Senior Economic Development & Tourism Officer

Working closely with the Economic Development Manager, you will help drive forward a range of high-profile projects and initiatives that support Ashford’s ambitions for sustainable economic growth. You will develop and manage business support programmes, support town centre projects and events, support strategic regeneration projects and help shape the future of Ashford’s economy.

A key aspect of the role will be leading the promotion of the borough as a destination to visit, invest in and do business. You will oversee tourism marketing activity, manage the Experience Ashford and Tenterden digital platforms, and work with partners to develop projects that grow the visitor economy and enhance the borough’s tourism offer.

This is a varied and rewarding role that combines project delivery, research and analysis, stakeholder engagement, communications, marketing and strategic planning.

You will have the opportunity to work with senior staff in the council and influential stakeholders in the region. You will also line manage the Tourism Assistant and support the delivery of wider Economic Development service objectives.

To be competent in this role it is important that you are an organised and proactive professional with experience in economic development, tourism, regeneration, marketing, business engagement or a related field and it is essential that you have:

• Experience of delivering projects and managing competing priorities.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Strong research, analytical, report-writing abilities and translating data into policies or strategies.
• Experience of preparing website and social media content.
• A proven ability to build positive relationships with businesses, partners and stakeholders.
• Experience of organising events, campaigns or engagement activities.
• Experience of working in marketing, economic development, tourism or operations.
• Excellent digital skills across software used for everyday work (Microsoft Office) as well as social media platforms and monitoring tools and other communication platforms.

The role is primarily based at International House, Ashford. Occasional evenings, weekend and bank holiday working may be required to support events, business engagement activities and tourism initiatives.

Click to download a Job Description

For an informal discussion about the role, please contact Tom Jenkins, Economic Development Manager, on 01233 330326 or tom.jenkins@ashford.gov.uk.

When Applying - Please ensure that you have received confirmation of a submitted application once completed. For any assistance in completing the application form, please email recruitment@ashford.gov.uk

Hybrid Working - We are an organisation that puts people first and understands how important employee wellbeing is. We want to help you to balance your working life and home life and offer flexible ways of working to help structure your life in a positive and productive way; both at home and in the office. This maximises personal development and collaborative working. Competitive remuneration package - We offer an excellent salary linked pension scheme, generous annual leave with flexi time, free life insurance, supportive relocation package for specific roles and opportunities for training and development.

Ashford Borough Council recognises the need to ensure the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults when they come into contact with the services we provide

We welcome applications from the Armed Forces Community