Development Officer

Job introduction

You can also see our full list of employee benefits on our careers site here: Why you should work for us | West Northamptonshire Council

About the role

This is an exciting and unique opportunity to join our Family Hubs team, playing a key role in how we connect directly with families and communities across West Northamptonshire.

This is not a traditional marketing or digital role. While digital and online content form part of the position, the core of this role is working with people. You will be out in communities, building relationships, understanding needs and helping people access the right support.

You will spend time speaking to families, partners and practitioners, using those conversations to shape how we communicate and deliver services, both face to face and online.

Our focus is early intervention, supporting people before crisis, and helping families navigate services with confidence. This role is essential in making sure our offer is accessible, relevant and truly meets the needs of the communities we serve.

This is a hybrid role with regular travel across Family Hub locations including Towcester, Daventry and other community sites.

This role is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and therefore subject to an enhanced DBS certificate. It is also a regulated activity and will be subject to a Children and Adults Barred List check. West Northamptonshire Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and vulnerable adults and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.

Additional information

We’re looking for someone who’s as comfortable talking to people as they are working with digital. Someone who gets out, has real conversations and turns those into something useful.

Digital and marketing experience

You will bring experience or confidence in digital, communications or marketing, and an understanding of how these tools can be used to improve access to services.

You will

• Have experience or confidence working with websites, social media or digital content
• Understand how to communicate clearly with different audiences, both online and offline
• Be able to translate what you learn from communities into clear, accessible content
• Work with teams and managers to improve how information is shared and presented
• Have an interest in improving digital access and reducing barriers such as digital poverty

Working with people and communities

This is a highly people focused role, requiring you to work directly with the public in a variety of settings.

You will

• Be confident engaging with people from a wide range of backgrounds, including those who may be vulnerable or harder to reach
• Be comfortable working face to face in community settings, building relationships and trust
• Be able to listen, understand individual needs and respond in a supportive and practical way
• Confidently explain services and signpost people to the right support and resources
• Gather insight from conversations to help shape and improve services for different groups
• Show empathy, cultural awareness and the ability to adapt your approach depending on who you are working with

We are particularly interested in people who bring strong community engagement skills and the right attitude, even if their digital experience is still developing.

Company information

At West Northants Council, it’s about our people. People who thrive with ambition, bubble with new ideas, demand better ways of working, caring about every detail, and who never shy away from a challenge. Our culture is a gateway for new experiences. A place to forge new opportunities. To empower you in your career and unite you with like-minded people.

Our vision is ‘to make West Northants a great place to live, work, visit and thrive’. We truly stand by this and work hard every day to make this a reality. Our corporate values, THRIVE, stand for: Trust, High Performance, Respect, Innovate and Empower, they underpin everything we do and how we deliver services.

We are committed to ensuring diversity, equality, equity, and inclusion is woven into the fabric of WNC and everything we do, to enable all colleagues to develop and maximize their full potential.  We are a disability confident employer, a member of the Armed Forces Covenant, and a Care Leaver Covenant partner

The following film was created by us to communicate our intentions - watch WNC colleagues explain what DEI means to us.

If you need additional support or reasonable adjustments during the application process, including needing the job description in another format or language, please email careers@westnorthants.gov.uk for support.

Please note we reserve the right to close the advert early if we receive a high volume of suitable applications, so we recommend applying as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.

West Northants Council, where careers thrive.